Mouth Breathing, Sleep, and ADHD: What’s the Connection?

Do you remember the last time you didn’t get a great night of sleep? Ugh, I can, and it is never pretty. If you are anything like me you are moody, you crave easy, unhealthy, carbohydrate-packed food, and lots of sugar.  Imagine that you never got a great night of sleep, miserable, right? Now imagine that you’re just 7 years old.

This is reality for so many children and adults today. 

Unfortunately, sleep disordered breathing affects a large number of the population, and sleep researchers are finding that once the disordered breathing is altered through interventions such as myofunctional therapy, orthodontic expansion, tonsil and adenoid removal etc, the symptoms that are often related to ADHD dissolve. 

The reason is that children who are mouth breathing are not getting quality sleep. 

Children who have swollen tonsils that block the airway are not getting adequate oxygen either.  It has been well documented that when we breathe through our mouth the quality and quantity of air is not ideal and affects our body in very negative ways.  There have been studies both on humans and monkeys showing a drastic change with only a few nights of forced mouth breathing so imagine a child that is  6, 7, 8, 9+ years old and has only been able to breathe through their mouth for one reason or another.

Poor sleep affects mood and behavior in drastic ways and I have been fortunate enough to see first hand how that changes when that same child is about to get good quality sleep while breathing through their nose.  It truly is a gift.

Want to learn more about the common signs that might indicate a myofunctional issue? Check out this list of 10 signs you might need myofunctional therapy.

If you're curious about whether Myofunctional Therapy might help your child (or you!), let’s connect.