What are Sleep Breathing Disorders?
What are Sleep Breathing Disorders?
Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) refers to a wide spectrum of sleep-related conditions including increased resistance to airflow through the upper airway, heavy snoring, marked reduction in airflow (hypopnea), and complete cessation of breathing (apnea). Snoring can essentially be the early sign of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)- a serious medical condition in which your brain and body are deprived of oxygen while you sleep.
Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is very similar to OSA in that the soft tissue of the throat relaxes, reducing the size of the airway. The increased effort to breathe often causes brief awakenings (often undetected by the affected individual), daytime sleepiness and cognitive impairment. Women are more likely to have UARS, which is often accompanied by symptoms of insomnia, morning headaches, chronic fatigue, anxiety, or depression.
Snoring, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) all indicate a restricted airway. If you have been associated with any of the terms listed below, please consider a phone consult to learn how myofunctional therapy may help your individual symptoms.
Snoring
Sleep apnea
Sleep breathing disorders
Mouth breathing
Drooling
ADHD-like symptoms
Tongue-tie/tethered oral tissues (TOTs)
Teeth grinding
Anxiety
Forward-head posture
Chronic ear infections
Digestive Issues
GERD
Insomnia
Bed-wetting
Chronic pain
Morning headaches
Obstructions of the Airway
Obstructions of the Airway
If the tongue tends to rest on the floor of the mouth rather than along the palate, the oral muscles are not functioning properly, and this can contribute to obstructions of the airway.
Myofunctional therapy can help re-pattern tongue posture and strengthen these airway specific muscles to possibly reduce snoring and/or sleep apnea symptoms. Sometimes there are physical limitations, and it is always important to assure that no tongue-tie or nasal blockage is present. ENTs and sleep medicine specialists can help with diagnosing airway disorders.
How can orofacial myofunctional therapy help?
Myofunctional therapy involves exercises that encourage nasal breathing and proper tongue-to-palate placement. With proper breathing and by retraining the muscle functions it is possible to reduce the number and severity apneas (number of breathing stoppages) an individual has during sleep.
Many people who have completed a myofunctional therapy program experience better sleep and feel more rested after a full night's sleep.
Myofunctional Therapy alone does not treat sleep apnea, but with other OSA treatments, myofunctional therapy can help manage symptoms.
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