A great place to start Disorder information source Rated and Reviewed Sleep Links Entrance to all monitored Sleep Forums Search all of Sleepnet.com


Sleep Apnea
Forum130 Posting


Archived Apnea Forum130 viewing only. To post go to the Apnea Forum Homepage.

Child with Central Sleep Apnea

Posted by banda on May 23, 2006 at 05:51:50:

Over the last year and a half my husband and I have awoken to ear shattering screams and cries coming from our middle child. Thinking at first these were night terrors, we just sort of sucked it up and dealt with it. These episodes would last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and would occur at least once every single night but most of the time 3-4 times throughout the evening. She screams for us, that she needs us and wants us and then when we try to comfort her and help her she screams even louder, stiff arms us and tells us to go away! (that’s a real feel-good-parent-of the-year-moment right there)
Trying every behavioral modification known to man: cut out sugar, cut out caffeine, no television, no evening bath, fascist-caliber nap/bedtime routine, etc, etc (I could go on… but truly, the child psychologist at the sleep clinic told us she’d really like to help, but we had already done everything she would have suggested!) we resorted to professional (sleep clinic) help.
Brutally long story a wee bit shorter: Our not-yet 3yr. old (next month) has a "mild case of central sleep apnea". The belief is that the apnea causes her to shift from a deep cycle of sleep into a semi-conscious one (basically stuck in between two stages of sleep: not really sleeping and not really awake). This ‘being stuck’ means she has what is known as ‘confusional arousals’ which explains the “I’m being chased by a pack of hungry wolves come save me / get away from me you ax-murderer “ behavior in the middle of the night.
Now that we know WHY we haven’t slept more than 2.5 consecutive hours in the night over the past 18 months, we still don’t know HOW to make it stop! The treatment option provided by the clinic is thoroughly unpalatable. They have prescribed what is, essentially, ‘baby-valium’ (chorenezepam (sp?)) - stating that a CPAP machine would be nearly impossible for a child to use successfully. Neither my husband nor I feel like medication is the right course of action... especially something addictive and used for anti-anxiety purposes!!! We are in the process of chiropractic care for her in the hopes that spinal alignment will help the functioning of the central nervous system.


HELP! (and what do you know about this serenitol stuff?)


Follow Ups:


Archived Apnea Forum130 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage

  • IMPORTANT : Information not intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder you should seek care from a qualified professional. Read Terms of Use.
  • The Sleep Forums are not to be used for commercial purposes.
  • Commercial products and services are not endorsed by Sleepnet.com.
  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


Copyright ©1995-2006 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved