If You Have Mouth Breathing Children Who Are Acting Out. Get Them Checked Out With A Sleep Physician. As Well As Ear Nose and Throat.
If a child is acting out we often jump to conclusion of the sad diagnosis, ADHD. Children are often pumped full of drugs that they often don’t need because of failures to spot more underlying cause. We tend to avoid digging deeper and except that fate. But we should always dig deeper especially when it comes to children.
Sleep has such a profound affect on all humans especially young children with rapidly developing brains. And as one mother recently pointed out her son was wildly acting out and was slightly uncontrollable. Usual diagnosis would categorize this as ADHD and he would be put on ritalin or something similar. They may have to try numerous drugs to find the right concoction. One that would insure he remains vacant and docile but more focused. But the hidden in this child’s suffering was a severe lack of sleep brought on by sleep apnea. And blocked nasal airways.
This could have easily gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for a diligent mother who noticed her child would sleep with his mouth open. Children should not be breathing through their mouths ever. It’s a huge red flag and one that should never go unchecked and untreated. Especially if your child is having behavioral problems and acting out.
Always check the quantity and quality of their sleep. The brain doesn’t get enough oxygen when mouth breathing and the lower oxygen saturation the brain receives the worse the sleep quality. And it can have a major impact in life. This child was getting absolutely no REM which is detrimental to brain health. Just be sure to exhaust all options before medication when it comes to the health of you and you child.