Summary: Researchers urge parents to check on sleeping children to spot signs of sleep-disordered breathing that can affect health, behaviour and learning.
Source: University of South Australia
Most parents are familiar with the evening struggle to get children to bed and the relief when they finally fall asleep. But sleep quality matters: what happens while a child is sleeping can reveal medical issues that affect daytime behaviour and long-term health.
Professor Kurt Lushington of the University of South Australia advises parents to check on their children after they fall asleep rather than assuming everything is fine. Small signs during the night can indicate sleep-disordered breathing, a frequently under-recognised condition in children.
“When children sleep, the muscles that keep the upper airway open relax,” Prof Lushington explains. “That relaxation can narrow the airway, which may cause snoring, snorting, gasping, or in more severe cases, complete airway obstruction.”
Sleep-disordered breathing in children is linked to daytime sleepiness, fatigue, irritability, hyperactivity and difficulties with attention. These symptoms can undermine school performance and general wellbeing. Although the long-term consequences are not fully understood, there is evidence that untreated sleep-disordered breathing may also affect cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Despite the potential impact, sleep-disordered breathing is often not diagnosed. Parents are well placed to spot nighttime signs, which include loud or frequent snoring, choking or gasping episodes, pauses in breathing, and unusually heavy breathing. Sharing these observations with a child’s family doctor or paediatrician can prompt further assessment and timely treatment.
In a recent study of 1,639 children in South Australia, Prof Lushington and colleagues surveyed parents about whether they considered various nighttime breathing symptoms to be a problem. The findings show that while many parents are concerned about certain symptoms, those concerns do not always lead to medical consultation.
Almost all parents whose children showed signs of apnoea considered that a problem. Around two-thirds regarded snorting, gasping, or worrying that their child might stop breathing as serious. About half viewed habitual snoring as problematic, but only one in three saw heavy breathing without snoring as an issue.
These results surprised the researchers because parents seldom bring sleep concerns to medical appointments. In Australia, for example, it is estimated that only a small percentage of parents raise sleep problems with their child’s doctor. The study suggests that lack of awareness is not the only reason for under-reporting; other barriers—such as time constraints, the priority given to other concerns, or uncertainty about whether symptoms warrant medical attention—may also play a role.
To improve detection, Prof Lushington recommends that clinicians routinely ask about sleep during consultations. Simple, direct questions about snoring, breathing pauses, or restless sleep can encourage parents to share observations made at night. Likewise, parents should make it a habit to check how their child is breathing once they have settled at bedtime.
Early recognition matters because effective treatments are available. For many children with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, removal of enlarged adenoids and tonsils (adenotonsillectomy) can significantly improve sleep quality and daytime functioning. Decisions about treatment should always follow clinical assessment by a qualified health professional.
Practical tips for parents to check children’s sleep:
- Learn recommended sleep durations for children at different ages so you can recognise when a child is getting insufficient sleep for good daytime functioning.
- If your child appears to get the recommended hours of sleep but still has daytime sleepiness, fatigue, mood changes, hyperactivity or poor attention, consider sleep-disordered breathing as a possible cause and discuss it with a clinician.
- Watch for snoring, loud or laboured breathing, long pauses between breaths (especially pauses that approach or exceed 20 seconds), choking or gasping during sleep. Report these observations to your GP or paediatrician.
Build knowledge about normal sleep patterns so you can better judge what is typical for your child. Resources from national sleep health organisations and professional bodies can help you identify key signs and next steps for assessment and treatment.
About this sleep research news
Source: University of South Australia
Contact: Annabel Mansfield – University of South Australia
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: The study is published in the journal Sleep Medicine under the title ‘Sleep disordered breathing in children: which symptoms do parents consider a problem?’