Parents Guide to ENT Issues and Concerns: Tips and Ideas

While the gentle whistle of a baby snoring can be very cute, for some children the noise is less of a gentle rumble and more of a thumping freight train. If your child is an extremely loud snorer it can result in less than adequate sleep for them, as well as affecting the sleep quality of parents, siblings and anyone else around. Here are some of the options if your child's snoring is concerning you.

Become an allergy buster

If your child has worse snoring when the weather is hot or there is a high level of smoke/pollen in the air, then it may help to run a humidifier in their bedroom. The membranes of the nose and throat can become inflamed during this time for people who are allergy prone, so some people get a great deal of comfort from the moistened air. The moister air helps prevent the membranes from sticking together.  

Avoid other potential sources of allergens by making sure that pets don't sleep on the bed and by regularly washing bed linens to reduce the allergen load in the bedding.

Head to an ENT specialist for a check up

Head into an ENT surgeon to get the snoring reviewed. Snoring can be exacerbated by several conditions in the ear, nose and throat including inflamed tonsils and enlarged adenoids, as well as more serious issues such as sleep apnea where the snorer stops breathing during sleep. An ENT can establish if there is a physical cause for the snoring and then look at some possible solutions for the issues, which can include antibiotics, surgery or other options.

Manage the situation

If there is no underlying cause for the snoring, or you need to spend some time waiting for surgery, the final piece of the puzzle is to manage the snoring for everyone in the house. Try to make sure your snorer gets to bed a little earlier to make up for any loss of sleep quality due to snoring and head to the pharmacy to purchase ear plugs for everyone else. If possible keep the snoring child in a separate room to help siblings get better sleep.

Snoring can be a huge issue for families and adversely affect the sleep of the snorer, as well as everyone else in the family. It's a good idea to get the snoring checked out by a medical professional such as an ENT surgeon to ensure it does not stem from a more serious medical issue.