Serving Patients in the areas of Grand Rapids, Holland, and Big Rapids MIHave you ever paid attention to the way your child breathes, especially while they are asleep? If your child is sleeping with their mouth hanging open, this can have a range of different negative consequences—including the development of a sleep breathing disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea.
In fact, sleep apnea is more common among children than you might think. Often, the symptoms in children mimic those of a hyperactivity disorder such as ADD or ADHD.
Mouth breathing also dramatically affects a child’s mental development. Because children who breathe through their mouths are not fully oxygenated, they often do not rest well at night. When they wake up in the morning, usually they may be tired and find it difficult to maintain focus and attention and can even end up with a false diagnosis of ADD or ADHD. If your child has been diagnosed with a hyperactivity disorder, but treatments such as medication and therapy are not resulting in any behavioral changes, then sleep apnea actually could be the cause of the behavior.
Sometimes caused by a collapse of soft tissue in the throat, or there is a blockage caused by the tongue or tonsils, but whatever the reason, sleep apnea causes an impediment or total interruption to breathing. Either way, oxygen levels in the body decrease, rousing the brain from sleep and sending warning signs to the body that it needs to resume breathing. Each time a sleep apnea patient experiences one of these attacks, the sleep cycle is disrupted. Even though you may not consciously awaken due to one of these breathing interruptions, your brain is, which means that you are robbed of the restoration to mind and body that take place during the deepest stage of sleep. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause a host of its own problems, including frequently feeling fatigue during the day, subpar performance at work or school, and a greater risk of contracting chronic and life-threatening diseases such as cardiac disease and stroke.
It is important to remember that any patient of any age can develop sleep apnea. For young children, breathing frequently through the mouth can be a major indicator that they are at jeopardy of sleep apnea. Mouth breathers, in short, breathe incorrectly. By literally gulping air, people who breathe through the mouth actually absorb less oxygen, because the body works harder to breathe that way, meaning that air fills just the upper portion of the lungs. Mouth breathing, especially during sleep, often leads to the development of snoring, which is the most significant warning sign of a sleep breathing disorder.
As parents, be aware of the warning signs of mouth breathing in your children. Pediatric symptoms of this behavior include snoring, a greater prevalence of allergy problems or sinus-related illnesses, difficulty concentrating, or swollen tonsils. Mouth breathing also can have a negative impact on the development of your jaws and facial structure.
The sleep apnea doctors at TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan can help any patient with sleep apnea find relief—even children. Our dentists specialize in sleep apnea dentistry, which treats sleep-breathing disorders by identifying the airway problem that is causing the disorder, then tailoring treatment to resolve that airway issue, eliminating the sleep apnea and helping the patient get the restful sleep they need so desperately.
Is your child snoring loudly at night? Has he or she been diagnosed with a disorder such as ADD or ADHD but continues to struggle with academic or behavioral problems? Does your child breathe through the mouth frequently, whether awake or asleep? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you should have your child screened for a sleep breathing disorder by scheduling an airway evaluation with a sleep apnea dentist. Contact our office today at (616) 458-0631 to make an appointment for your evaluation today.
TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan is here to serve patients in the areas of Grand Rapids, Holland, and Big Rapids, Michigan.
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