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Why did the child start snoring? Features of the development and treatment of childhood snoring

If a child snores in his sleep, but there is no snot, there is no need to worry right away, first you need to study visible reasons. When your head is thrown back, snoring may occur due to an uncomfortable posture. Also, snoring in a child during sleep can occur due to nasal congestion.

But, there are many other reasons, many of which are dangerous.

Snoring is bad because it prevents the child from sleeping peacefully. In order not to stress yourself out and panic, you should study the complications that arise when a child snores. If you ignore this symptom, lethargy appears and worsens night sleep and well-being in general.

Consequences of children's snoring

Children's snoring not only interferes with the rest of those around them, but also carries a negative aftertaste for the child himself. Children who have this disorder are often lethargic, inattentive, and constantly depressed.

At long stay child in a stressful “circle”, his growth and development begins to slow down, because necessary hormones are produced less.

The inability to fully rest becomes the reason excess weight. This is due to the lack of activity and stress necessary for the body in daytime. Snoring in a child 3 years of age or older can lead to aggressive behavior, problems with peers, hyperactivity. Concentration is also impaired.

If parents notice changes in their child's behavior at night, they need to create comfortable conditions in his bedroom. For example, lay soft and beautiful bed linen, replace the pillow, ventilate the room.

Of course, during the period of colds and flu, babies may snore, grunt, and breathe heavily. After recovery, all signs disappear. If children still snore during sleep after eliminating this cause, you should see a specialist.

Occurring from time to time, snoring in an infant does not necessarily entail consequences. But it is important to pay attention to its frequent occurrence, since it greatly affects brain activity.

What not to do if your child snores

Snoring in a newborn baby, the cause of which the parents have not yet identified, can be a cause for concern.

First of all, if a baby starts snoring at night, you cannot scold him, since he cannot control his behavior during sleep, just like an adult.

You should not wake up a child in the middle of the night and scold him for making “noise,” as this is stupid and uneducational. Snoring in a child, the causes of which are unknown, scares not only mothers, but also the baby himself, because it can wake him up.

Parents need to find out the cause of snoring and only then begin to eliminate this problem.

There is no need to wait for snoring to disappear on its own. If the provoking factor has not been identified, it is recommended to consult a doctor, but you should not expect a miracle pill from him either. If you have doubts about the doctor’s experience, you need to show the child to a private specialist to get the necessary recommendations.

Parents should know that when a child snores at night and there is no snot, his breathing stops for a while. Moreover, the duration can reach up to 30 seconds.

Some experts recommend having your tonsils removed to eliminate the risk chronic infection. However, there is no need to rush. If a child often catches colds, it is not the tonsils, but a weak immune system. To restore children's health, mom and dad should reconsider their lifestyle, since their regime is copied by the child.

To ensure your baby grows up active and healthy, start leading active life– walk, play sports, explore the world, communicate with people.

Factors that provoke children's snoring

First of all, you need to watch the baby and try to determine the reasons yourself. child snoring. In order not to doubt the correctness of the interpretation of the signs, you can invite a doctor who will adequately and correctly assess the baby’s condition and give instructions.

Cold

Common cause of children's snoring. She has a stuffy nose, making breathing difficult. This condition causes the baby to snore. As a rule, after recovery everything stops.

A child's snoring in a dream due to snot means a common cold. To avoid it, you need to eliminate the snot that stagnates in the nasal passages. Clean the baby's nose, instill drops, rinse the nose. If you have a fever, give your child an antipyretic.

Adenoids

A child’s tonsils tend to grow, and over time they cease to protect the throat area from infections. This is accompanied by breathing problems, runny nose, snoring and coughing. With this disease, the baby begins to breathe through his mouth and make “grunting” noises in his sleep.

Adenoiditis occurs due to frequent hypothermia. This pathology also provokes daytime cough and night snoring. In addition, the baby becomes irritable due to lack of oxygen. Adenoids sometimes cause breathing problems, hearing loss, and urinary incontinence at night.

Treatment in this case is prescribed by an ENT specialist; it can be either surgical or medicinal. It depends on the degree of neglect of the disease. The operation to remove them brings relief only for a few months, then the adenoids begin to grow again. Significant improvement is observed after removal of the pus.

Allergy

The nasopharynx swells and does not allow the child to breathe freely through the nose. He is simply forced to open his mouth and breathe in air.

