Snoring Or Mouth Breathing Might Be The Reason For Your Child’s Sleep Struggles?
Snoring is one of my absolute least favorite sounds. It’s right up there with nails on a chalkboard. However, a baby can make even the sound of snoring kind of cute.
Cute or not cute is not really the hot topic. If your child is snoring or mouth breathing it is reason enough to pause and do some investigating. I certainly don’t want to warrant unnecessary panic, but I’m all business when it comes to kids (and their parents) getting quality, restorative sleep.
When a parent calls me to discuss their child's sleep struggles and solutions, if they mention snoring or mouth breathing, it's a red flag and I suggest discussing it further with a pediatrician before moving forward with actively working on sleep.
Top Reasons Why Nose-Breathing Is Better For You than mouth-breathing.
Breathing through your nose increases the amount of oxygen we get to our lungs
It expels more carbon dioxide
Lowers our heart rate
Increases lymphatic flow
Reduces stress on the heart
Produces nitric oxide, which helps expand blood vessels and increases blood flow, and all the hairs and mucus in the sinuses help to filter out impurities from the air
Mouth breathing, on the other hand, has some serious downsides. Long-term, chronic mouth breathing in children can actually affect their facial growth, mess with their teeth, cause gum disease, throat infections, stunted growth, and a little closer to my heart, lack of quality sleep.
How about a little background in why snoring can cause some major disrupt with sleep?
You probably already know that we sleep in cycles. We go from light sleep, to deep sleep, to deeper sleep and then to REM sleep.
Adult sleep cycles are 90-110 minutes, whereas babies’ sleep cycles are about 45 minutes. They’ve got a lot more light sleep going on, which means more opportunity to be woken up during the night.
What’s the most common reason babies are woken out of a sleep cycle? NOISE. It might be the creaky door, a barking dog, the trash truck driving by or the sound of their own snore pulling them out of the light sleep stage.
That’s not the only reason for waking up. If their airway is obstructed to the point where they temporarily stop breathing, what’s known as an obstructive apnea, the body tends to startle itself out of sleep. (And I’m sure we’re all happy for that little fail-safe, even if it does lead to nighttime wake ups.)
Babies & Kids Need A Whole Lot Of Sleep.
If your child is getting fragmented sleep they are missing out on some serious health benefits. Undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea can lead to your kiddo being sleepy and tired during the day. That can lead to behavioral or even learning problems.
So what can you do about it?
First of all, know the amount of sleep your child should be getting for their specific age group and their appropriate awake window. It can make a world of difference in avoiding overtiredness and getting a good night’s (and naps) sleep.
If your child is snoring or mouth breathing, get them checked out by a physician. If it’s clear that sleep apnea is not a problem or the issue has been resolved and if sleep is still a struggle, reach out for help. I’m only a phone call away.