University of Virginia Health System

Is My Child Sleeping OK?

Answering ‘yes' to any of the questions below could mean your child is not getting enough sleep. Share your concerns with your child's doctor. Your child may benefit from a sleep study at UVa. Learn more about childhood sleep disorders.

And learn how a lack of sleep could impair your child's IQ.

Questions For Parents

• Does your child snore when he/she sleeps?
• Have you ever seen or heard your child stop breathing and/or choke or gasp for air during sleep?
• Do you have trouble waking your child in the morning?
• Does your child seem sleepy and groggy even after a full night's rest?
• Does your child complain about feeling overly tired during the day?
• Does your child have trouble staying focused during the day or at school?
• Is your child hyperactive at inappropriate times of the day-such as during school?
• Does your child exhibit behavioral problems that could be attributed to fatigue or sleepiness?
• Have you noticed a drop in school performance?
• Has your child's doctor ever commented on the large size of your child's adenoids or tonsils?

Sleep Disorders Can Impair Children's IQs As Much As Lead Exposure

Three decades ago, medical investigators began sounding the alarm about how lead exposure causes IQ deficits in children. Today, researchers at the University of Virginia Health System say children with sleep disorders can face similar risks of intellectual impairment.

UVa researchers have been studying sleep disturbances in children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids for the past seven years. In a recent study, they discovered that youngsters who snore nightly scored significantly lower on vocabulary tests than those who snore less often.

"Vocabulary scores are known to be the best single predictor of a child's IQ and the strongest predictor of academic success," explains Dr. Paul M. Suratt, a pulmonologist who directs the UVa Sleep Laboratory.

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.

Why Kids Need Deep Sleep
Researchers believe sleep disorders may be intellectually and behaviorally detrimental to children because they interrupt the deep sleep patterns needed for healthy development. At night, children with sleep disorders can be observed snoring, snorting, gasping, tossing and turning. During the day, these children can be irritable, hyperactive and unable to concentrate.

A key goal of the UVa researchers is to predict which children with sleep disorders are most likely to suffer cognitive impairment or develop behavior problems. "It's more difficult than you would think," Dr. Suratt explains. "Children with sleep disordered breathing may have cognitive impairment even if they don't completely stop breathing, even if their oxygen levels don't fall and even if they don't totally wake up."

Who's At Risk?
In a series of studies involving six to twelve-year-olds, UVa researchers have been piecing together a list of risk indicators. So far, snoring frequency combined with sleep lab results have proven to be the most reliable predictors of intellectual impairment and behavioral problems. Sleep duration and race appear to be important risk factors, too.

"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." 

Early Detection Is Key
As part of their quest to accurately identify at-risk children, UVa researchers are now testing a device that records breathing sounds during sleep at home. When used in the lab, this method has proven more sensitive than existing equipment in detecting sleep apnea in children.

"We're getting closer to the day when parents can use a simple at-home test to easily learn if their child is at risk for this problem," Suratt says. "Then we can treat them and help them stay on track developmentally."

This article appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Vim & Vigor, a family health magazine sponsored by the University of Virginia Health System. To receive Vim & Vigor at home four times a year, subscribe today. It's FREE.

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