What Causes Snoring in Children

One of the worst possible ways to ruin someone's good night sleep is by snoring, or may be, get your sleep sabotaged by your partner's snoring habit. It has been surveyed that nearly 50% adults happen to be regular snorers. Reports say about 3% to 12% of children, who are preschoolers, also snore. This condition is nothing but the hoarse sound that occurs when a snorer breathes while sleeping. Snoring, as most people might think, is a kind of punishment for the person sleeping next to the snorer. However, the condition is no less harmful to the snorer himself. This is due to the pause that occurs in the breathing of the snorer. Although this pause occurs for a few seconds, with time, it starts worsening, increasing the risks of high blood pressure, heart diseases and sometimes even strokes. So in this article here, we would try to know what causes snoring in children.

Factors Responsible for Snoring

Snoring may be a manifestation of a variety of factors. When we start falling asleep, we go from a state of light sleep to one known as deep sleep. During this, the muscles of the soft palate, and that of the tongue and throat, get into a relaxed state of rest. This is natural. But in some people, the muscles become way too relaxed, and this causes them to vibrate, thus, creating a hindrance or an obstruction in the airway. And this vibration is known as snoring. For some people, this process is mild and hence, does not cause much of a trouble. But people, whose airway is narrow, experience the air flowing with a higher force thus, boosting the vibration and the hoarse sound. So, this is what happens when a person snores. But what triggers this process? Let us know about them...

Trigger #1
One of the most common factors that causes snoring in children, or in adults, is associated with the anatomy of the mouth. As I said, the narrower the airway, the higher the chances of the airflow getting obstructed and cause snoring. If the soft palate tends to be low, and thick, or the child is suffering from enlarged tonsils, then chances are that the airflow would be disrupted. Also, an elongated uvula, development of tissues in the back of the throat, are the other anatomical causes for this condition.

Trigger #2
Another cause of the condition that is found to be common in children is what is known as obstructive sleep apnea. This condition is characterized by repeated episodes of 'starts' and 'stops' of breathing. Here, the tissues of the throat create an obstruction in the airway thus, preventing the snorer from breathing efficiently. This condition gives rise to loud snoring, after which the breathing halts. When a child is diagnosed with sleep apnea, then, apart from snoring, the episodes of 'starts' and 'stops' would take place at least fives times in a span of an hour.

Trigger #3
Going further with this discussion on what causes snoring in children, obesity is considered to be one of the main causes of snoring in adults and children alike. And this may be due to obvious reasons, as weight can also cause the airway to become narrower, by building up of fat in the throat area.

Trigger #4
A deviated nasal septum, or the condition of chronic nasal congestion are some other causes, and so is the condition of nasal polyps.

This was about the causes snoring in children. And for your additional information, I would brief you on the basic symptoms which may accompany the sound produced in snoring.

• Restless sleep
• Poor concentration
• Choking episodes at night
• Heartbeats that are irregular
• Sore throat
• Intense sleepiness during the day.

And this concludes a quick explanation on what causes snoring. Although this condition is incurable, there are a variety of snoring treatment methods. And most people, have in fact, found relief after using them, and so did their partners.