Snoring may be a concern.
Snoring is due to narrowing in the nose or throat passages making noisier to breath. This may occur with normal relaxation of airway muscles during sleep, enlargement of the adenoids or tonsils, being overweight or due to underling airway problems. For most children isolated snoring is not harmful.
For some however, it is more severe leading to repeated sleep disturbances and poorer quality unrefreshing sleep. Daytime symptoms include sleepiness, impulsivity, poor concentration, irritability and moodiness. This is called obstructive sleep apnoea, may have important long term consequences, and ought to be treated.
Your health professional will start with exploring your child symptoms (including using questionnaires) and may refer to a paediatric sleep specialist or ENT surgeon for further tests and treatment.
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Daytime sleepiness.
In general excessive daytime sleepiness indicates a child or young person is either not getting enough sleep or their sleep is of poor quality. In rare circumstances they may have an underling sleepiness disorder.
Not enough sleep may be due to poor sleep habits, intrusive use of electronics, difficulties falling asleep, or overnight/early morning wakening. These are all common in our modern lifestyles and generally respond best to lifestyle changes and behavioural strategies.
Poor quality sleep may also be due to lifestyle routines & sleep skills or to medical conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea, movement disorders or other rarer conditions.
Sometimes sleep isn’t the problem at all. Fatigue and tiredness may have non-sleep related causes. Alternatively there are rare conditions of excessive sleepiness unrelated to overnight sleep.
Given the impact overnight sleep and daytime sleepiness have on a child or young person’s health and performance these concerns ought be explored with your health professional. Depending on their assessment they may refer you on to other specialists and in some cases a paediatric sleep specialist.