In this case, you cannot do without an allergist. It is imperative to determine the cause of the reaction (get tested) and eliminate it. In any case, you need to take medications.

Nasopharyngeal deformity

Often found congenital pathology in newborns - velum palatine. This irregular structure nasopharynx. A newly born baby experiences difficulty breathing, sleeps restlessly, and snores during sleep.

Sometimes snoring occurs in a newborn child, the reasons for which are unclear to many. Grunting in infants is caused by narrow nasal passages.

This condition of the nasal septum can only be treated with surgical intervention. After the operation, breathing normalizes and snoring disappears completely.

Apnea (sudden stop breathing syndrome)

The condition is characterized by uneven breathing and short snores. If a two-month-old child begins to inhale convulsively during sleep, you should visit a doctor.

The pediatrician selects the correct treatment to eliminate this manifestation. Exercises, massage, therapeutic manipulations in the larynx area and medicines. The therapeutic course includes proper nutrition, physical activity, good sleep. The main treatment is SIPAL therapy. During the sipal process, additional pressure is established so that the child rests peacefully.

Obesity

Fat is quickly deposited on the abdomen, limbs and soft tissues throat. A narrowing of the pharynx occurs, which prevents normal breathing. As a rule, the child experiences snoring and shortness of breath.

To get rid of snoring, you need to follow a diet and exclude foods high in fat. Sharply limit children's menu You can’t, the weight won’t go away in a couple of days and the problem won’t be solved.

The structure of the cranial bones

If the baby's lower jaw has small size, then the risk of snoring will be greater than that of a child with normal structure. Pathology of the jaw is usually congenital. There is no cure for this problem. Such a child often gets sick, so snoring can be eliminated only by strengthening the immune system.

Endocrine system problems

This pathological process occurs due to a malfunction nervous system And thyroid gland. It is important to undergo a timely examination by a neurologist and endocrinologist.

Whatever the cause of snoring in a child, this symptom cannot be ignored. To ensure your baby grows up healthy and strong, at the first sign of snoring, consult a doctor for advice and possibly treatment.

Useful video: why does a child snore in his sleep?

Children's snoring is very current problem in pediatric practice. As the research results show, about 10-15% of children, particularly between the ages of 2 and 6 years, suffer from disturbances in normal breathing during sleep. Severe cases Snoring that develops into sleep apnea is observed less frequently - only 1-3% of children are susceptible to this phenomenon.

Snoring in a child does not always indicate any pathology and requires immediate treatment. Sometimes this is due to factors such as age characteristics, sleep conditions, fatigue, etc. It is enough to take certain measures to provide the baby with a good night's rest.

Age-related phenomena. Most newborns snore in their sleep due to anatomical features: their nasal passages are still very short and narrow, and the baby is trying to absorb as much air as possible. In this case, the child sniffles rather than snores. If the child makes strange sounds only in his sleep and behaves normally when feeding: does not drop the breast or bottle to inhale through his mouth, then sniffling does not pose a danger.

Crusts in the nose. The cause of snoring in a baby's sleep may be dried mucus in the nose that forms crusts. The baby, of course, cannot remove them on his own, so you should regularly clear the airways using saline, cotton wicks lubricated with Vaseline, an aspirator, etc.

Fatigue. Also, children's snoring in their sleep can be the result normal fatigue. A similar effect is observed in the case of taking sedatives or sedatives.

Sleeping conditions. Sometimes snoring is caused by too dry air in the room. Snoring can occur if the pillow on which the baby sleeps is too high. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to children's bedding and indoor air.

Here are 4 rules for creating healthy sleep conditions:

  • The bed mattress should not be too soft and the pillow should not be too high;
  • The baby should sleep not on his back, but on his side;
  • ventilate the room well before going to bed;
  • use a humidifier regularly, ensuring the room humidity is at 55-60%.

Causes of snoring that require examination by a doctor

Heavy snoring in children's sleep, as a rule, occurs due to nasal congestion as a result acute rhinitis, sinusitis, inflammation frontal sinuses. However, if the child is healthy, but snores in his sleep, he should be shown to specialists such as an otolaryngologist, dentist, orthodontist or neurologist to determine the real reason sleep disturbances at night.

Snoring occurs due to narrowing of the airways, which may be caused by one of the following factors.


Enlarged adenoids are the main cause of children's snoring at night - about 80% of snoring cases in children 2-4 years old are associated with adenoid hypertrophy. Pharyngeal tonsil As it increases, it closes the nasal passage, which interferes with normal nasal breathing, so the child constantly breathes through his mouth.

