There have been several studies lately that reveal how bad sleep disordered breathing can be for your brain.

Now, a recent article published in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine shows how harmful sleep apnea can be to even children’s minds. The study, conducted by Dr. Ann Halbower and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University, reveals kids who have sleep apnea have:

• significant changes in the hippocampus (the memory engine of the brain) and right prefrontal cortex (important for thinking & reasoning) indicative of brain damage
• lower mean IQ test scores (85 vs. 101)
• poorer verbal working memory and verbal fluency test performance

Halbower notes:

We can only assume that it could turn an otherwise smart kid into a mediocre kid, which could mark him for life

From the article (which you can read here), signs of sleep apnea include: snoring, pauses in breathing, loud or labored breathing, gasping, coughing, and choking.

An earlier study I posted discussed the relationship between ADHD and enlarged tonsils (which leads to sleep apnea).

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