The child breathes loudly through his nose. Negative consequences of night snoring in children. Causes of snoring in babies

In Russia, pneumonia is diagnosed in 10 young children out of 1000. Signs of pneumonia in a child depend on the age and type of the disease. Infants and children under 4 years of age are most susceptible to this pathology. Pneumonia in young children can be diagnosed using fluoroscopy. After confirming the medical report, the doctor decides to hospitalize the patient and selects antibacterial therapy. The disease lasts on average 7-10 days.

Why does a child constantly sniffle, but there is no snot?

The reasons for this unpleasant phenomenon can be divided into two broad categories:

Physiological disorders.
Pathological conditions.

Physiological reasons

A child who has just been born still has many organs and systems that are unformed and unadapted to the surrounding life. The microclimate of the room where he sleeps may not suit him. The constant horizontal position of the body prevents you from breathing correctly. Very often, this is the reason why the baby makes unpleasant sniffling sounds with his nose. The physiological reasons for this phenomenon are inherent in very young children.

The most common types are:

Anatomical structure	A child who has just been born does not yet have a fully formed nasal cavity . The mucous membrane cannot adequately respond to external irritants: viruses, bacteria, dust. Therefore, an excess amount of secretory fluid is produced, and the child makes sniffling sounds.
Horizontal position of the child	All small children spend most of the day (up to 20-22 hours a day) in a horizontal position. Mucus - accumulates in the nasopharynx . The result is squelching and grunting sounds in the absence of a runny nose.
Room microclimate	Very often, fearing that their child will catch a cold, parents in the room where the child is located unknowingly create an unfavorable microclimate : increased room temperature, dry, dry air. The mucous membrane of the baby's nose dries out or crusts form, and as a result - the same grunting sound.

Pathological causes

As the child grows up, physiological causes are joined by pathological ones, which can also cause unpleasant sniffling in the absence of a runny nose.

The most common types include the following:

Colds	The initial stages of all viral and bacterial diseases can be asymptomatic. Minor discharge usually flows down the back wall of the nasopharynx. Trying to get rid of them, the child makes grunting sounds with his nose . This phenomenon may be accompanied by a cough that occurs immediately after waking up (the child unknowingly swallows mucus).
When inflamed, the nasopharyngeal tonsils increase in size and thereby complicate normal nasal breathing . There are no external manifestations of inflammation, but a combination of symptoms such as: sniffing in the absence of snot, frequent breathing through the mouth, hearing loss, often waking up at night due to lack of air - indicates inflammation of the adenoids.
Allergy	If your baby makes unpleasant sounds through his nose only at certain times of the year or in certain situations or rooms , you should think about an allergic reaction to flowers, animal hair, dust, or an excess of sweets.
If suddenly started grunting and sniffling, you should definitely check the nasal passages for the presence of foreign objects .
Congenital or acquired as a result of trauma, anomalies of the nasal septum	There is a disturbance in the exchange of air in the nasal passages - and, as a result, unpleasant intrusive sounds.
Formation of polyps and cysts	You should pay attention to a combination of symptoms : sniffing, nasal sound, difficulty breathing, decreased sense of smell, headaches.
Caries of the sixth and seventh pairs of upper teeth	The roots of these teeth are located in the maxillary sinuses. The presence of an inflammatory process in them can lead to nasal congestion . And, as a result, grunting and sniffling.
Various types of neuroses	In the absence of somatic diseases, nose sniffing can be attributed to nervous tics , which indicates psychological and neurological disorders of the child.

How to treat a child if he constantly sniffles without snot?

Microclimate

Eliminating external causes that influence an unpleasant symptom is much easier than dealing with a pathological condition.

The most important rule is to maintain an optimal microclimate in the room where the child is:

Air humidity should be between 50-70%.
Air temperature: 18-22˚С.
Daily wet cleaning.
Ventilate the room several times a day.

Moisturizing the mucous membrane

If the nasal mucosa dries out, you can use the following medications:

Aqualor.
Aquamaris.
Humer.
No-Sol.

Vasoconstrictor nasal drops can dry out the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity when used for a long time (Nazivin, Naphthyzin). To avoid this side effect, it is recommended not to use these drops for longer than 5 days. Together with them, you need to use drops that contain oils, and rinse your nose with sea water.

Changing body position

To prevent mucus from the nasal cavity from flowing down the back wall during sleep, it is necessary to change the horizontal position of the child’s body during sleep. To do this, raise the head of the bed in which the baby is located.

In order to avoid drying out the mucous membrane while the child is awake, it is recommended to use the following medications:

Aquamaris.
Aqualor baby.
Salin.
Dolphin.

If you suspect this diagnosis, the child must be seen by an ENT doctor.

