Nasal spray can reduce snoring in children, study suggests

BOSTON - A new study finds a simple nasal spray could reduce snoring in kids and help them avoid surgery.

Many kids who snore significantly undergo tonsillectomy or removal of the tonsils. But researchers in Australia looked at 276 children ages 3 to 12 and found that a saline (salt water) nasal spray was just as effective as an anti-inflammatory steroid nasal spray in easing snoring and disordered breathing at night. 

In fact, both nasal sprays improved symptoms in about 40-percent of the children and reduced the number of kids needing surgical removal of their tonsils and/or adenoids by half. 

They say more research is needed, so talk to your pediatrician before making any changes to your own child's care.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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