Enlargement of the thymus gland or thymus gland internal secretion, which is involved in the production of immune cells. An increase in the size of the thymus leads to the appearance of children's snoring and makes breathing difficult during the inhalation phase.

Disorders of the thyroid gland are fraught with weight gain, swelling of soft tissues, and a decrease in their muscle tone, because of which the child begins to snore heavily in his sleep.

Proliferation of polyps in the nasal passages.

Deviated nasal septum (congenital or acquired).

Abnormalities in the development of hard or soft palate(in newborns, snoring can be caused by a cleft of the hard or soft palate).

Spicy either chronic rhinitis of various etiologies(allergic, viral or bacterial).

Inflammatory or allergic diseases nasopharynx. Therefore, snoring occurs when a child has a sore throat. A child may also snore due to diseases such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis.

Diseases of the central nervous system.

Congenital abnormalities in the development of the facial skeleton.

Pathologies of a hereditary nature.

What threat does snoring pose to a child?

If your baby snores sporadically, then there is no need to worry too much. When one year old child snores every night and it disturbs him normal sleep, you should consult a doctor immediately. Ignoring this phenomenon can lead to a number of negative consequences for the child’s body.

Often, a child who snores in his sleep becomes capricious and nervous because he does not get enough sleep at night.

Absence good rest and corresponding physical state the child’s performance at school is affected; fatigue makes it difficult to concentrate on something important.


In some cases, snoring leads to urinary incontinence at night, as well as excessive sweating during sleep.

When a child snores and breathes through the mouth, the mucous membrane oral cavity dries out and becomes thinner. Accordingly, its implementation protective functions becomes impossible. Thus, a pathogenic environment is formed, and children often begin to get sick.

A child's snoring with the development of sleep apnea leads to disruption of the normal cyclicity of sleep phases. During deep phase During sleep, growth hormone is actively synthesized ( growth hormone). Sleep apnea shortens duration deep sleep, which causes the hormone level to decrease. This is why children who snore at night often lag behind in physical development.

It is known that snoring at the age of 2-3 years causes excessive stimulation of the central nervous system, and since the inhibitory mechanisms have not yet been formed, this provokes hyperactivity and attention deficit syndrome. In case of untimely proper treatment or its absence in the future, the child may have problems with mental development, which will complicate his adaptation in society and significantly complicate the educational process.

Snoring in a child is caused by a whole range of reasons. In order to get rid of it, sometimes you have to visit several specialists, but you cannot leave such a sleep disorder, ignoring medical control. Remember that a child’s restless sleep can be a signal from the body that he is unwell.

Snoring is always an unpleasant, irritating sound phenomenon that signals the development of some pathology in the body. Baby makes different sounds while sleeping various reasons, but most often, snoring occurs due to a cold. This can lead to complications. Therefore, if a child begins to snore in his sleep and has snot, you should definitely contact a pediatrician.

How does snoring occur during a cold?

Snoring is a common problem for people of all ages. It occurs most often with a cold, especially in children. In newborns, snoring sometimes occurs without pathological cause. This is normal for babies until the end of the second week of life. In a later period, snoring in a child indicates a violation of the patency of the airways.

Often a child snores during acute respiratory illness (ARI). This is due to the fact that children's immune system is not fully developed. She is extremely unstable unfavorable factors, always works in enhanced mode. With bronchitis, for example, the baby’s body tries to get rid of pathological microorganisms in the shortest possible time. How defensive reaction from the first days of illness there is increased secretion of mucus in the nasal cavity (rhinitis). This significantly impedes the passage of air through the nasal passages and contributes to snoring. Very often, a cold is accompanied by enlarged tonsils (adenoids) with fever. It also makes breathing difficult and causes the child to snore during sleep.

What happens in a child’s nasopharynx during colds?

When a child has a cold, a number of processes occur in the child’s nasopharynx that directly affect the occurrence of snoring. These include:

  • Swelling of the respiratory mucosa. During active struggle organism with pathogens, the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and oropharynx swells significantly. The passage of air becomes significantly more difficult, the nose becomes stuffy and a characteristic sound occurs.
  • Activation of work lymphatic system. During an acute viral infection, the body’s immune system is activated, due to which the lymphoid tissue tonsils They block the airways - snoring and coughing appear.
  • Weakening of muscle tone. All colds accompanied by strong relaxation of the nasopharyngeal muscle. In this case, the uvula sag, which blocks the airways, and the child begins to snore in his sleep.

