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We all know how important a good nights sleep is, but sadly very few of us actually sleep well. A major factor in our sleep health is how we breathe and the function of the muscles.
Snoring in babies and children is often labeled ‘cute’ and snoring in adults has become a common joke amongst families and friends but it should be taken much more seriously. Snoring is the sound of obstructed breathing during sleep in which the soft tissues at the back of the throat vibrate. While snoring can be harmless (benign snoring), it can also be the sign of a more serious medical condition which progresses from upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) to obstructive sleep apnea. (OSA)
When you breathe correctly, air passes through the nose and past the flexible structures in the back of the throat such as the soft palate, uvula and tongue. Whilst you are awake, muscles hold the airway open. When you fall asleep, these muscles relax and normally the airway should stay open. Its when this doesn’t happen we are faced with sleep disordered breathing
Undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea can lead to a number of serious health concerns including
Stroke
High blood pressure
Heart failure
Irregular heartbeats
Also in Children:
Hyperactivity
Bedwetting
Poor cognitive development and function
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy has been proven to be an excellent adjunctive therapy for people suffering sleep disordered breathing.
“Noses are for breathing, mouths are for eating”
Mouth breathing in growing children can create dysfunctional growth patterns in the face and mouth, changing the shape of the face and jaw as they grow. This kind of altered growth can cause narrowing of the roof of the mouth (also the floor of the nose) leading to tooth crowding and narrowing airways.
In both adults and children continued mouth breathing contributes to a higher rate of sickness, allergies and sleep disordered breathing including sleep apnea!
Orofacial Myofunctional therapists work with various specialists to diagnose breathing disorders and have programs to eliminate habitual mouth breathing.
In babies, prolonged dummy and bottle use, limited mouth play, a soft food diet, a highly processed diet can all alter the foundation of a correct swallow.
If children don’t develop a mature swallowing pattern all sorts of orthodontic concerns can arise. If the improper swallow is not addressed, orthodontic treatment can be slow and have a high chance of relapse.
Chewing and swallowing food incorrectly can lead to poor digestion, misaligned teeth, slow or relapsed orthodontic treatment, muscular imbalance and TMD (Jaw dysfunction and pain). Luckily, with chewing and swallow retraining through our program, we can begin to correct this dysfunction.
Restricted tongue mobility caused by a tongue tie (Ankyloglossia) has been shown to be linked to sleep apnea, poor posture, digestive complaints.
Tongue ties force tongues to sit low in the mouth instead of elevated in the palate. As children grow a low tongue position doesn’t allow natural expansion of the palate, not allowing space for teeth to erupt and leading to tooth crowding.
Tongue ties in adults can also contribute to poor posture, mouth breathing and sleep disorders.
Orofacial Myofunctional therapists can asses for a tongue tie and work with a team of specialists in this area to obtain an optimal outcome.
It is important for Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy and body work by a trained Physiotherapists, Chiropractors or Osteopaths in this field, to be carried out before and after a tongue tie release to improve tongue mobility and to obtain full range of motion.
People often report immediate improvement in sleep and posture.
Thumb sucking is a totally normal developmental phase and often children will stop in their own time. If children continue to suck beyond 5 years we can start to see more permanent changes occurring in the mouth and teeth.
Sometimes thumb sucking can be a symptom of a much greater, seemingly unrelated, issue. So, its always good to have a trained professional take a closer look at the habit.
Our program takes a gentle approach. Understanding, involving and empowering the child. It has been found to be highly successful.
A majority of jaw and facial pain is related to the muscles supporting the jaw. Typically these muscles work together in harmony beautifully.
Car accidents, knocks to the head, stress clenching or grinding, dysfunctional chewing, loss of teeth can set off a compensatory pattern of muscle movement that is not sustainable long term. Sometimes months or years go by before the muscles taking the load finally let you know about it with chronic pain.
Botox and splint therapy are usually the go to treatment but without addressing the core underlying dysfunction in the muscles they will only provide you with a short term solution.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy addresses the dysfunction and helps strengthen and correct the irregular pattern of movement by these muscles.
Its inevitable, we all grow old. Our bodies begin to weaken and sag and our faces tend to show this to the world the most. Antiwrinkle and filler injections are temporary, can be expensive and some people just prefer not to inject any toxins into their bodies.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is a great natural alternative as one of the amazing side effects of this therapy is a toned, lifted, more symmetrical face. Why not? After all we work out the rest of our bodies to be strong and toned but forget the muscles in our face also require “gains”. Plus you may get the added bonus of better posture, sleep and breathing!
