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Snoring and sleep apnoea

From the Buteyko breathing perspective, sleep apnoea and snoring occur due to incorrect breathing, specifically over-breathing or hyperventilation. As well as incorrect breathing patterns, there is often also an orofacial myofunctional disorder or ENT disorder as part of the picture of sleep apnoea and snoring. Low tongue tone or posture can result in the tongue falling into the back of the throat and obstructing the airway, resulting in rattling (snoring) of the soft tissues at the back of the throat. Full blockage from the tongue can cause obstructive sleep apnoea. As part of an assessment the individual may need to have a sleep study, ENT assessment, and orofacial myofunctional assessment.

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Snoring and sleep apnoea

Adults and children looking for relief from sleep apnoea or snoring problems often have many of the following associated symptoms:

  • restless and excessive movement through the night 
  • restless legs syndrome 
  • thirst through the night and on waking 
  • dry mouth and throat on waking 
  • excessive tiredness or waking unrefreshed 
  • daytime fatigue, sleepiness in meetings or in front of TV 
  • sleepiness when driving 
  • sweating at night 
  • Misdiagnosis of ADHD or ADHD like symptoms
  • Bedwetting or increased nighttime urination
  • nasal congestion on waking
  • Jaw tension/headaches and grinding
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Bedwetting and increased night time urination

There have been studies to show that mouth breathing can cause obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in children. When a child is suffering from sleep apnoea the child can stop breathing for periods of time followed by a gasp and slight arousal. When this occurs the oxygen being taken up by the body is greatly reduced and in turn results in the heart having to work much harder to get enough oxygen around the body. The heart recognizes this as increased fluid volume in the body and produces a hormone that causes the kidneys to excrete more water which increases urination.

Sleep apnoea in a child or adults results in the inability to fall into the deeper stages of sleep where ADH (antidiuretic hormone) is produced. The function of ADH is to prevent urination. Children and adults with OSA often don’t reach the fourth stage of sleep because of constant arousals and gasping episodes. When ADH is not produced bedwetting can occur in the young and regular nocturnal toilet visits in the adult.

Nasal congestion

Chronic nasal congestion can be very debilitating for many people. There are a variety of reasons for chronic nasal congestion. Buteyko base breathing training can help restore functional breathing allowing the swelling of the nasal passages and congestion to subside. Over breathing can irritate the tissues of the nasal passages causing swelling and irritation.

By establishing normal healthy breathing through the nose there is an increase in the production of Nitric oxide in the paranasal sinuses. Nitric oxide is very important in boosting the immune system and clearing nasal swelling and congestion.

ADHD and hyperactivity

An estimated 25 to 50%3 of people with ADHD experience sleep problems, ranging from insomnia to secondary sleep conditions. Doctors are starting to realize the importance of treating sleep problems and the impact this can have on both ADHD symptoms and quality of life for ADHD patients.

Sleep problems, like sleep apnoea and restless leg syndrome exacerbate ADHD symptoms. Sometimes people are misdiagnosed as having ADHD when they actually have a sleep disorder.

In normal sleep you go through 5 stages of sleep cycles (stages 1-4 and REM sleep). With sleep apnoea, often patients are stuck in stages 1 and 2 for extended periods of time, never progressing to the deeper sleep stages where restorative levels of sleep occur. This has major health implications. The deeper stages of sleep, especially REM sleep, are responsible for information consolidation, building up your immune system, and repairing any wear and tear from the day.

Sleep disordered breathing, such as sleep apnoea, can manifest symptoms that closely resemble those of ADHD. Individuals may experience difficulties with attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, which are hallmark features of ADHD, due to the fragmented and poor-quality sleep cause

d by disrupted breathing patterns. As a result, some people are misdiagnosed with ADHD when the root cause is actually an underlying sleep disorder, highlighting the importance of thoroughly assessing sleep health in those presenting with ADHD-like symptoms.

Teeth Grinding/jaw tension/headaches – and the connection to sleep disordered breathing, snoring and sleep apnoea

Many people grind and clench their jaw during the day and at night causing pain and tension in the head, neck and temporomandibular joint. Clenching and grinding is often blamed on stress. Although this is a factor, many people don’t realize that clenching and grinding during sleep can be related to breathing and airway dysfunction. During sleep the muscles of the throat and tongue relax. If there is already a small airway, or there is low tone in the muscles of the tongue, the tongue relaxes and can fall back into the airway causing a blockage (snoring/sleep apnoea). This blockage stimulates the body to wake itself up or compensate by clenching or grinding (the body attempting to move the jaw forward) thus opening the airway and allowing the body to breathe again. This can put a lot of stress on the muscles of the jaw, teeth and neck causing tension headaches, jaw pain and neck pain.