Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Imagine shoving a marshmallow up one nostril, all the way back as far as it goes. Then repeat other side. Now place another in the back of your throat, beside the uvula (dangly bit), and another on the other side. Now try and sleep, eat, and breathe!  The first two marshmallows represent adenoids and the latter, the tonsils. Large obstructive tonsils and adenoids in children result in night time breathing issues.

The clue is the snore which comes in various guises. There is the cute infant snore –  intermittent and of little consequence – the snore that comes with a blocked nose – temporary,  and associated with coughing – and then there is the persistent stop breathing snore or obstructive sleep apnoea. This is the concerning one.

Tonsils were first removed several thousand years ago, and along with the appendix tend to cause more harm than good.  Removing tonsils and adenoids dramatically improves many of these symptoms. For more information see snoring