Although typically known as a condition that affects mainly adults, sleep apnea is also found in children. The majority of childhood sleep apnea cases have been signaled between the ages of two and six, and only very seldom, infants and adolescents are diagnosed with the affection. The most common cause for childhood sleep apnea is the large size of adenoids and tonsils that prevent the correct passage of the air flow towards the lungs.

Other, though rarer, causes underlying childhood sleep apnea include allergies, cleft palate, obesity or a receding chin; researchers also ring an alarm bell where the children with Downs syndrome are concerned, since they have a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. There are certain symptoms of childhood sleep apnea that parents can identify, and they aren’t too different from the adult cases. Thus, snoring, heavy sweating, frequent wake ups, bed wetting, restlessness and night terrors are usually the main signs that indicate a disorder such as children sleep apnea.

If left untreated or simply ignored, children sleep apnea could influence brain development leading to the appearance of behavioral problems and attention deficit disorders. Mental development tests have pretty alarming results when it comes to the investigations performed for small children. Any parent who suspects that his or her child suffers from a sleep disorder should turn to the health care provider right away in order to get a correct diagnosis.

The most common treatment for childhood sleep apne is the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids that are the main factors responsible for airway blocking. The complications of such surgical procedures often make them difficult to choose particularly for very small children: there is poor oral intake, post-surgical pain, respiratory problem and even pulmonary edema following the intervention. If enlarged tonsils and adenoids are not the causes underlying childhood sleep apnea, then the use of CPAP treatment is usually recommended.

The CPAP sleep apne treatment consists in the use of an oxygen mask that sends a regular, continuous air flow into the respiratory tract of the child. This is a long-term treatment of childhood sleep apnea and it usually requires a constant medical monitoring of the patient’s condition. Older children usually tolerate the air mask better than younger ones. The latter very often need the use of desensitization techniques, but it is entirely up to the doctor to establish the steps necessary to such therapeutic approaches.

By: Steve Hill

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eddieazeidman asked:

Shows example of a type of involuntary leg movement during sleep. Does anyone have any suggestions for stopping (curing) this motion at night?

More and more people are suffering from a sleep apnea disorder while most of them are not aware that they are already victims of it. Many sufferers of this disorder use sleep apnea pillows.  

Many unfortunate cases happen when they are sleeping with someone in their bed and these people will wake up in the middle of the night because of obstructive sleep apnea. The good news is there are several treatment options for these people depending on the severity of the disorder, physical structure of the upper airway and some aspects of the person’s medical history. Doctors recommend using apnea pillows because they provide support to the neck the head and help clear the airway, which is often blocked when one is suffering from sleep apnea.    

Apnea pillows help elevate the head thus allowing the full extension of the neck and open the air passageways. Thus, there would be fewer chances of snoring and sleep apnea. By providing a full support for the frame and spinal alignment of the person, the blood circulation will then be improved, morning stiffness prevents and inhibitions of bedsores will be less likely to develop.  

When a person sleeps on their back, they have more tendencies to repress the air passageway and will then snore. With the help of apnea pillows, which are originally designed to encourage side sleep, there would be fewer chances of snoring and difficulty in breathing.    

There are also many other treatment options for a person who suffers from severe sleep apnea and it is always best to consult them with your doctor, as he will know best which will work for your situation.  

There are people that due to the physical structure of their upper airway, they need special attention and treatments. As for normal or common sleeping apnea, apnea pillows will definitely be of great help in providing more comfortable sleep not only to the one with the disorder but also to their partner who suffers more than he does when he snores out loud.

By: Martin Applebaum

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Akshu asked:


Hi, I traveled to India 2 months back and returned to US just 2 weeks back. My 9 month old baby boy is suffering from jet lag. He sleeps throughout the day and wakes up and plays throughout the night. Its been 2 weeks and he is finding it hard to adapt. I tried waking him up in the mornings but he seems to droop off and fall. Any help on how to cope up with jet lag will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance

expertvillage asked:

Restless leg syndrome, or RLS, is a trivial condition, which makes it difficult to assess and treat. Learn more about restless leg syndrome and treatment methods from our medical expert in this free video. Expert: Taylor Smith Bio: Taylor Smith, CMA, is a multifaceted Certified Medical Assistant. Filmmaker: Doug Craig

