Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Treatment in Thrissur, for Children and Adults
Snoring is common, but it isn't always harmless. Sometimes it's a sign that breathing is being blocked during sleep. This page explains what to look for, when to see a doctor, and how it can be treated.
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What is snoring?
Snoring is the sound made when the airway in the nose and throat partly narrows during sleep, and the soft tissues vibrate as air passes through.
Snoring sits on a range:
- Simple snoring: noise only, with no breathing pauses and no effect on health. Treatment is optional.
- Upper airway resistance: breathing takes more effort and sleep is disturbed, even without full pauses. Worth treating before it progresses.
- Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA): breathing repeatedly stops or becomes very shallow for 10 seconds or more during sleep. This needs treatment. More about sleep apnoea.
Snoring in children
Children should not snore regularly. Regular snoring, especially with mouth breathing, usually means the airway is narrowed, most often by enlarged adenoids or tonsils.
Signs parents often miss
- Snoring most nights
- Sleeping with the mouth open, or breathing through the mouth during the day
- Restless sleep, unusual sleeping positions, or frequent waking
- Pauses in breathing, gasping or choking during sleep
- Bedwetting after the child had stopped
- Tiredness, irritability, hyperactivity or poor attention at school
- Poor weight gain or slow growth
Why it matters
Long-term mouth breathing and poor sleep can affect a child's growth, behaviour, learning, and the development of the face and teeth. Early assessment gives the best chance to correct it.
Recording a sleep video at home
A short video helps us see how your child breathes during sleep. Please record it like this:
- Record during deep sleep, about 1–2 hours after your child falls asleep, or in the early morning.
- If possible, your child should be lying on their back.
- Show the chest, at least up to the collarbones, and ideally the whole chest, so we can see the breathing effort.
- Make sure there is enough light to see breathing clearly.
- Record for 2–3 minutes, including any snoring, pauses or struggling.
How we treat children
Many children improve with medical treatment, such as nasal sprays and treatment of allergy, especially when symptoms are mild. We usually try this first and review progress.
When surgery is needed, we follow a defined, graded protocol. The amount of adenoid and tonsil tissue removed is planned according to your child's age and the problem being treated. Put simply, we remove only what is needed, and protect what works.
- Endoscopic coblation adenoidectomy, with the surgeon viewing the area directly
- Intracapsular tonsil surgery when appropriate, which usually means less pain and faster recovery
- Most children go home the same day
If mouth breathing has affected the teeth or jaw, we may also suggest an orthodontic assessment.
Snoring and sleep apnoea in adults
In adults, loud snoring can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea. Many people with sleep apnoea don't know they have it, because it happens while they're asleep.
Warning signs
- Loud snoring, often noticed by a partner
- Someone has seen you stop breathing, gasp or choke during sleep
- Feeling tired or falling asleep during the day, even after a full night in bed
- Morning headaches, a dry mouth, or poor concentration
- High blood pressure
- Being overweight, or having a thick neck
Why it matters
Untreated sleep apnoea is linked with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, low mood and poor memory. Treatment can improve sleep, energy and long-term health.
How sleep apnoea is assessed
- Consultation and examination of the nose, throat and airway
- Sleep study to confirm the diagnosis and measure severity
- Sleep endoscopy (DISE) in selected patients, to see exactly where the airway collapses during sleep before planning surgery
Treatment options
There is no single treatment for everyone. The right choice depends on how severe the sleep apnoea is and where the airway is blocked.
| Treatment | Who it helps |
|---|---|
| Lifestyle changes, including weight loss and avoiding alcohol at night | Everyone, as part of any treatment plan |
| Treating nasal blockage (allergy, sinusitis, deviated septum) | People whose nose is part of the problem |
| CPAP (a small mask and machine worn during sleep) | The most effective treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnoea |
| Oral devices from a dentist | Selected people with mild to moderate sleep apnoea |
| Airway surgery | Selected people, especially those who can't use CPAP, planned according to where the airway is blocked |
Questions patients ask
Common questions from the clinic, with answers written by Dr Rejith R S.
My child snores only when he has a cold. Is that a problem?
Snoring only during colds is usually not a concern. Snoring on most nights, especially with mouth breathing, is worth getting checked.
Will my child need surgery?
Not always. Many children improve with nasal sprays and treatment of allergy, so we usually try medicines first and review. Surgery is advised when breathing, sleep or growth don't improve.
I've been told adenoids disappear by themselves. What happens if my child snores and breathes through the mouth, or keeps getting ear infections or fluid in the ear, and I decide to wait instead of surgery?
Normal adenoids do shrink, usually by about 11 years. But waiting has a cost when a child is clearly affected. Sleep apnoea can slow a child's growth, in both weight and height. Long-term mouth breathing affects how the face, jaw and teeth develop. And a chronic adenoid infection that doesn't settle, rather than the size of the adenoid, causes fluid behind the eardrum. That fluid reduces hearing, which can show up as poor school performance and difficulty mixing with other children. These effects build up over the years of waiting, so when they are present we don't advise waiting.
Will the adenoids grow back after surgery?
It depends on how much adenoid tissue was removed, and that is planned according to the child's age, the type of disease and the symptoms. After a total or near-total adenoidectomy, where the tissue is removed down to the underlying layer (the fascia), regrowth is very unlikely, and it rarely causes blockage again. After a partial or subtotal adenoidectomy, where some tissue is deliberately kept to preserve its function in a young child, some regrowth can happen.
Is adenoid surgery painful?
Most children have little pain after endoscopic coblation adenoidectomy and go home the same day. After tonsil surgery, recovery depends on the type: intracapsular surgery usually means less pain.
Should I send my child's sleep video on WhatsApp?
No, please don't. Record it as described on this page, keep it on your phone, and show it to us in the clinic.
Ask your AI assistant
Many patients like to read more before their visit. You can copy this question into ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or any AI assistant, and change the details to match your own situation.
My 6-year-old child snores most nights and sleeps with the mouth open. In simple language, please explain the common causes in children, why mouth breathing matters for a growing child, when I should see an ENT doctor, and what treatments are usually tried first. Also list 5 questions I should ask the doctor.
AI assistants can give wrong or outdated answers, and they can't examine you. Use the answer to understand your condition, not to diagnose or treat yourself. Bring your questions to the clinic and we'll go through them with you.
For doctors: referring a patient
We welcome referrals from paediatricians, pulmonologists, physicians, dentists and orthodontists.
Consider referring
- Children with habitual snoring, mouth breathing, witnessed apnoeas, enuresis, behavioural or growth concerns
- Adults with suspected or confirmed OSA who are CPAP-intolerant, have nasal obstruction affecting CPAP use, or are being considered for surgery
- Patients needing sleep endoscopy (DISE) for treatment planning
To refer a patient, call or WhatsApp 81390 05150.
Book a consultation
Call 81390 05150 or message on WhatsApp. See clinics and timings.