Breathe Easy: The Key to Your Child’s Restful Sleep and Overall Health
Kids need quality sleep to grow, learn, and thrive! But when breathing is off during the night, sleep gets interrupted. If your child’s airway is too small, underdeveloped, or blocked, they’re working overtime just to breathe. This can lead to restless nights filled with wakeups and position changes as their body fights to get enough air. And that’s not all—this struggle can spill over into their daytime habits, like mouth breathing and keeping their mouth open, which only makes things worse.
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders (SRBD), also called Sleep Disordered Breathing, include everything from mouth breathing and snoring to more serious problems like sleep apnea. When airway health is compromised, the body goes into survival mode. Poor sleep quality can impact your child’s energy, focus, and growth.
As parents, we all want to set our kids up for success. If their breathing is out of sync, it can hold them back in ways we don’t always notice. Airway issues often fly under the radar and show up as other problems like health struggles, developmental delays, or even challenges at school and in sports. If the root cause isn’t addressed, these problems just keep popping up in new ways. But with the right care, we can break the cycle and help kids sleep soundly, breathe easily, and thrive!
What Are Signs & Symptoms of Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders?
Could your child’s sleep struggles be related to their airway health? Look out for these common signs:
- Mouth breathing (day or night)
- Snoring or gasping for air
- Restless sleep or sleeping in strange positions
- Excessive sweating during sleep
- Nightmares, night terrors
- Sleepwalking/talking
- Bedwetting
- Teeth grinding
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Behavioral issues like hyperactivity and poor self-regulation
- Difficulty concentrating
- Poor academic performance
- Stunted growth
- Underdeveloped jaws
- Chronic allergies
Shockingly, 9 out of 10 children show at least one symptom of poor airway health, and these issues often persist or worsen if left untreated.
What’s the Big Deal with Mouth Breathing?
Mouth breathing might seem harmless, but it can have serious consequences. Unlike your nose, which warms, filters, and moisturizes the air before it hits your lungs, breathing through your mouth skips all that. The result? Irritated lungs, enlarged tonsils, and less oxygen for your brain and body.
Over time, this can lead to:
- Crooked teeth and bites
- Dry mouth, bad breath, and increased cavities
- Disrupted sleep and chronic fatigue
- Changes in facial growth, resulting in long, narrow faces or underdeveloped jaws
Kids who mouth breathe at night might snore, toss and turn, and wake up feeling tired and cranky—with those telltale dark circles under their eyes. Mouth breathing can also affect their growth, development, and overall health.
Is Snoring Really a Problem?
Snoring, while common, is NOT normal! It’s not just “cute”—it’s a red flag that your child’s brain isn’t getting enough oxygen during sleep.
Snoring sounds mean your child’s airflow is blocked, often due to issues like poor tongue posture, a nasal obstruction or the shape of their jaw. When the body doesn’t get enough oxygen, the brain sends wake-up signals, disrupting sleep.
Common signs of airway trouble include:
- Difficulty focusing or learning
- Restless sleep (tossing & turning)
- Teeth grinding
- Hyperactivity and behavioral issues
- Bedwetting
- Chronic allergies
Snoring is a sign your child needs help breathing better at night—let’s tackle it together!
Why Is My Child Still Wetting the Bed?
Bedwetting isn’t just a frustrating phase—it’s often linked to a condition called Sleep Disordered Breathing. When the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, it can lose control of certain bodily functions. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 grade-schoolers struggle with bedwetting. This may create anxiety and disrupt family life. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and addressing sleep and breathing issues can make a world of difference!
Could ADHD or Behavioral Issues Be Linked to Sleep?
Absolutely! Research shows that kids with Sleep Related Breathing Disorders are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or ADD. Many of these children are misdiagnosed. Poor sleep can lead to irritability, hyperactivity, and even aggressive behavior. Before turning to medication, have your child’s airway checked. A good night’s sleep might be the solution you’ve been searching for!
Finding Connor Deegan - AAPMD
Can Sleep Problems Impact Learning?
You bet! Restorative sleep is crucial for kids’ brains to learn, think, and organize information. Lack of oxygen to the brain keeps the body from experiencing enough deep and REM-sleep. Without it, academic subjects like math, reading, spelling and science can feel like climbing a tall mountain. Snoring and mouth breathing are red flags that your child’s sleep is being disrupted. Together, we can help your child breathe better, sleep better, and unlock their full potential!
The Bigger Picture
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders don’t just affect sleep; they can impact your child’s entire life and disrupt family dynamics. From ADHD-like symptoms to bedwetting, behavioral challenges, stunted growth, and even academic struggles, poor airway health can ripple through every aspect of their development.
What’s the Solution to Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders?
The good news is that SRBD is treatable! By addressing the root causes—like improper jaw development, tongue ties, nasal airway obstructions or muscle imbalances—we can help your child breathe better, sleep soundly, and thrive.
Treatment may include:
- Oral Myofunctional Therapy to focus on nasal breathing, proper oral rest posture and retrain facial muscles.
- Improving nasal hygiene
- Myofunctional sleep appliance.
- Lip or tongue tie release (if needed).
- Oral appliances to guide jaw growth and improve the airway.
Early intervention is key to setting your child up for a lifetime of healthy growth and restful sleep.
What is the difference between the Tooth Pillow, Vivos and the Healthy Start Habit Corrector?
When it comes to guiding proper oral development and addressing sleep-related breathing disorders, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why Dr. Santos, a dental sleep medicine physician, takes a comprehensive approach that goes beyond just choosing an appliance—it’s about identifying and treating the root cause of oral dysfunction and poor airway health.
Appliances like the Tooth Pillow, Vivos Pediatric Appliance, and the Healthy Start Habit Corrector all have a similar design and are geared towards promoting nasal breathing, enhancing airway function, and supporting proper oral habits by guiding the natural positioning of the tongue, lips, and teeth.
Incorporating the use of these sleep appliances is an important part of treatment; however, lasting results require personalized, hands-on care and careful selection of the right appliance based on your child’s unique needs. Dr. Santos' expertise ensures that your child’s treatment isn’t just about wearing an appliance—it’s about evaluating, supervising, and guiding the process to support optimal growth, airway health, and long-term wellness.
Is Your Child Getting Quality Sleep?
Take our Sleep Breathing Assessment to find out if your child’s sleep is being affected by airway issues. Symptoms like mouth breathing, tossing and turning, bedwetting, and grinding teeth are often signs of poor airway health—and they don’t resolve on their own.
On a Mission to Help Your Child Thrive
Dr. Maribel Santos-Cordero’s personal journey to help her son overcome sleep apnea inspired her to pursue advanced training in pediatric dental sleep medicine, oral myology, integrative orthodontics and the surgical treatment of tethered-oral-tissues. As sleep-related breathing disorders may be multifactorial, Dr. Santos often collaborates with other healthcare providers to help her patients thrive. She has made it her mission to help families identify root causes of children’s airway & sleep challenges and provide tailored solutions that allow them to be the best version of themselves.
Don’t Wait—Take Action Today!
If you suspect your child is struggling with Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders, don’t delay. Take the Sleep Breathing Assessment and call our office today for a consultation. Let’s work together to help your child breathe better, sleep deeper, and unlock their full growth potential!
Call us at (941) 909-2979
