Though it has been known for some time that children who have sleep apnea often produce low scores on IQ tests (typically scoring about 85 against a score of 101 for children without sleep apnea) what we have not known until recently is that this results from chemical changes taking place in the brain. This means that a normally 'smart' kid might well turn in a run of the mill performance as a result of nothing more than a sleep disorder which can be quite easily treated in the majority of instances.

In a study which was conducted at the Hopkin's Children's Centre in Baltimore 31 children between the ages of 6 and 16 (19 of whom suffered from severe sleep apnea) were examined with a form or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and it was found that the children suffering from sleep apnea displayed considerable alterations in both the right frontal cortex and hippocampus - two sections of the human brain which are associated with learning and higher mental function. This same study also discovered that these children had altered levels of three chemicals in the brain that is indicative of brain damage.

This change in the chemistry of the brain brought about by sleep apnea could or could not be permanent and additional studies will be required to see whether or not this affect can be reversed. But, even if this problem can be reversed and the cognitive function and brain chemistry can be normalized, children with sleep apnea are going to continue to have a loss in learning as long as they are suffering from sleep apnea which is left untreated and they will certainly not be able to wind back the clock and recover this learning period.

Naturally parents should already be looking for signs of sleep apnea in their children however this latest study shows that an early diagnosis and treatment of this sleep disorder could have a very large affect on a child's life.

The indicators of sleep apnea may include frequent pauses in breathing while sleeping which often produce an arousal from sleep and tossing and turning. Children might also show loud or labored breathing, snoring, coughing, gasping and, sometimes, bedwetting at an age when this phase should normally have passed. Parents could additionally notice a child sleeping in an unusual position, possibly with their bottom sticking up in the air and their head slanted backwards in an unwitting attempt to force their airway open.

In nearly all instances childhood sleep apnea can be treated by the surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids or of excess tissue from the back of the throat or nose. In addition, a CPAP (continuous positive airways pressure) machine may also be recommended to provide a child with a flow of air which is delivered through a mask worn while sleeping to maintain an open airway.

Sleep apnea is in itself debilitating for any child and the affects of a lengthy period of restless sleep will take its toll on your child. However, when you combine this with a reduction in a child's IQ, it is crucial that you act at the earliest possible opportunity to see that this problem is diagnosed and then treated.