My 5yr Old Daughter

Now that I've been diagnosed myself, I've been alerted to not only my sleep habits but that of my DH, and 3 kids....

My dad has apnea.... has been on his machine for as long as I can remember and had gastric bypass in '09. I think it has a habit of running in families....

I'm still out on my DH having it, but he shows signs of poor sleep. He snores occasionally, and when he wakes up, he doesn't feel rested and can take a nap anytime during the day.

My 5 yr old daughter snores too.... not like an adult but softly snores. By bed time she's tired and as soon as the head hits the pillow she's zonked out. Sometimes falls asleep after dinner before I shuffle her off to bed. School nights they are in bed at 8-8:30pm and up at 6am. And she's hard to wake up, but what kids are easy to wake up? lol

Those that have kids who have it, what did you do? what were the signs?

Do i need to take her to a sleep doctor? Does DH need to go?

The first thing is to take her to a regular doctor. Have her tonsils checked and blood tests done. Get a referral to an ENT. Don't take any shit from them. You know your child and you are aware of the effects of sleep issues. The earlier you address this the better.

Remember you pay their salaries through your insurance payments. They work for YOU!

Meowser wrote: Those that have kids who have it, what did you do? what were the signs?

I suspected my son and my dad. I put my pulse oximeter on both for a few nights and both seemed to be fine.
Both my sons are up and on the go around 6.30 every day, including weekends

Well, we have been told that apnea is grossly under-diagnosed.
And we suspect that genetics plays a part in it.
You want to know (yes or no) early on--as younger kids are easier to train.
Your kid will be lucky indeed either way.
My great-nephew was diagnosed early on with sensitivity to some common food additives;
he learned to read very early--on food labels.

Symptoms, Causes, Cures, and Treatment Options
Most of us don’t think of snoring as something to be overly concerned about—unless our bed partner is disrupting our sleep! But frequent, loud snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, a common and potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts as you sleep.

Although sleep apnea is treatable, it often goes unrecognized. Untreated sleep apnea can be dangerous and detrimental to your health, so it’s important to see a doctor if you suspect that you or a loved one might have it. Read on to learn the warning signs of sleep apnea, how to distinguish it from normal snoring, the medical treatments available, and what you can do to help yourself.

While a diagnosis of sleep apnea can be scary, it is a treatable condition. In fact, there are many things you can do on your own to help, particularly for mild to moderate sleep apnea. Home remedies and lifestyle modifications can go a long way in reducing sleep apnea symptoms.
Lifestyle changes that can help sleep apnea
Lose weight. Some people find that even moderate to severe sleep apnea can be completely corrected by losing excess weight. For others, even a small amount of weight loss can open up the throat and improve sleep apnea symptoms.
Quit smoking. Smoking is believed to contribute to sleep apnea by increasing inflammation and fluid retention in your throat and upper airway.
Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and sedatives, especially before bedtime, because they relax the muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing.
Avoid caffeine and heavy meals within two hours of going to bed.
Maintain regular sleep hours. Sticking to a steady sleep schedule will help you relax and sleep better. Apnea episodes decrease when you get plenty of sleep.

Bedtime tips for preventing sleep apnea
Sleep on your side. Avoid sleeping on your back, as gravity makes it more likely for your tongue and soft tissues to drop and obstruct your airway.
Try the tennis ball trick. In order to keep yourself from rolling onto your back while you sleep, sew a tennis ball into a pocket on the back of your pajama top. Or wedge a pillow stuffed with tennis balls behind your back.
Prop your head up. Elevate the head of your bed by 4 to 6 inches or elevate your body from the waist up by using a foam wedge. You can also use a special cervical pillow.
Open your nasal passages. Try to keep your nasal passages open at night using a nasal dilator, saline spray, breathing strips, or a neti pot.