A good week for studies of relevance to
lots of parents.
The second study that should interest many
parents was published in the journal, Pediatrics,
and involved a survey of over 8000 kids in the UK.
The researchers concluded that those young
kids with sleep-disordered breathing – that is, mouth breathers at sleep,
snorers, those with sleep apnea – had a substantially increased risk of being
diagnosed with behavior problems later in childhood.
Two easy explanations (which can certainly
act in conjunction) for why this could be: an abnormal sleep pattern may limit
oxygen supply to the brain or poor quality sleep may lead to daytime fatigue
and changes in behaviour as a consequence.
Interestingly, as one researcher pointed
out, although it’s impossible to draw a direct and clear line between the two,
but the number of diagnosed behaviour problems among kids has shot up at the
same time as the number of operations for enlarged tonsils and adenoids has
decreased substantially (parents’ legitimate worry about the consequences of
what seems to be in most cases elective surgery).
Bottom line: most kids who breather through
their mouths or snore will not end up with ADHD, but if you’re child does show
inappropriate breathing patterns at night, talk to your doctor about your
options.
