What causes a child to snore?

What causes a child to snore?

My 7-year-old has been snoring for years, but recently it got worse. He snores very loudly and every night. He is restless at night, and wakes up very tired each morning. I heard him stop breathing in the middle of the night a couple of times maybe for about 5-10 seconds. Then, he would make a gurgling sound, snore, and resume breathing. He has not had any illnesses since last winter. What could cause his snoring?

Snoring can be related to a number of things: allergies, colds, sinus infections, enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids, and sleep apnea. If snoring has been going on for a while, especially that it is getting worse, you should make a visit with your child's regular health care provider as soon as possible. He or she might recommend a neck X-ray to rule out enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids and possibly schedule a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea.