DS, 4 yrs, started snoring / heavy breathing in sleep and seems more tired than normal?

[Chooster]

He's always been a bit of a snorer but its been getting worse and his breathing is quite heavy... He doesn't have a cold and seems well in every other way, but he seems tired when he wakes up and today he told me he always feels tired - he's only just 4 so this may not be accurate, but I think something is affecting the quality of his sleep.

Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?

tonsils/adenoids

tell your GP, get a referral to an ENT person. this is the classic age - my ds had terrible sleep apnoea because of enlarged tonsils and adenoids - when we took him for investigation turns out he had major hearing loss because of it as well. had the lot out - instantly had perfect sleep, perfect hearing, grew about 2 inches.... it was amazing.

I agree - sounds like tonsils/adenoids to me too - ds was like this from an early age & had his out at 20 months as he had sleep apnoea which was pretty scary in a baby. Slept brilliantly (and silently!) ever since, and had a HUGE growth spurt after the op.

Is the growth spurt normal? DS is hopefully being booked in for his adenoids in nov. he is very petite at the moment and i have constant comments about how his feet look too big for him iyswim.

I cant wait for the snoring to be gone and speech to improve

yes it is, - two reasons. First if they have poor sleep (and poor oxygenation) they don't grow as well and secondly because if their throat is blocked up by tonsils/breathing is obstructed by adenoids, they tend to eat much less, because it is actually difficult to swallow and the sense of taste is less etc. Imagine eating with such a blocked nose that you have to breathe through your mouth, or with an obstructed throat.

so it is v common for skinny little small children to have big growth spurts after having tonsils and adenoids out. often speech improves and becomes clearer as well.

Thanks PPH , i look fwd to a taller boy then

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the comments. I've been told before by a GP that he is enlarged tonsils but they didn't mention sleep apnea to me. He's average height for his age but is a skinny little thing and food has always been a battle ground. Maybe this is all connected. I'll make an appt and see what they say. He didn't seem as bad last night and seems brighter today, but I'll still get it done. Thanks!