. He will prescribe treatment to relieve the inflammatory process. In more advanced cases and/or relapses, surgical intervention is indicated.

Allergic reaction

Typically, eliminating the allergen leads to a significant improvement in general condition. The child stops sniffing even without medication. In more severe cases, your doctor may prescribe antihistamines.

Changing the nasal septum

This pathology requires additional examination methods.

These include:

Rhinoscopy.
Diagnostic endoscopy.
Computed tomography.

Based on the results of the examination, treatment is prescribed, usually surgery.

Types of childhood pneumonia

Depending on the location of the inflammation, pneumonia can be:

share;
segmental;
right-sided;
left-handed;
bilateral.

Based on their form, they distinguish between community-acquired (home-acquired), hospital-acquired and congenital pneumonia. The least common is atypical childhood pneumonia caused by mycoplasma. Pneumonia, characteristic of patients with immunodeficiency conditions, is classified separately.

The most common types of pneumonia are:

focal bronchopneumonia;
lobar pneumonia (pneumococcal);
segmental (polysegmental) bronchopneumonia;
interstitial acute.

Moreover, each type of pneumonia can be divided into uncomplicated and complicated. This form sometimes entails more serious diseases, such as effusion pleurisy, lung destruction, etc.

Depending on the duration of the disease, pneumonia can be:

acute current (lasting up to 4 weeks);
protracted (stated when the inflammatory process in the lungs continues for more than 4 weeks).

Any untreated pneumonia, especially in children under 3 years of age, becomes chronic. This form is characterized by irreversible changes in the bronchial tree and constant relapses.

Types of childhood pneumonia

How to stop a child from sniffing often?

Parents often ask the question: “Is it possible to stop a child from sniffing?” There is no clear answer to this question.

Very important

Watch your baby carefully. Determine in what situations or at what time of day he begins to sniff or grunt more.

If this is associated with somatic diseases, then by curing them, you will get rid of this problem. If the cause is neurological or psychological, medication alone will not do the trick. After all, the causes of nervous tics can be stressful situations, a negative atmosphere in the family, a sudden change in environment or place of residence.

Quite often, children in the first months of life snore loudly and heavily while sleeping. Most often, a child's noisy breathing is caused by excessive dryness of the nasal mucosa, which occurs due to a decrease in air humidity. In addition, constant inhalation of dry air contributes to the appearance of dry crusts in the nasal cavity, which makes breathing difficult.

Also, snoring may be associated with anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the nasopharynx, characteristic of infants. The nasal passages in infants are significantly narrow, which contributes to the appearance of noise when inhaled air passes through the nose. As the baby develops, the nasal passages enlarge, and closer to the age of one year, breathing becomes quieter. Only an otolaryngologist, whom you should definitely visit, can determine the true reason why a child sniffles during sleep.

Causes

As a rule, the causes of noisy breathing in a child at night are various anatomical changes in the nasopharynx, which provoke a narrowing of the nasal passages.

These include:

adenoid growths;
acute or chronic form of runny nose;
deformation of the nasal septum;
nasal polyps;
swelling of the mucous membrane of inflammatory origin;
anatomical abnormalities of the nasal cavity;
malformations of the hard and soft palate.

Cause of impaired breathing

Noisy and heavy breaths in infants under two years of age may be due to the physiological characteristics of their body. The main reason for this disorder is the increased elasticity of the respiratory tract tissues themselves. If the child eats well, sleeps soundly at night and does not lag behind in growth, then parents should not worry. When the child reaches one and a half years old, the cartilage tissue of the larynx will begin to thicken and the problem will go away on its own. If a baby breathes loudly during sleep, this may be associated with certain diseases and pathologies. This:

acute laryngitis;
false croup;
pneumonia.

The most common reason that children experience problems with the respiratory system is acute laryngitis. This disease is considered dangerous, but it is well treated. It develops after a cold that has not been completely cured. Other symptoms of this disease include a dry, irritating cough that eventually becomes hacking and hoarse. The voice may disappear, the baby may lose appetite, and experience pain when swallowing.

In order to alleviate the condition of a baby with this disease, you need to leave the child in the bathroom, which is filled with hot vapors, before going to bed. The baby should breathe moist air for ten minutes. This procedure will expand the lumen of the airways and thereby make breathing easier for the baby.

With false croup, the child’s body is affected by a viral infection, which is localized at the level of the larynx itself. The ongoing inflammatory processes cause swelling of this area, which makes breathing difficult. It becomes especially difficult for children to take a breath. In this case, the basis of treatment is drug therapy aimed at eliminating the infection.

