ASAP Pathway stands for “Airway, Sleep, and Pediatrics”. We are here to make sure your child can get the right management for pediatric sleep disordered breathing. Pediatric sleep disordered breathing is a lot like adult sleep apnea and snoring but diagnosis and management for kids aren’t always the same. When a child has sleep disordered breathing, they experience pauses in breathing while they sleep and are unable to get the oxygen they need to get a good night’s rest, grow, and be healthy.
When we sleep our bodies do the essential job of restoration for the next day. Our brains store new information that we gained throughout the day and rid themselves of toxic waste. Nerve cells that support healthy brain function communicate and reorganize, and our bodies repair cells, restore energy and release molecules like hormones and proteins. Without sleep, our bodies and brain won’t function properly.
This is especially important for our children. Sleeping at night sets them up for success the next day and every day. The importance of pediatric sleep disordered breathing is often overlooked and therefore goes untreated because sleep apnea is thought to be a disorder unique to adult men. This preconceived notion is absolutely false. More than a quarter of children suffer from sleep disordered breathing and up to 5% have the severe form—sleep apnea. There are a couple of different types of sleep disordered breathing.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA): CSA is when the brain doesn’t tell the body to breathe at night. This is common in premature babies whose brains have not fully formed yet. Brain injuries and certain types of brain abnormalities can cause central sleep apnea, too.
Obstructive Sleep Disordered Breathing: Obstructive Sleep Disordered Breathing is much more common than central sleep apnea. This occurs when there is a blockage in the child’s airway making it more difficult or impossible for them to breathe. Blockages can be because of the tongue, enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids, and fat deposits on the neck. Obstructive Sleep Disordered Breathing can look like snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), obstructive hypopnea, or its most severe form—obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Why Do Kids Need Pediatric Airway Management?
Breathing is an essential function of being alive. A child’s brain needs oxygen to support its normal functions and healthy development. Your child learns new things every day that need optimal brainpower to perform, remember, and pay attention. When your child isn’t getting enough sleep, they can’t focus, can’t follow instructions, can’t learn, can’t behave, can’t stay awake, and are depressed and anxious. There are other, longer-term consequences, too, like dental problems, failure to thrive, obesity and diabetes, heart problems, and premature death.
As you can see, it is extremely important to treat pediatric sleep disordered breathing. Look for these common daytime and nighttime signs and take the quiz to find out if your child is at risk.
Daytime Symptoms
- Daytime sleepiness
- Low energy
- Difficulty focusing
- Poor memory or learning difficulties
- Behavioral problems, including aggression
- “Hyperactivity”—children might be diagnosed ADD/ADHD
- Depression or low mood
- Headaches
- Slow growth
- Obesity
Nighttime Symptoms
- Snoring
- Choking or gasping noises during sleep
- Mouth breathing
- Restless sleep
- Stoppages in breathing
- Wetting the bed or frequently getting up to use the bathroom
- Nighttime sweating
- Sleep terrors
How Does ASAP Pathway Work?
ASAP Pathway serves as a connection between worried and hopeless patients to the doctors that can help their children. ASAP Pathway provides education for doctors so they can diagnose and treat pediatric sleep disordered breathing, and networking with other doctors so you can get a plethora of knowledge from doctors around the world. Management for your child could be surgery, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), appliance therapy, myofunctional therapy, or orthodontics and/or orthopedics.
Take a look at our provider map and find an ASAP Pathway Doctor near you. You and your family can rest easy knowing that the doctor you choose is highly educated in your child’s condition and can restore your child to the healthy, happy, little one that you always knew.
Does Your Child Have Sleep Disordered Breathing?
Are you a concerned parent of a child that could have sleep disordered breathing? We know how emotionally taxing concerns about your child can be and we understand the urgency you feel in finding someone to help your child. Childhood sleep disordered breathing can be extremely scary and stressful. Let one of our certified providers give your family peace of mind and give your child the opportunity at a healthy and happy life. With management from one of our ASAP Pathway Providers, your child will go from depression, anxiety, trouble at school and play, and tiredness (and more) to a child that is thriving and full of life.
Children can’t wait, contact a provider today.