To prevent snoring from occurring, cold treatment must be comprehensive. For maximum effect you need to influence all the reasons that lead to the problem.

Why can a child snore in his sleep during ARVI and after it?

A child may snore at night both during and after a cold. If a child begins to snore after an illness, there are several reasons for this:

  • Muscle failure. After ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection) muscles of the nasopharynx and oropharynx long time don't get toned up. Therefore, after a runny nose and recovery, the child continues to snore.
  • Failure of the immune system. In frequently ill children or children with chronic respiratory diseases, snoring does not go away for a long time. Lymphoid organs (tonsils) are constantly enlarged, making breathing difficult. Such a child constantly has a stuffy nose, coughs during the day, and snores at night. This picture occurs with laryngitis and tonsillitis.
  • Allergy. Children prone to allergic reactions also continue to snore after suffering from a cold. This is due to constant nasal congestion and swelling of the turbinate mucosa.

Therefore, even if the cold symptoms have disappeared, the child should continue to receive restorative therapy. Especially when, after suffering from an acute respiratory viral infection, the baby snores for a long time.

Why is child snoring dangerous?

Snoring with a runny nose has Negative consequences for the child's body. These include:

  • Decreased activity, alertness and memory.
  • Disturbance of physical and mental development.
  • Disruption endocrine glands and weight gain, which along with infection makes snoring worse.

All these consequences can be eliminated. One has only to remove the factor that causes them (snoring) and sleep will be restored. But if a child snores for a long time at night, then this pathology can contribute to the development of:

  • Episodes of apnea (temporary absence of breathing). With this disease, episodic breathing pauses occur during sleep. If such episodes are frequent and have longer duration(more than 30 seconds), this can lead to irreversible consequences. During the absence of breathing, hypoxia ( oxygen starvation) experience many organs, due to which their work and development are disrupted.
  • Mental disorders. Heavy snoring contributes to frequent micro-awakenings, which leads to disruption of the central nervous system (CNS). Children who snore often develop neuroses and hysteria.

These conditions require high-quality, timely medical care. Therefore, if your child begins to snore or wakes up frequently at night, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Which doctor should you contact in such a situation?

At the first sign of sleep disturbance, when the child begins to snore, you should contact your pediatrician or family doctor. There can be many reasons for snoring and snot. The doctor will conduct an examination and decide what to do next and whether a consultation is needed narrow specialist. It could be:

  • otolaryngologist (ENT doctor);
  • somnologist;
  • endocrinologist;
  • neurologist;
  • allergist.

Other specialists may also be involved to help understand why the child snores.

What tests can a doctor prescribe?

At each stage, various doctors may order some examinations based on the symptoms to clarify the diagnosis.

  • Pediatrician, family doctor may prescribe a set of studies to determine general condition child.
  • The somnologist will prescribe a specific test - polysomnography. While the child is sleeping, this technique is used to study the functioning of the brain, heart, respiratory system.
  • An ENT specialist will examine the upper respiratory tract for pathology (edema, polyps, adenoids, tonsillitis, deviated nasal septum), foreign body. This will help you find out why your child is coughing, snoring or snoring.
  • Neuropathologist. He will check the state of the nervous system and take electroencephalography readings.
  • An allergist will be needed if the child has prolonged snoring and coughing. The doctor will perform a series of tests to determine if your immune system is overactive.

The number of specialists and examinations depends on how serious disease led to snoring. Often, a consultation with a pediatrician and an ENT doctor solves the problem of children, but there are rare cases, when you cannot do without other doctors and an extensive examination.

How to deal with snoring in a child with a cold

Problems associated with a child snoring during sleep with a runny nose are usually dealt with by a pediatrician. There is no need to wait for the snot to go away on its own. After the examination, the specialist will determine the cause of snoring and prescribe treatment.

After therapy, it is important to maintain the child’s condition. To do this, doctors advise maintaining proper sleep hygiene. Parents need to check whether the child’s room is stuffy. If necessary, be sure to ventilate before going to bed. Another important factor is the level of humidity in the room. Dry, hot air makes it difficult for even healthy children to breathe during sleep. If the child has chronic diseases, allergic manifestations, then it should be eliminated causal factors deterioration of the condition.