CJared08 asked:


narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness) with hypnogogic hallucinations

that or at least i sleep for short periods of time even at midday without knowing it (coz of hypnogogic hallucinations)

plus, i sleeptalk everytime i sleep, so i do it at day too, and i seem stupid and idiotic when other people are around, they’re just suddenly gonna hear me say stuff everytime the narcolepsy-sleeptalking combo happens

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a chronic Neurological Disorder which is caused by the brains inability to regulate sleep cycles. At various times during the day, the patient can fall asleep at any time for anything from a few seconds up to a few minutes. The patient has little or no control over falling asleep and it can happen at the most inconvenient and embarrassing times for example, whilst driving, during a meeting or conversation or even during ***.

While Narcolepsy isn’t very common, it still affects a lot of people. In the USA for example, Narcolepsy affects 25 in every 100,000 people in the population. Narcolepsy normally manifests itself in the patient’s teens to early twenties. However, Narcolepsy can start in both the very young and the old. There is a body of opinion that Narcolepsy is a life-time condition however, that opinion is quite controversial at this time.

There are three main ways that Narcolepsy manifests itself. They are as follows

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

This is where the patient feels incredibly sleepy during the day. This is the most common narcoleptic condition by far and the one which most people associate with Narcolepsy.

Cataplexy

Here there is a sudden loss of muscle tone with little or no warning. It is commonly a secondary symptom of Narcolepsy although it can occur albeit very rarely with other conditions. In severe cases, all the voluntary muscles can collapse with little or no warning. In mild cases, it is just a small set of the voluntary muscles. The episodes can last for anything up to 30 minutes with the patient being fully aware of what is happening, but unable to do anything about it. In some cases, especially when the cataplexy carries on for a long time, the patient can start to hallucinate.

Cataplexy is thought to be brought on during times of extra emotional states. These states can be either good states, brought on by the patient being very happy, or from a bad state where the patient is either stressed or upset.

Wild hallucinations

Can occur during the onset of sleep and during waking.

Sleep Paralysis

This can occur at the beginning and end of sleep. It was first described in the 19th Century. The patient feels very afraid and can’t move. The feeling is described commonly as if some person or creature is sitting on them holding them down.

What causes Narcolepsy?

There is a great deal of debate with regards to what causes Narcolepsy. At this time, there isn’t a definitive answer.

What is generally believed though is that the brains normal pattern during sleep is that during the first hour, the brains electrical activity reduces. After this hour, the electrical activity starts to increase again. This is accompanied by rapid eye movements (REM) and deep relaxation of your muscles. After a while, the brain electrical activity starts to slow down again. This cycle repeats itself a number of times throughout sleep.

Some investigation has shown that a person suffering from Narcolepsy doesn’t follow this same pattern, or rather; the initial slowing of the brains electrical activity is a lot quicker than in a non-narcoleptic.

This sleep cycle is controlled by neurones within the brain. For narcoleptics, it has been noted that the hormone Hypocretin is a lot lower than in people who don’t suffer from Narcolepsy. Hypocretin it is believed controls the neurones which in turn control the brains activity during sleep.

As mentioned earlier, this is widely accepted however, there are still many questions which haven’t been answered as to the cause of Narcolepsy.

What is the treatment for Narcolepsy?

As we’re not exactly sure what causes Narcolepsy, there are a few treatments which have proven to be effective.

Clinical trials have shown that short day time naps can help to reduce the excessive daytime sleepiness. What is also important is that the sufferer of Narcolepsy, has a strict bedtime regime. This is so that the patient gets the recommended daily amount of sleep that is required.

With regards to the drugs which may help, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is helped by taking Amphetamine Stimulants. However, it must be remembered that these types of drugs do have some quite severe side effects which may in some cases cause more suffering and possibly damage than the Narcolepsy itself.

For the patients who suffer from Cataplexy, it has been found that a number of anti-depressant drugs can help to relieve the sufferer. Again, there can be side effects to these drugs.

Narcolepsy can be quite a problem for a number of people, for others, it is merely inconvenient and a bit embarrassing at times. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what causes Narcolepsy and we don’t have a cure for it either. Hopefully one day, we will be able know what causes Narcolepsy and possibly we will be able to administer a cure. Until then, there are ways of minimising the problem that Narcolepsy can bring to a sufferer either from self – help or from various drugs which have shown to be effective.

