Adult & Pediatric Sleep Issues
At Brooklyn ENT & Allergy we offer comprehensive sleep apnea and snoring evaluations. We offer sleep apnea testing through a number of our partners in the areas we serve as well as home sleep testing for those that prefer to be tested in the comfort of their home.
Dr. Pantelides offers his expertise and experience in guiding you through your treatment options in a simple and honest way so that you may get better control of your sleep problems.
Adult and Pediatric Sleep Issue FAQs
My partner complains that I snore - what can I do?
Snoring is one of the more common complaints people come to our office for and what is most important to understand is that sometimes snoring is just snoring and sometimes it’s something more. Snoring by definition is a sound that is produced by the vibration of the soft palate as we breathe air in through our nose or mouth. Commonly, snoring occurs due to mouth breathing caused by nasal obstruction, the reasons for which can either be structural or inflammatory and often times both.
What is sleep apnea and how serious is it?
Snoring is sometimes a sign of a much more dangerous problem called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is when a person slows down or stops their breathing while sleeping due to a blockage in their throat to the point where their oxygen level decreases causing the brain and body to wake up to trigger a breathe. Depending on how many times this occurs in every hour of sleep determines how severe your sleep apnea is. Some other signs or symptoms of sleep apnea include: choking episodes during sleep, restless sleep, daytime fatigue despite a normal amount of sleep and even irregular heart beats. The severity of your problem will dictate two things: your short term risk for a heart attack, stroke, or motor vehicle accident, and also what kind of treatment options are available to you.
My child snores like a truck, what’s going on?
What is important to remember here is that children are not small adults. Pediatric sleep disordered breathing and snoring are often not caused by the same problems that adults encounter. The majority of pediatric snoring or sleep apnea is caused by nasal and/or throat obstruction due enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids. While there could be other reasons why a child can have sleep apnea, large tonsils and adenoids are by far the leading reason.
What are some symptoms of pediatric sleep apnea?
Children who have sleep apnea will often exhibit different symptoms than their adult counterparts. Certainly most children with sleep apnea will snore and often pause their breathing while they sleep, however other signs and symptoms to look out for include: frequent movement during sleep (restless sleep), bed wetting, poor school performance and hyperactivity. Frequently, young children will not show signs of fatigue or sleepiness even though they have sleep apnea. Any parent with a tired and delirious child bouncing off the walls will understand this.
Is pediatric sleep apnea common? What are the treatment options?
Dr. Pantelides’ practice is approximately 50% pediatric and among those children, over half are children with sleep disordered breathing and sleep apnea. While we often can control and treat these problems with medication and observation, some children certainly would benefit from a surgical procedure. Don’t hesitate to call make an appointment for a consultation if you have concerns about your child’s sleep.