Recently, special orthopedic pillows for sleeping have become popular. They allow you to take the correct and comfortable position, which has a positive effect on the quality of sleep of the snorer. Children sleep peacefully, comfortably and do not wake up at night.

Will folk remedies help a child who snores during illness?

Traditional medicine offers many recipes for the treatment of snoring, based on organic herbs, vegetables, fruits, berries, etc. “Grandmother’s” remedies have a strong vasoconstrictor and calming effect. Here are some ways:

  • Four hours before bedtime, drop a couple of drops sea ​​buckthorn oil into the nose. The effect will appear two to three weeks after the start of the cycle of procedures. This recipe can also help relieve nasal congestion.
  • To overcome discomfort in the throat caused by drying of the mucous membrane during snoring, you should gargle for half a minute using olive oil. This method is very effective if the child not only snores, but also coughs.
  • Garlic and lemon are used to combat snoring. Grind three lemons with peel and two heads of garlic using a meat grinder. You should take the resulting mixture on an empty stomach, one teaspoon at a time before bedtime and after. The product should be stored in the refrigerator.

Important! There are a huge number of methods, but from the point of view evidence-based medicine they can be not only ineffective (they cannot treat), but also harmful. Before use, be sure to consult a doctor!

Approximately 6 minutes to read

Snoring is considered a common occurrence among adults. Men, obese and elderly people snore especially often. But rhonchopathy (noisy breathing) also occurs in children. Child snoring is an unnatural manifestation of breathing disorders in a child during sleep.

The causes of snoring must be clarified. After all, loud snoring can be caused either by a harmless runny nose or by more serious pathologies that require treatment.

Noisy breathing can also be observed in infancy, and at 3 years old and older. Snoring most often occurs between the ages of 2 and 7 years. According to statistics, approximately 5% of children are susceptible to rhonchopathy.

The causes of snoring in children can be either temporary or permanent. All of them must be subject to timely correction, since a child’s restless sleep makes him irritable and capricious, inhibits growth and development, affects the student’s attentiveness and academic performance, and increases the child’s body’s susceptibility to infections. Serious illnesses can also be accompanied by loud snoring. of cardio-vascular system and pathologies of ENT organs.

The following factors can provoke vibrating snoring:

  • Nasal congestion caused by allergic reactions. As a result, the nasal passages become swollen and narrowed, which makes it difficult for air to pass through and the child is forced to breathe through the mouth. Such snoring is eliminated after identifying the allergen and selecting suitable medications by the doctor.
  • Colds or viral diseases. This type of snoring will go away after treatment of a runny nose, cough and excessive sputum production.
  • Growth of adenoids or tonsils. As they grow, they block the airways during sleep and prevent oxygen from entering the lungs. Usually treatment is based on surgical removal of enlarged adenoids and this decision is made by the doctor. After the operation, the cough and runny nose disappear, and the child’s sleep becomes quiet and peaceful.
  • A similar reason is the formation of cysts, polyps or tumors in the nasal cavity or nasopharynx. In this case, surgery is also performed.
  • Difficulty breathing and snoring also occur due to abnormalities in the structure of the respiratory system. Congenital or acquired deformation of the nasal septum, narrowing of the nasal sinuses, underdeveloped jaw, malocclusion, all this negatively affects respiratory process and causes noisy breathing. Only surgery can get rid of such problems.
  • The cause of snoring may be fullness or endocrine diseases. If the problem is overweight body, then after losing weight normal breathing will be restored, and the noisy snoring will disappear. Diseases endocrine system are treated under the supervision of an endocrinologist.
  • Snoring can also be a sign apnea syndrome sleep - a serious pathology characterized by short-term cessation of breathing during sleep. If apnea is not treated, it develops severe complications, as a result of oxygen starvation of internal organs.

What is a cause for concern?

In most cases, snoring is not dangerous and goes away within a few days after the runny nose is treated. But sometimes wait-and-see tactics are not justified. Loud snoring does not go away, but only gets worse. How can you tell when you can wait and when you should see a doctor urgently?

When watching a sleeping child, you need to carefully listen to his breathing. You may notice occasional short delays breathing movements. After such a delay, the child takes a breath, snoring is heard, and the baby may even wake up. These are signs of sleep and in this case you cannot delay visiting a doctor.

