Science Daily published this article last week about the new links between snoring and mental deficiences in children. The results are a little perplexing, especially where sleep apnea is concerned.
As expected, they found that children with snoring had lower regional cerebral oxygen concentration than healthy children. But, paradoxically, they found that children with sleep apnea, which is usually considered a more severe degree of sleep-disordered breathing, have higher regional cerebral oxygen concentration than children with just snoring.
In other words, more is going on with the link between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cognitive deficiencies in kids than just mismatched sleep cycles; the respiratory system is somehow involved too.
Sleep-disordered breathing in children has come under scrutiny in the last few years because the disorder appears to be on the increase, especially in the United States. Another recent study found that SDB disproportionately effects children who are overweight and African-American.
And here’s an article by a pediatrician to help parents figure out if their child’s snoring is normal or problematic.