Better Sleep, Better Learning? Obstructive sleep apnea can reduce a child’s IQ by 10 points

From Science Life Blog at the University of Chicago:

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, can have long-term, detrimental effects on a child’s cardiovascular and respiratory health. But it can also create neurocognitive effects, such as a reduced ability to learn and retain information.

OSA can reduce a child’s IQ by as many as 10 points, while treatment in children with OSA can improve grades.

References:

Better Sleep, Better Learning? « Science Life Blog « University of Chicago.
http://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2010/02/15/better-sleep-better-learning

Sleep duration is shorter in obese children http://goo.gl/z5JFs
Sleepiness and sleep-disordered breathing may be found in 19-29% of children with positive allergy test (http://goo.gl/AfCWZ).