You can also pay attention to the child's behavior. Restless sleep is often accompanied by whims, poor appetite, drowsiness. Older children may complain about headache, increased fatigue, decreased concentration. Schoolchildren have difficulty mastering the material, academic performance drops, and memory is impaired. All this occurs as a result of insufficient oxygen supply to brain cells and, of course, requires an immediate response.

If a child does not have a fever and does not have a cold, but snores every night, then this is a signal that there are problems with the respiratory tract: inflammatory processes, overgrown adenoids or structural anomalies. Only a doctor should solve these problems.

Attention! Without knowing the reasons for your child’s snoring, you should not study self-treatment without first consulting a doctor. This can make the problem worse and lead to serious complications.

The most common cause of children's snoring

The most common causes of snoring in children are enlarged tonsils or adenoids, allergies and colds.

Allergic reactions in the form of a runny nose and swelling of the nasal mucosa can occur in response to various irritants, for example, dust, pollen, animal hair, certain foods or medications. You can figure out what exactly causes allergies using tests, based on the results of which an allergist prescribes treatment.

In some cases, they try to treat adenoids or tonsils with medication, but more often surgery to remove them is prescribed. The doctor and parents decide together which way to go.

For reference! After removal of the adenoids in early age, relapses are possible and the adenoids may grow again.

The relationship between snoring and colds

Weakened immunity leads to the fact that babies often catch colds or catch viral infections, especially in the cold season and visiting institutions with big amount children.

As a result of the disease, swelling of the nasal mucosa occurs, the nasal passages become clogged with mucous secretions and the child is forced to breathe through the mouth. The throat also becomes inflamed, and the disease is accompanied by coughing and discharge large quantity sputum, which in combination with fever and general malaise leads to breathing problems, restless sleep and the appearance of snoring.

Treatment of snoring with a runny nose

Treatment for snoring caused by a cold involves eliminating symptoms that irritate the respiratory tract.

  • Taking antipyretic drugs or rubbing with diluted vinegar or alcohol will help reduce the high temperature. If chills are observed, it is necessary to warm the child with hot tea or an additional blanket.
  • To get rid of a runny nose, your doctor will recommend nasal drops that eliminate swelling of the nasal passages and dry mucous membranes.
  • Cough and phlegm will be eliminated by taking antitussive syrup or special lozenges that soften the irritated throat as it dissolves.
  • Additionally, it would be a good idea to give your child vitamins and immune boosters to strengthen the body’s defenses.

How to get rid of snoring that is not associated with a cold?

If your child does not have a cold, but snoring repeats every night, you can try some ways to get rid of snoring:

  • Place a humidifier in the baby's room and ventilate the room more often. This will help the nasopharyngeal mucosa not dry out, and the child will sleep peacefully.
  • For the same purposes, it will be useful to rinse the nasal passages with boiled salted water or special pharmaceutical solutions with sea salt.
  • Allergic rhinitis will be alleviated by regular wet cleaning of the children's bedroom, frequent change bed linen and the use of pillows and blankets with hypoallergenic fillings.
  • It is advisable to teach your child to sleep on his side. In this position, snoring practically does not appear. To do this, you can place an additional pillow on the baby’s back, which will prevent him from lying on his back while sleeping.
  • It's worth trying to raise the head of the bed a little higher. As a result, the weakened muscles of the nasopharynx are prevented from retracting, and snoring will not occur.
  • To relieve noisy breathing, there are many devices and devices. You can buy your child a pacifier for snoring or even a pacifier. This device is a compressor that pumps air at optimal pressure through a hose attached to a mask worn on the face. This allows oxygen to flow freely into the lungs. This device is especially suitable if the child stops breathing during sleep.

Prevention measures

As a preventive measure effective method training the muscles of the nasopharynx will be a set of exercises:

  1. The child puts his hand on his chin and tries to move it back and then pull it forward. Repeat the exercise 20 times.
  2. With your mouth closed, pull your tongue toward your larynx 30 times. You should feel tension under your chin.
  3. Repeat 30 times how to pronounce the letter “I”. It's better to do this before bed.

Additionally, you should strengthen your child’s immunity. For this purpose, it is useful to carry out hardening procedures, walk more fresh air, exercise. Walking barefoot on grass or pebbles strengthens a growing body well.

It is also necessary to monitor the child's weight, as fat people most often susceptible to breathing problems.

By purposefully working with your child, you can significantly reduce the risk of snoring and eliminate existing loud snoring.

