Some hefty kids losing sleep

The phrase "sleeping like a baby" may take on a new meaning if childhood obesity trends continue, experts say.

Sleep disorder clinics are seeing more and more young patients who are suffering from weight-related sleep conditions such as sleep apnea, statistics show.

"Study after study has shown it's literally a straight line: As we are getting heavier, the rates of sleep apnea are increasing exponentially in children," said Dr. Anuj Chandra, director of the Advanced Centers for Sleep Disorders on East Brainerd Road.

Local doctors' experiences reflect a national trend. An analysis of data from 1979 to 1999 found that hospital discharges for children with sleep apnea increased 436 percent nationally over the 20-year period. The authors of the study, published in 2002 in the journal Pediatrics, linked the finding to the rise in obesity prevalence.

Tired and unable to focus in class, many children with sleep apnea end up misdiagnosed with conditions such as attention-deficit disorder or behavior problems, doctors said.

Sleep apnea occurs when a blockage of the airway cuts off the flow of oxygen as someone sleeps. The brain briefly arouses the sleeping person so he or she will breathe again, resulting in low-quality sleep, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. People with untreated sleep apnea can stop breathing hundreds of times a night.

Some are prone to apnea because of how their chin and neck are formed and others have their breathing hindered by excessive weight, experts said.

The rise in children with weight-related sleeping problems has been particularly noticeable in the past couple of years, Dr. Chandra said. Though five years ago he saw maybe two or three children in a month with weight-related sleep apnea, today it's more like 10 to 15, he said.

"I was talking to my staff and it's like, 'Jeez, is it just me, or is it real that we are seeing at least half of these kids who are coming in are obese?'" Dr. Chandra said.

In Tennessee, 36 percent of 10- to 17-year-olds are overweight or obese, and in Georgia the figure is 37 percent, records show.

Since the 1980s, childhood obesity rates have tripled, and the impact on sleep quality is evident, said Dr. Gabe Tallent, director of Erlanger North's Sleep Disorder Center.

At the center, the number of pediatric patients has risen fairly steadily, from 55 in 2004 to 123 in 2009, hospital figures show.

Treating the root problem can result in a complete turnaround in a child's behavior and school performance, said Dr. Vince Viscomi, a sleep specialist who works in North Georgia and Chattanooga.

First-line treatments for children often include removal of the tonsils and use of a continuous positive airway pressure machine, which gently blows air through the nose at night and helps to keep airways open.

But lifestyle changes for those whose weight is causing sleep problems can make a big difference, even alleviating the need for a machine at night, doctors said.

Dr. Viscomi said he tells his young patients sick of wearing the CPAP mask, "Your ticket to losing your machine is losing the pounds."

For 14-year-old Cheyenne Hicks, of Cleveland, Tenn., finally getting treatment for her sleep apnea vastly has improved her waking life. Her mother, Sheila Hicks, said her daughter has had sleeping trouble from a young age. Cheyenne's sleeping problems worsened at age 8 when medication she was prescribed caused weight gain. A sleep study at the Advanced Centers for Sleep Disorders revealed sleep apnea.

At night she now uses a CPAP machine.

"It's made a big difference," she said. "I'm more focused. I don't fall asleep in class, and it actually kind of helps me think better."

PEDIATRIC SLEEP DISORDERS

The number of pediatric patients treated at Erlanger North's sleep disorder center has risen in recent years.

* Fiscal year ended June 2004: 55

* 2006: 65

* 2007: 77

* 2008: 98

* 2009: 123

Source: Erlanger

PRIMARY DIAGNOSES*

* Sleep apnea -- 24 percent

* Hypersomnia with apnea (excessive daytime sleepiness) -- 18 percent

* Obstructive sleep apnea -- 17 percent

* Sleep disturbances -- 12 percent

* Other -- 29 percent

* For pediatric patients at North Sleep Center

Source: Erlanger