Tonsils, Allergies, and Mouth Breathing: What Every Parent Should Know
Tonsils are an incredible piece of our immune system. They help trap bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens and help protect us.
When they are activated, they generally swell and look like two ovals at the back of our throats and then shrink back down after the threat has dissolved.
Unfortunately, they do not always shrink back down. This can make it difficult to breath through our nose as the tonsils block the airway, and as a result, the body is signaled to breathe through our mouth.
Although a great survival strategy, breathing through our mouths keeps our tonsils swollen because of all of the cold, unfiltered air that is constantly assaulting them. Conversely, when we breathe through our noses the air is warmed, humidified, and filtered through our nose hairs and is much easier on our tonsils and airway in general. If the tonsils are chronically inflamed, it can lead to scarring of the tissues, and then they are unable to shrink back down on their own.
In children, chronic enlarged tonsils can be expressed by mouth breathing, restless sleep and night waking, chronic fatigue and irritability, bed wetting, trouble focusing, and dark circles under the eyes.
As you can imagine, it is difficult to get quality oxygen that the body needs to rest and digest and as a result the body suffers. Kids with enlarged tonsils are not always able to get enough quality oxygen to their brains which not only affects mood, but growth and development.
Finding the root cause of the enlarged tonsils can be tricky, but I believe it is important. Common allergies to dust, dander, and dairy are common culprits. Whenever a client has enlarged tonsils and they do not report being sick recently I tend to investigate those three D’s. A deep clean of you or your child’s room is a great place to start. Wash all bedding, stuffed animals, window coverings, and if possible install a high quality air purifier in their room. Second, if you have pets in the home try and limit the amount that they are in you or your child’s bedroom as dander is difficult to stay on top of. Lastly, try eliminating dairy for at least 2 weeks from the diet. Eliminating these common allergens can help you breathe through your nose easier and help support the shrinkage of the tonsils.
If you or your child has been mouth breathing due to these enlarged tonsils it is a great idea to consult with a myofunctional therapist. Breaking the mouthbreathing habit is not an easy one, however I will support you through the process and help get your health back on track.
