Many children snore and this in itself is usually not a problem. It may be worse with colds and sometimes allergies can cause more nasal blockage and contribute to the snoring. Usually it is associated with some enlargement of the adenoids which are situated at the back of the nose and it tends to reduce after the age of six years.
Sometimes if the adenoids and tonsils are very large they can cause problems with the breathing at night and lead to ‘obstructive sleep apnoea’. When this happens you may hear your child regularly stop breathing for a few moments and then restart the loud snoring. It causes disturbance to the sleep pattern and so may make your child tired during the day. Rarely, if it is severe, it can put some strain on the heart and lungs.
