Unlikely behavior could indicate whether your teen is more likely to misbehave, researchers say.

Preteens, ages around 9 and 10, who snore often are more likely to have behavioral problems, according to a new article in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Snoring has previously been shown to be linked to cognitive and behavioral problems in young children, but until now, little was known about its association in older children.

“In this cohort study of 11,862 adolescents, frequent snoring was associated with greater problem behaviors, but not with lower cognition,” the researchers write in the article.

Snoring is caused by partial obstruction of airflow through the mouth and nose during sleep. When you sleep, the muscles in your throat, tongue, and soft palate relax, but if these muscles relax too much, they can partially block the airway. When air flows through this narrowed passage, it vibrates the tissues, resulting in snoring.

“The most common factors associated with an increased risk of snoring in children are adenotonsillar enlargement (enlargement of throat tissue) and obesity. While snoring in otherwise healthy children was historically considered benign, almost all clinical societies advocate early evaluation and management of snoring.” the researchers wrote.

Habitual snoring is defined as occurring three or more nights per week, which may be a sign of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). SDB is a group of conditions that involve abnormal breathing patterns during sleep, ranging from mild problems like snoring to more serious conditions like sleep apnea, which can impact sleep quality and lead to sleep problems. serious health problems if left untreated.

“SDB is associated with poor academic performance, particularly with language, arts, mathematics, science, and learning problems,” the researchers wrote. “A recent, comprehensive, high-quality meta-analysis of 63 studies demonstrated multiple deficits in cognitive domains in children with SDB, particularly in full-scale intelligence quotient and in the subdomains of problem solving. problems, working memory, processing speed and language.”

Although increased snoring was associated with worse behavioral outcomes among adolescents, there was no impact on cognition, the study found. The researchers also found that the proportion of adolescents who snored decreased over time.

“Snoring was not associated with cognitive deficits or decline over a 5-year period. However, snoring was associated with a greater number of problem behaviors, but children who snored did not show significant worsening of their behavioral problems over time,” the researchers wrote.

They noted that this study had several limitations, including that they may not have detected subtle cognitive impairments in their assessments that might be associated with habitual snoring. Additionally, most children had an average BMI, while snoring affects people with a higher BMI the most. Parents may also misreport the frequency of their children’s snoring.

Regardless, the researchers suggest that parents can use these findings to determine whether their preteen’s snoring requires treatment.

“These findings may help parents and clinicians make shared decisions regarding the treatment of SDB in adolescents, particularly before adenotonsillectomy (removal of the tonsils and adenoids), and to choose non-surgical approaches such as careful monitoring of their symptoms,” they said.

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