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Snoring Can Be as Harmful to a Child's IQ as Lead Poisoning
Yes, that's right -- studies show lack of sleep can change a child's IQ as much as lead exposure. The story was recently published by Ascribe (The Public Interest Newswire):
University of Virginia researchers have been studying sleep disturbances in children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids for the past seven years. They discovered that youngsters who snore nightly scored significantly lower on vocabulary tests than those who snore less often. According to Dr. Suratt, the vocabulary differences associated with nightly snoring are equivalent to the IQ dissimilarities attributed to lead exposure.
"Studies show that, even at nontoxic levels, lead exposure can reduce a child's IQ by more than seven points," he notes.
In addition:
"One of our most recent studies found that kids who snore nightly and spend less time in bed score significantly lower on cognitive tests than children who snore less frequently and spend longer times bed," Dr. Suratt explains. "We've also found that obstructive sleep disordered breathing (OSBD) occurs more often in African American children and, therefore, places them at greater risk of cognitive impairment."
While the comparison of snoring to lead poisoning is interesting, this study does not mean that they took kids with lead poisoning and tested them vs. kids with sleep disorders. These results are simply comparable.
However, they must be thought of as serious and important. The article seemed to focus on sleep disordered breathing from snoring to apnea, but my guess would be that children who were sleep-deprived for any reason were at these risks as well.
This is just another wake up call that sleep is critical to our kids.
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Technorati Tags: sleep apnea, IQ, parenting, sleep disorders, Sleep Doctor
7 Comments:
My son is two years old and has yet to sleep through the night. He usually wakes up anywhere from 3-7 times per night. We've tried rubbing his back and talking to him. Only a bottle will put him back to sleep and sometimes being held while he drinks the bottle. He has no signs of sleep deprivation during the day and is very happy and bright for his age. My husband and I are at a loss as to what to do about his sleeping. His pediatrician just tells us that some children sleep better than others. I've never heard of a child sleeping this poorly. Help???
Hi Dr. Breus!
This was fascinating. I had no idea that snoring was a cause of so many issues.
Looking forward to hearing you speak at the Fountain of Youth World Summit!
my daughter (now 3) had been snoring since she was 6 months old. She had plenty of energy during the day too, but when she was 18 months she was diagnosed with sleep apnea. She had her tonsils and adnoids removed at 2 and it made a world of difference. Her specialist told us that with children its hard to diagnose, because they aren't as lethargic as adults with apnea. But a good sign is that children under 10 shouldn't snore (except during the occasional congestion). Ask your doctor about apnea if your child snores!
dear anon 458 pm
my son was almost 4 when he started sleeping though the night. it hasnt affected him in his development. Dont worry about it too much he will eventually sleep through the night. the only thing that will help is time
My son will be 2 in less then a month. he hardly sleeps through the night but when he does sleep he snores. i wonder could he have sleep apnea??i find him very moody during the daytime. could this all be related back to not sleeping through the night??? help!!
My son is also 3 year old and started snoring after gaining a significant amount of weight. I asked his pediatrician, who told me the snoring was brought on by a sinus infection. The infection has cleared up, but the snoring still remains after several months we sought a 2nd opinion. Needless to say, but my son was referred to an ENT specialist.
My daughter has been snoring since she was one year old. I'm just waiting for it to go away. She will be turning four in March and she still snoring. I am very concerned. Is there someone who have kid with the same problem and what did you do to help.
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