Is your child really hyperactive? There was a time when many children in the United States were diagnosed with ADHD and were given a lot of drugs to treat ADHD., but the treatment effect was not as good as expected. It was later discovered that the reason why these children had hyperactivity tendencies was not because of ADHD., but they all have sleep apnea! Most people think that sleep apnea only occurs in adults, especially middle-aged and elderly people. The fact is that children can also have sleep apnea, and even newborn babies may have it. Let me give you an example: I hold a baby to sleep, and finally falls asleep, but then starts crying as soon as I put it down. I can pick him up again and go back to sleep, and then put him down and cry again! We may think that this baby is difficult to take care of and often needs to be held. In fact, it is sleep apnea that prevents him from sleeping well!
If older children have sleep apnea, their usual symptoms may include: Sleeping poorly, tossing and turning, snoring while sleeping, waking up easily in the middle of sleep, resulting in inability to concentrate in class the next day, obvious inattention, poor energy or even restlessness, inability to sit still, and learning difficulties, etc., and then there will be a tendency to be "hyperactive". Generally, adults who suffer from sleep apnea usually feel tired and depressed. Children are just the opposite. They are restless and unable to concentrate, and many of the symptoms are even similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and are diagnosed as such. For hyperactive children, it is difficult for parents to detect or simply not know that their children have sleep problems, once the sleep disorder is resolved, other symptoms will be cured without medication! If a child has a tendency to be hyperactive, snores at night or wets the bed, parents should take the child to a sleep center for a sleep check as soon as possible.
The most common cause of sleep apnea in children is congenital structural problems. Usually tonsil hypertrophy or granular gland hypertrophy, the first line is surgical removal of tonsils or uvula. Generally speaking, surgery is very effective in children under 12 years old, the effect is not that obvious for people over 12 years old. If it is caused by allergies, it needs to be treated as soon as possible. As for older children, it is recommended to use a positive pressure sleep apnea (CPAP) if circumstances permit!
