Page 1 - Healthy Kids Now - Fall 2022

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Sleep problems now could harm your child’s health later
Sometimes we joke about snoring. But snoring can be a sign of
a serious condition: obstructive
sleep apnea.
The condition happens when muscles relax and block the airway during sleep. As children get older,
the risk for this condition is higher. However, young children and infants can still get it. Children breathe faster and less deeply than adults, and apnea can cause a harmful buildup of carbon dioxide in their bloodstream.
Why is it harmful?
Research has shown that children who had apnea from childhood through adolescence were three times as likely to develop high blood pressure as teens.That puts them at risk for heart disease and stroke.
The worse the apnea is at night, the higher the blood pressure.The link was even stronger for males. Experts aren’t sure why, but they think inflammation may connect the two.
Spot the warning signs
Sleep apnea can be easily missed. Catching it can help you protect your child’s health and development.
Risk factors include being overweight and having frequent congestion. Infants might also have acid reflux. Symptoms often start in the first few years of life.They can include:
• snoring, labored breathing,
sweating, strange movements, or
pauses in breathing during sleep;
• being very sleepy during the day;
• a rib cage that moves inward when
your child inhales;
• hyperactivity or aggressive
behavior;
• slow heartbeat in infants.
Talk with your child’s provider if you notice these symptoms.
FALL 2022
Sources: National Institutes of Health; JAMA Cardiology; American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Benefits underwritten by Keystone Health Plan East, a subsidiary of Independence Blue Cross, independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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