The Agony of a Little Girl Diagnosed with Sleep Apnea
Is Sleep Apnea Common in Children
Sleep Hypopnea Apnea Syndrome (SAHS) of the child is associated with a considerable number of health problems. Children who have sleep apnea stop breathing for 10 to 30 seconds while they sleep. These short interruptions in breathing can occur up to 400 times each night. Breathless periods can make cause them to wake up from deep, restful sleep, which is especially frequent and intense in children.
Even so, childhood apnea is a poorly diagnosed pathology, which can lead to damage to the brain structure, at a crucial stage for the child's neurological development and learning. Researchers who are experts in the field say that the effects on the cognitive abilities of untreated apnea are more severe in children than they are in adults.