AASM encourages those student-athletes at risk for developing osa to visit a sl...(tition. In addition OSA can lead to poo...),Health

Parents need to watch for signs of OSA such as snoring, morning headache, morning dry mouth and excessive tiredness, warns Dr. Kohler. It is important for the parents of a child or a teen who may have OSA to consult with a sleep specialist, who can evaluate, diagnose, treat and manage OSA or any other kind of sleep disorder.

Upon meeting with a sleep specialist, the patient will discover that there are safe and effective treatments for those diagnosed with OSA. Scientific evidence shows that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the best treatment for OSA. CPAP provides a steady stream of pressurized air to patients through a mask that they wear during sleep. This airflow keeps the airway open, preventing the pauses in breathing that characterize sleep apnea and restoring normal oxygen levels.

Several studies that outline the adverse effects of OSA and other sleep problems among children and teens with regards to their athletic and academic performance were presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, this past June:

• Students with symptoms of sleep disorders are more likely to receive bad grades in classes such as math, reading and writing, and also perform poor athletically, than peers without symptoms of sleep disorders.

• The brain responses of those children and teens who dont get enough sleep can accurately predict the impact sleep loss has on their ability to pay attention during the course of a day, in both the classroom and during an athletic contest.

• Research examining the impact of sleep in children and teens suggests that even mild sleep loss produces marked deficits in their ability to comprehend and disseminate the information critical to their success in schoo
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