When a child (or adult) is not breathing properly, and therefore not sleeping properly, this puts their body in a constant state of sleep deprivation. Their brain must over-stimulate their body in order to stay awake, leading to hyperactivity symptoms. Many ADHD medications are stimulants, which continues to fuel the fire and creates a vicious cycle.
Signs you MAY be suffering from a sleep breathing disorder:
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Blood shot eyes
- Forward head posture (shoulders rolled forward)
- Large tongue
- Snoring
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)
- Do they wake up disheveled and looking like a tornado hit them/their bed while they slept?
- Are they, or did they, experience prolonged bedwetting?
- Are they, or did they, experience nursing/feeding issues?
- Are they tongue or lip tied? (best diagnosed by an above dr)
- Do they have an elongated face/underdeveloped jaw? (best diagnosed by an above dr)
- Mouth breathing (watch your child during the day and while they sleep – their mouth should never be open while breathing!)
- ADD/ADHD
- Daytime sleepiness/fatigue
- Headaches
- Brain fog
- Frequent night wakings
- Restless leg syndrome
If you suspect you or your child may be suffering from a sleep breathing or airway disorder, first and foremost you want to find a provider who specializes in sleep and airway dentistry. There are many great training programs out there. I am going to highlight two below that have search engines for their trained providers.
Airway Health Solutions (Dr. Ben Miraglia’s program): provider search
The Breathe Institute (Dr. Soroush Zaghi’s program): provider search
- TBI affiliates are specifically and intensely hands-on trained for tongue and lips ties, however most times these providers are heavily knowledgable in overall sleep, breathing, and airway health
*I cannot and will not vouch for every single provider. However, both Dr. Miraglia and Dr. Zaghi are phenomenal practitioners and teachers. They both have excellent and rigorous programs.
