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A new study has found that children who snore loudly at least twice a week are more likely to misbehave.

The risk of hyperactivity and inattention increases in young children who are persistent and loud snorers at an early age, warns a leading US doctor.

Breathing difficulties and poor sleeping patterns that underlie snoring may explain the link, said Dean Beebe, a neuropsychologist from Cincinnati.

He led the first study to examine the relationship between the persistence of snoring and behavior in pre-school children. Persistent, loud snoring occurs in about one in ten children.

In the study published online in the medical journal Pediatrics, the mothers of 249 young children were questioned about their sleep and behavior.

A new study has found that children who snore loudly at least twice a week are more likely to misbehave

A new study has found that children who snore loudly at least twice a week are more likely to misbehave

The study found children who snored loudly at least twice a week at the age of two and three had most behavior problems, including hyperactivity, inattention and depression.

Dr. Dean Beebe said that breastfeeding, especially over longer periods, seemed to protect children against persistent snoring, even after taking into account other factors, including family income.

Persistent, loud snoring occurs in approximately one of every 10 children.

Dr. Dean Beebe said: “A lot of kids snore every so often, and cartoons make snoring look cute or funny.

“But loud snoring that lasts for months is not normal, and anything that puts young kids at that much risk for behavioral problems is neither cute nor funny.

“That kind of snoring can be a sign of real breathing problems at night that are treatable.

“I encourage parents to talk to their child’s doctor about loud snoring, especially if it happens a lot and persists over time.”

Infant breastfeeding, especially over longer periods of time, seemed to protect children against persistent snoring, even after taking into account other factors, including family income.

Doctors are concerned that snoring is a symptom of breathing difficulties at night, leading to poor sleeping patterns and daytime sleepiness which affects health and development.

Dr. Dean Beebe said: “The strongest predictors of persistent snoring were lower socioeconomic status and the absence or shorter duration of breastfeeding.

“This would suggest that doctors routinely screen for and track snoring, especially in children from poorer families, and refer loudly-snoring children for follow-up care.

“Failing to screen, or taking a <<wait and see>> approach on snoring, could make preschool behavior problems worse.

“The findings also support the encouragement and facilitation of infant breastfeeding.”

 

According to US researchers, children who snore, or who have other night-time breathing conditions, are at risk from behavioral problems.

Sleep apnoea and snoring made conditions such as hyperactivity more likely later on, researchers said.

The study, published in the US journal Pediatrics, looked at data on 11,000 children living in the UK.

Lead researcher Dr. Karen Bonuck, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York, said the sleep problems could be harming the developing brain.

One estimate suggests one in 10 children regularly snores and 2% to 4% suffer from sleep apnoea, which means the breathing is obstructed and interrupted during sleep.

Often enlarged tonsils or adenoids are to blame for the conditions.

According to US researchers, children who snore, or who have other night-time breathing conditions, are at risk from behavioral problems

According to US researchers, children who snore, or who have other night-time breathing conditions, are at risk from behavioral problems

In adults, the result can be severe day-time tiredness, and some studies have hinted that behavioral problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder might be linked to the condition in children.

The latest study is sufficiently large to offer a clearer view of this.

Parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire in which both the level of snoring and apnoea were recorded in the first six or seven years of life, and contrasted with their own assessment of the child’s behavior.

Dr. Karen Bonuck said that children with breathing issues during sleep were between 40% and 100% more likely to develop “neurobehavioral problems” by the age of seven.

She believes that the sleep breathing issues could cause behavioral problems in a number of ways – by reducing the supply of oxygen to the brain, interrupting the “restorative processes” of sleep or disrupting the balance of brain chemicals.

She said: “Until now, we really didn’t have strong evidence that sleep-disordered breathing actually preceded problematic behavior such as hyperactivity.

“But this study shows clearly that symptoms do precede behavioral problems and strongly suggests that they are causing these problems.”