Today, I would like to talk about a few other causes of poor sleep, especially in children and especially teens, as they normally have earlier school start times. According to numerous studies, people, including children and teens, who sleep less than five hours per night are more vulnerable to respiratory infections. But the bad news doesn't end there. Poor sleep can eventually lead to certain forms of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, depression and other mental disorders, and obesity. At the end of the post, I will cover some helpful tips to help us and our children to sleep better-especially our teenagers.
Read MoreToday I am sharing a video about a child who was incorrectly diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD when his real problems were allergies and poor breathing that we call sleep disordered breathing. His mother describes a kind of domino effect that when recognized, is easily treatable. At my offices, we have teams of pediatric dentists, orthodontists, surgeons, orofacial myofunctional therapists, and lactation specialists to detect and treat these problems early. When needed, we refer to ENT, allergists, speech pathologists, and more. If more people were aware of the connection between childhood behavioral problems and sleep disordered breathing, millions of children would not suffer as they do. Please watch the video and share it; even if only one child is helped by your sharing, it will be worth it.
Read MoreSnoring, mouth breathing and sleep apnea are collectively associated with Sleep Disordered Breathing, or SDB. SDB causes poor oxygenation in the body and the brain dysfunctions as a result. Children are uniquely susceptible to oxygen deprivation because their brains are still developing. Low oxygen and lack of adequate sleep for children's brains often leads to poor concentration, attention problems, hyperactivity, aggression, impulsivity, somatic complaints, and social withdrawal. The issues could be life-long and irreversible if not addressed early. I will cover snoring and its related problems and what you can do about them in today’s post.
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