Did you know that poor sleep negatively affects our immune system, in both adults and children, and can contribute to a child being ‘sickly’. Very often, lack of good quality sleep leads to behavioral problems during the day, including the inability to concentrate in school, daytime drowsiness and emotional volatility.
Quality sleep is important for your child’s physical and mental health. One of the most common reasons your child’s sleep can suffer is obstructed breathing from large tonsils and adenoids, which block breathing through the nose, and this leads to breathing through the mouth.
What are the signs and symptoms to watch for in your child? Observe their sleep and look for the following:
- snoring (both mild and severe)
- mouth breathing
- long pauses between breaths
- gasping or snorting for air
- nasal voice
- restless sleep (flip flopping all over the bed)
- bed wetting
- teeth grinding
- sleep walking
A few things to look for during the day are morning headaches, having a hard time waking up in the morning, an inability to focus/concentrate, behavioral problems at school, hyperactivity during the day and the need for afternoon naps.
How hard is it to get your child’s tonsils removed? The decision to remove the tonsils and adenoids can be easily made based on the history provided by the parents and a simple clinical exam.
