Sleep Disordered Breathing and Sleep Apnea

Feeling good during the day starts with having deep, restful sleep at night. I know most of us can find it hard to devote enough hours to sleeping, but wouldn't it be great to maximize the time you DO get? Lack of good quality sleep can lead to brain fog, forgetfulness, hyperactivity as your body fights to stay awake, heightened pain perception, and worsening anxiety and depression. Over a longer period of time, this can lead to systemic health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, weight gain, and heart attack.

What is Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB)?

It can be classified as sleep that has an interruption of the airway. This can be something as common as snoring or as complex as Sleep Apnea. Snoring is not natural or healthy except in times of severe congestion, and snoring is NEVER natural in children.

Most often, SDB is caused by the tongue falling back and blocking the airway. This can happen in all sleeping positions, not just on your back. With myo, we can try to re-train the tongue to sit in the correct position at all times, which will help to keep the airway more open. This can be especially helpful for those who have disrupted sleep that is not yet Sleep Apnea or for those that have Sleep Apnea that is not severe enough to be treated with a CPAP yet.

How do I know if I have disrupted sleep?

You may notice that you are constantly tired, even after a full night of sleep. Your family or friends may tell you that you snore, or even that they've heard you stop breathing while sleeping. You may be a light sleeper, meaning that you wake up at the slightest of sounds (which means you're not getting deep, restorative sleep). You may have dark circles under your eyes, called venous pooling. You may suffer from hyperactivity as well (this happens when your brain is trying desperately to keep you awake by making you move from task to task quickly).

Will myo cure my Sleep Apnea so I can get off my CPAP machine?

On its own, no. Myo is by no means a cure-all, and your doctor will need to make the decision about you getting away from your CPAP machine. Myo is more like physical therapy: it's great at preventing the problem in the first place. Once full-blown Sleep Apnea develops, myo can help to improve the airway you have, but we can't increase the physical size of the airway. All I can do is help maximize the airway space you have. In children and teens, myo and re-training the tongue can absolutely prevent Sleep Apnea, because if we get the tongue in the right spot while the airway is still developing, we can help the airway to grow to its proper size and eliminate the possibility of Sleep Apnea in adulthood!

More questions on sleep or on any other topic? Comment on the post, send me a Facebook DM, or email me at classiccitymyo@gmail.com. Thanks!