Snoring: a sign of trouble in preschoolers?

Among 43 preschoolers who snored at least once or twice a week,according to their parents,and 46 preschoolers who did not snore,Aronen’s team found a higher rate of mood problems,especially symptoms of anxiety and depression,among the snorers.

“Overall,22 per cent of snoring children had mood disorder symptoms severe enough to warrant clinical evaluation,compared to 11 per cent of the children who did not snore,” Aronen said.

“Surprisingly and against our expectations,behavioural types of problems,such as aggressive and hyperactive behaviour,were no more frequent among preschool-aged children who snored in this study,” Aronen added.

According to a report of the study published in the in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics,the snoring children were also more likely to have other sleep problems,such as nightmares,talking in their sleep,or difficulties going to bed.

Brain function tests also showed some significant differences between the snorers and non-snorers,including decreased attention and language skills among children who snored.

Snoring is a common symptom of sleep-disordered breathing,which is caused by obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. Knowing the mental health and developmental impact of sleep-disordered breathing in preschool-aged children will help paediatricians and other health care professionals recognize the underlying sleep problem,Aronen and colleagues believe. “This makes intervening possible before underachieving at school or before more difficult emotional and/or behavioural symptoms develop,” they wrote in their report.