Toddler sleep apnea pillow

Zarmina Ehsan

Dr. Zarmina Ehsan, Children’s Mercy Sleep Center

Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder. There are two types: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or central sleep apnea (CSA).

Essentially, OSA is an obstruction or narrowing in the path from your nose down to the opening of your lungs (upper airway). There can be different reasons for the obstruction or narrowing, but it all results in less air (oxygen) going from the outside into your lungs.

Child sleep apnea symptoms

CSA is a type of sleep apnea where there is a delay in the signal from your brain telling you to breathe when you are asleep. The prevalence in infants is still unknown, but between one and five percent of all children have sleep apnea.

When detected early, sleep apnea can be treated to prevent other long-term complications.

How to tell if your baby has sleep apnea

There are several signs a parent can look for when their child is sleeping to determine if they might have sleep apnea.

The first thing they’ll want to do is listen to the infant&rsquo

sleep apnea newborn treatment

treatment for central sleep apnea in babies