Growing children's body reacts sharply to the lack of oxygen in the tissues and to the lack of proper sleep. If a child develops snoring, the first reaction of parents should be examination by a specialist, and then the use of other methods.

First step

A small child often cannot complain about bad dream or explain the cause of the discomfort. Therefore, parents should carefully monitor the behavior and well-being of their children, sensitively responding to the first signs of breathing disorder during sleep. Regardless of the severity of the situation and the causes of snoring, you need to start dealing with the problem with a visit to the doctor. You cannot conduct experiments on your own child’s health.

Snoring in an adult is an unpleasant phenomenon, but quite common. But if a child snores in his sleep, then the parents immediately have a question: why does this happen, and what should be done? The reasons may be different, it all depends on the age of the baby, the presence accompanying symptoms and diseases.

Causes of snoring in children

Snoring occurs when there is a mechanical obstruction that prevents normal circulation air. About 5% of children suffer from similar phenomenon, most often it occurs with adenoids, tonsillitis, and other respiratory diseases, due to the accumulation or drying of mucus in the nasopharynx. But sometimes the cause of unpleasant sounds is obesity and some serious pathologies.

Why does a child snore:

  • snoring appears in children after an acute respiratory viral infection or a recent sore throat; a few days after the illness, unpleasant night sounds go away on their own;
  • snoring often occurs while sleeping on the back; sometimes it is enough to simply turn the child on his side;
  • deviated nasal septum, congenital or after injury;
  • obesity - with the accumulation of fat in the tissues of the nasopharynx, the lumen for the passage of air narrows, which causes vibration of the palate when the muscles relax during sleep;
  • functional mucus often clogs the nasal passages in newborns;
  • malocclusion - loud sounds during sleep occur most often when displaced lower jaw back;
  • uncomfortable, excessively high pillow – for small child you need to choose orthopedic models;
  • at one year old child, preschoolers snoring can be caused foreign object, which the baby accidentally pushed into the nostril, while a lot of mucus is released from the nose, and over time, impurities of pus appear in it.

If a child suddenly begins to snore at the age of 2–3 years, but there is no snot, this indicates drying out of the mucus in the nose. Unpleasant sounds occur closer to the morning. In this case, you need to reconsider the microclimate in the room - remove all carpets, Stuffed Toys and other dust collectors, regularly carry out wet cleaning, ventilate the room at least 3 times a day.

Important! Snoring, or rather, snoring - normal phenomenon in infants! This is due to the fact that the nasal passages in newborns are narrow. If the baby feels well, snores in his sleep, but there is no snot, and there are no other symptoms of disease, then no treatment is required, everything usually goes away on its own.

How to distinguish snoring from snoring? If the baby sniffles during feeding, but does not release the nipple, then this is a normal physiological phenomenon.

What diseases can cause snoring and coughing?

Often children not only snore in their sleep, they are also bothered by coughing attacks, copious discharge snot - such signs indicate the development various pathologies. To establish the cause, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination.

Snoring as a symptom of various diseases:

  1. Adenoids. Baby sleeps with open mouth and snores, difficulty breathing is observed during the day, the child breathes through his mouth, the voice becomes nasal. If such symptoms appear, you should visit an otolaryngologist who will select the optimal treatment regimen. If treatment is not started, facial deformation and developmental delays are possible in the future.
  2. Polyps, tumors, cysts in the nose. The child snores through his nose, which can be seen with careful observation.
  3. The child often snores and coughs with sore throat, laryngitis, bronchial asthma, pneumonia.
  4. Disorders of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
  5. Epilepsy.
  6. With allergies and colds - the nose is constantly stuffy, snoring occurs due to severe swelling mucous membrane.

Snoring during a cold disappears within 7–10 days after the runny nose and cough are eliminated. In other cases, it will take more time to get rid of the pathology.

Treatment of snoring

The famous doctor Komarovsky claims that most children snore due to excessively dry and hot air in the room. Ventilation and use of humidifiers will help eliminate the problem. Additionally, you can rinse the nasopharynx saline solutions. Optimal air parameters for a children's room are humidity 50–70%, temperature 18–20 degrees.

Basic methods for eliminating snoring:

  1. In case of ARVI, if the nose does not breathe, it is necessary to treat the cold with all available means– nasal drops, inhalations with a nebulizer or over steam with decoctions medicinal herbs, plenty of warm drinks, bed rest.
  2. For frequent apneas, it is necessary surgical removal adenoids.
  3. Pathologists in the structure of the nasopharynx, tumors, and polyps are removed surgically.
  4. At allergic rhinitis, hay fever you need to consult an allergist.
  5. If a child begins to snore due to obesity, it is necessary to visit a nutritionist and increase the amount physical activity, spend more time outdoors.

