Sleep Breathing Disorders and Behavioral Changes in Teenagers
Adolescent behavior can be a bit all over. Kids cycle through puberty and experience changes in sleeping patterns, mood swings, and shifts in hormones. Amidst all of these changes happening one after another, it can be difficult as a parent to notice when something else is affecting their child or if it’s just a part of them growing up. One of these things is sleep breathing disorder.
What Is a Sleep Breathing Disorder?
A sleep breathing disorder is any condition that affects a person’s ability to breathe normally while they’re asleep. Sometimes these can be hard to identify as innocent snores or something more malicious like sleep apnea.
A disorder in a person’s breathing habits, while they sleep, can cause them to wake up frequently throughout the night and miss out on consistent rest and access to deep sleep cycles.
Sleep and Behavior
Sleep is incredibly important in development. During sleep, our brains and bodies have time to rest and recover from our waking lives and can focus on recuperating and performing maintenance on systems that need it most.
When we go without the necessary amount of sleep to benefit from sleep’s advantages we can become sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can be hard to identify in teenagers and young children because tell-tale signs like their behavior are already irregular.
Some of the most common behavioral effects of sleep breathing disorders in teenagers include:
- Impulsivity
- Hyperactivity
- Attentional difficulties
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Aggression
Sleep Breathing Disorder vs. Snoring
Sleep breathing disorder might seem indiscernible from snoring. So how can you tell the difference between the two?
- Loudness: usually the louder the snoring, the greater the cause for concern
- Frequency: if your child snores more than three times a week, even without other symptoms, it’s recommended that they receive an evaluation
- Abnormal noises: sounds like gasping, snorting, and choking may demonstrate that your child has to work extra hard to breathe
Scheduling a Consultation
For more information about potential treatment options for sleep breathing disorders, contact Dr. Buck at (425) 341-0020.
