Sleep apnea can cause a reduction of oxygen in the bloodstream and can affect a child’s school work, says a U.S. expert.

“One reason your child may not be getting a good night’s sleep is that he or she is having breathing problems,” said Dr. Robin A. Dyleski, director of pediatric otolaryngology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. “The symptoms for breathing problems include: snoring, restlessness, gasping and pauses in breathing, or sleep apnea.”

More than 90 percent of children who snore are at risk for sleep disordered breathing, which is most frequently caused by obstruction of the breathing passage by the presence of large tonsils and undetected adenoids, according to Dyleski. Treatment may include surgery to remove these obstructions.

To find out if tonsils or adenoids are the cause of a child’s breathing problems at night, it is best to check with a pediatrician or pediatric otolaryngologist, a specialist in ear, nose and throat disorders, says Dyleski. Treatment may involve treating a stuffy nose or a tonsillectomy.