Featured Articles
The Science of Sleep
By Nancy Davis
As the temperatures dipped down into the lower 50�s, and the motorcycles rumbled nearby, Terri Lynn Brearey didn�t show a trace of being uncomfortable. As the founder, CEO, volunteer and supermom of the Infant and Children Sleep Apnea Awareness Foundation, she wears many hats.
Continue ReadingSleep Apnea - Does Your Child Suffer From It?
It is estimated that 2% to 4% of children in the United States under the age of ten suffer from childhood sleep apnea. These children frequently display behaviors and/or symptoms that are generally associated with other childhood disorders, not sleep apnea. These behaviors may include the tendency to resist going to sleep, restless or interrupted sleep patterns, bedwetting, irritability, depression, a diminished ability to learn and thrive academically, and excessive frustration or aggression. Unfortunately, because these behaviors are indicative of other serious disorders, many children are misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders such as Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As a result, childhood sleep apnea often goes unnoticed and untreated.
Continue ReadingPediatric sleep disorders
By Jen Christensen
The National Sleep Foundation estimates about 20 percent of American children snore occasionally and 10 percent snore on most nights. Snoring is caused when the airway is partially blocked. In children, a common cause of airway obstruction is enlarged tonsils and adenoids.
Continue ReadingInfant sleep apnea often misdiagnosed
By Jamye Durrance
NEW SMYRNA BEACH - Three years ago, Terri Lynn Ellis-Brearey was cradling her infant son Trenten when she felt him stop breathing.
"It was the most eerie feeling," she said. Trenten started breathing again after a few seconds but then he stopped again.
Ms. Brearey immediately went next door to her brother Kevin, who was a nurse. A doctor's visit ruled it reflux and ordered that Trenten sleep at an incline.
But the episodes continued, each time lasting a few seconds longer than before. Ms. Brearey knew something was more seriously wrong and took Trenten to the doctor again. "I can't wait," she said. "I won't make it through another night. I'll lose this baby."
Continue Reading