Noisy breathing in a child during sleep may be associated with acute pneumonia. At the same time, the baby is bothered by a painful dry cough, shortness of breath appears, the temperature rises, and breathing becomes frequent. It is important to consult a doctor in time so that comprehensive treatment can be prescribed in a timely manner.

What should mom do?

Only after it has been established why the child sniffles at night can we begin to eliminate this problem.

Comfort

First of all, it is necessary to ensure comfortable microclimatic conditions in the room where the child is; the air in the room should not be dry and polluted. The best option for maintaining the required temperature and humidity conditions is to use a humidifier. If it is not possible to purchase one, as an alternative, you can place towels soaked in water on the radiator, or place containers filled with water in the room. In addition, we should not forget about wet cleaning and regular ventilation of the room.

Hydration

In addition, you should moisturize the nasal mucosa. Nasal drops made from a 0.9% sodium chloride solution help eliminate crusts that have formed and prevent dryness in the nasal cavity. You can also use water-salt solutions for this purpose, which you can purchase at a pharmacy or prepare yourself.

It is recommended to carry out the procedure three times a day, instilling 2-3 drops into each nasal passage. After the manipulations, if necessary, you can remove crusts from the nose using homemade wicks made of sterile cotton wool dipped in olive, peach or vaseline oil.

Drops

In order to normalize nasal breathing, it is necessary to use vasoconstrictor nasal agents. However, you need to know that the effectiveness of such drops is significantly reduced with prolonged use. To prevent excessive drying of the mucous membrane, it is recommended, half an hour after the use of drugs with a vasoconstrictor effect, to drip the child’s nose with sea buckthorn oil or other lubricating drops.

Operation

If sniffling during sleep is caused by anatomical obstacles to full breathing (adenoid growths, polyposis, abnormalities of the nose, etc.), surgical treatment methods are used to eliminate the causes of noisy breathing at night.

For every caring parent, a child’s anxiety is real torture. If you find any problems with nasal breathing, you should definitely visit a pediatrician and otolaryngologist. Because the sooner the cause is identified and appropriate measures are taken, the faster the problem can be solved.

The baby is snoring - what is it? There may be several reasons, and having learned about some of them, you can take it calmly. For example: this can be explained by the physiology of the baby. After birth, a baby has a large chest and head, and therefore needs sufficient oxygen. The nasal passages of newborns are still narrow, and due to increased inhalation of air, babies sniffle.

As the baby grows, his nasal passages widen and the snoring stops. You shouldn’t be unreasonably nervous about your baby’s sniffling, but rather keep an eye on him when he suckles. If he puffs and puffs, but does not abandon the food source and is not capricious, then everything is fine with him. The baby has something to breathe, and there is nothing scary in his sniffling. Another problem that causes a child to sniffle is the mother’s omission. The baby may have an unclean nose, and the baby begins to sniffle due to the accumulation of crusts in the nose. The baby needs to clean the nose, but not with a stick, but make a small wick from cotton wool and, moistening it with Vaseline oil, carefully wipe the passages. The skin in the nose will become moisturized and the crusts will gradually fall off.

A child may sniffle for another simple reason - there is dry air in the room, which prevents the baby from breathing normally. But there are reasons for a child’s snoring that are not so mild, but rather serious, which will force the mother to consult a pediatrician. A small child may have a runny nose, which must be treated. In this case, it is better to contact your local pediatrician to prescribe medication, including nasal drops, and treat the baby according to his recommendation. It is better for mothers to be vigilant towards the baby and not self-medicate.

Not all drops are suitable for infants; they may contain a substance, for example, menthol, which is contraindicated for children under three years of age, as it can cause problems with the glottis. There are reasons for a baby’s sniffling that are already related to pathology: if the baby was born with congenital adenoids, then the consequences and treatment of this abnormality depend on the doctor’s decision.

So if the mother notices that the child is sniffling, and this is not caused by harmless reasons, then it is necessary to show the child to the local doctor - a pediatrician. If this specialist prescribes an ENT consultation for your child, you should definitely go to the doctor. The mother’s attention to the well-being of her child determines his future life, since timely diagnosis and treatment will prevent complications with the baby’s health in the future.

Sometimes mothers notice that their child snores in his sleep. Most often, this is due to past illnesses: a cold, a virus, a runny nose. According to statistics, about 14% of children snore. We hasten to reassure parents, snoring is not a disease, in some cases it is a symptom of certain pathologies, but the baby does not always snore due to a serious illness.

Snoring or wheezing of an infant during sleep is most often not a sign of a serious illness

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Avzalova Daria Evgenevna

Pediatrician, infectious disease specialist
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Barzenok Tatyana Arsenyevna

Head of the pediatric department, pediatrician of the first category
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