Important! A child's sleeping pillow should be no thicker than 6 cm; products made from down and feathers are not suitable! Children under 3 years old can even sleep on a flat surface.

Adenoids are one of the main causes of snoring and high temperature, the peak of the disease occurs between the ages of 2 and 12 years. Enlargement of the tonsils occurs against the background of frequent viral pathologies, when the mucous membrane does not have time to recover between colds, with scarlet fever, rubella, infectious mononucleosis, measles

The acute form of the disease often develops with tonsillitis. Chronic adenoiditis is characterized by prolonged coughing attacks at night and hearing impairment.

How to treat adenoids:

  • antihistamines - Suprastin, Diazolin, they should be taken for 1-2 weeks;
  • antibiotics – Flemoxin Solutab, Sumamed;
  • immunomodulators – Immunal;
  • anti-inflammatory drugs - Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Protargol drops;
  • vasoconstrictor drops - Xilin, Tizin, will help eliminate nasal congestion;
  • physiotherapeutic procedures - ultraviolet irradiation, electrophoresis, UHF.

One of the simplest and safe methods treatment - lubricating the nasal mucosa with sea buckthorn oil. This product is safe even for infants, provided there are no allergies.

However, you need to understand that all the methods listed above are best case scenario give an unstable effect, and sometimes can cause harm. The only method that radically solves the problem of adenoids is adenoidectomy - an operation to remove overgrown adenoid tissue, which is prescribed and performed by an otolaryngologist.

Important! Snoring in a child's sleep, like grinding teeth, is not a sign of worm infection!

Is it possible to get rid of it using folk methods?

If the doctor has not found any pathologies, the room is cool and damp, and the child continues to snore, you can try to help him using simple exercises.

Set of exercises:

  1. Before going to bed, pronounce the sound I with force 15–20 times - this relaxes the throat and palatine muscles well.
  2. Pull your tongue towards your throat as much as possible, keeping your mouth closed.
  3. Move your chin back and forth 20–25 times.

Such simple gymnastics will help build strong and healthy sleep, which will have a beneficial effect on the child’s overall well-being. It can be done with children over 2 years old, if they are healthy and have little snot.

Why is snoring dangerous in a child?

If a child snores at night or coughs, parents need to identify and eliminate the cause of the disturbances in order to avoid the development of severe complications.

Consequences:

  • against the background of constantly drying mucus, if the child constantly breathes through the mouth, the risk of infection increases respiratory diseases, runny nose, tonsillitis, sore throat become chronic;
  • otitis media, hearing loss – consequences advanced stage adenoiditis;
  • if a child constantly snores due to adenoiditis, oxygen starvation develops, which can lead to a violation brain activity, retardation in physical development;
  • short-term disturbance or complete cessation of breathing at night - an attack of apnea can be fatal;
  • snoring negatively affects the quality of sleep, which causes nervous exhaustion, disturbances in metabolic processes in the body, memory deterioration and decreased concentration.

Doctors do not recommend removing adenoids for children under 5 years of age, since tonsils are part of the human immune system. But if you do not start treatment in a timely manner, you can avoid surgical intervention it won't work. After removal of the adenoids, the risk of developing serious illnesses respiratory organs, and a relapse of adenoiditis may occur within 6–12 months.

Prevention

To avoid snoring, you must follow simple rules prevention, the main task of which is to strengthen the child’s immunity.

How to prevent snoring:

  • humidify the air, ventilate the room;
  • do gymnastics every morning, take a contrast shower;
  • take walks in any weather;
  • make up the correct and balanced diet, control weight;
  • get vaccinated in a timely manner;
  • begin treatment for colds and respiratory diseases when the first warning signs appear.

A child cannot be protected from contact with other children for fear of infection - immune system you need to constantly train. Then the body will be easier to cope with influenza, ARVI, and other serious diseases.

Normally, a child should not snore. This pathology is more common in adults. If unpleasant night sounds occur rarely, then there is no cause for concern. But if snoring continues for more than 2 weeks, the child has difficulty breathing, there are signs of respiratory pathologies - cough, rhinitis, fever, you need to urgently consult a doctor.