By: Mike Mansell

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Brian S asked:


I think I have insomnia…. for a few days already…

I can fall into sleep within 15 mins after I go to bed…
but after about 30 mins, I wake up again, and couldn’t get into sleep until 3-4am….then i sleep again, and wake up at around 7am….

i have experienced this for a few days already…should i go see a doctor or should i wait and see if things chnage back forst?

thx

Marcus asked:


I have insomnia and i really can’t fall asleep at all i’ve tried since 11pm until now. I’ve tossed and turned many times and i don’t know the real reason why i can’t fall asleep. I think it could be because of my insomnia but I’m not sure. It’s like 2:15 am in the morning on the east coast right now and i can’t fall asleep and i feel sleep deprived. What could i do so i could fall asleep ? I feel so crappy right now because i can’t fall asleep.

Restless leg syndrome is a painful and mentally frustrating condition that affects millions of people around the world. It affects approximately 10% of the current United States population. Anyone can be affected by it, young, old, men, and women have all suffered from it affects. The symptoms of restless leg syndrome can range from mild annoyance to extremely painful. Finding the right treatment can take some trial and error, but by working with a licensed physician relief can be had.

Although research into the causes of restless leg syndrome is ongoing at this time there is no specific known cause. There is conjecture that a neurological disorder or chemical imbalance in the brain, notably the chemical dopamine, is responsible for the symptoms of RLS. Dopamine is responsible for the nerve impulses that control muscle movement.

When trying to find a treatment for restless leg syndrome one must remember that the majority of scientific research points to a problem with brain chemistry as the root cause of RLS. It is believed that because of this chemical imbalance that the brain sends messages to legs that stimulate the nerves into feeling or sensing that something is crawling around and stimulating the legs into movement to rectify the situation. This brain chemistry imbalance leads many doctors and researchers to believe that one way to treat restless leg syndrome is with a proper diet. Research has shown that caffeine may cause some of the signals that the brain sends to the legs causing the crawling tingling sensations. For some people limiting or completely stopping caffeine consumption has help lessen the symptoms.

Many people with mild symptoms of restless leg syndrome are simply able to get out of bed and walk around to relieve their symptoms. People with more severe forms of the condition will usually need to find more aggressive routes of relief for their symptoms. Sometimes taking a warm bath helps to sooth and improve blood flow to the lower legs relieving the affected area. This will usually allow the RLS sufferer to return to bed and get a good night sleep.

A heating pad can also provide the same relief as a warm bath. The key to both these treatments for restless leg syndrome is improving blood flow to the affected area. Using a liniment to rub on your legs may also provide the same relief as other methods described above. The heating action of the liniment and the rubbing or massaging of the legs will help promote the blood flow to the area and sooth the area.

Restless leg syndrome occurs when a person’s legs become extremely uncomfortable and is characterized by unpleasant sensations such as burning, creeping, and tugging, much like having insects crawling around just under the skin of the legs. The interesting thing is getting up and walking around usually does help mitigate the symptoms to the point where the person suffering them can go back to bed and fall asleep. In more severe cases though, medical intervention and treatment may be needed.

There are several major symptoms that accompany restless leg syndrome the most notable of which is the time during which it tends to occur. Periodic limb movements (PLMS) are another symptom that can occur with restless leg syndrome. PLMS is involuntary twitching and kicking of the legs while asleep. Normally the PLMS sufferer is unaware that they are doing it, but anyone sharing the bed with is more then aware that this is occurring. In severe cases of restless leg syndrome these muscle twitches can occur when awake.

Because restless leg syndrome strikes as people are relaxing or trying to go to sleep, many find they have a hard time getting the rest they need. Insomnia is a big problem for people who suffer from restless leg syndrome. Even sneaking in a midday nap can get to be impossible of the recurring RLS.

If your restless leg syndrome symptoms continue or worsen even with the treatment methods described above it is important to consult a doctor. A licensed physician can help identify the root cause of the problem and provide treatment options that will help resolve this condition. If you or someone you know may be suffering from restless leg syndrome it is best to consult with a doctor.

By: Andrew Bicknell

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