Tinashe Johnson was struggling at home. Her oldest daughter needed constant attention. She was hyperactive, wasn’t sleeping at night, was grinding her teeth excessively, and wetting the bed. At school her teachers were concerned about her behavior at just four years old. Every provider told her to “wait and see”, and waiting just wasn’t an option anymore.
Behavioral issues are often the most visible symptoms of disordered sleep in children, but to an untrained eye, a sleep study doesn’t always seem relevant. When Tinashe brought her child in for a behavioral assessment, despite being told she was too young, she received an ADHD diagnosis.
However, Tinashe knew that this diagnosis was not the full story.
After this diagnosis, Tinashe began her own research into what might be causing these symptoms. All of the signs were pointing towards disordered sleeping. Restorative sleep is essential, especially for children. During sleep, children complete much of their physical growth, brain development, emotional regulation, and memory consolidation….. When a child isn’t getting restorative sleep, they are unable to emotionally regulate, meaning that they can appear hyperactive and unable to focus. Sleep is also when the brain organizes and stores information learned during the day, so a child who isn’t sleeping may appear to have learning disabilities and will struggle in school more than their peers. Tinashe advocated for her daughter and insisted on a sleep study because she believed medication alone would not address the root cause of her symptoms in school and at home. She believed that medication would only mask her symptoms, rather than getting to the root of them.
The sleep study revealed that her daughter’s Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) was incredibly high. RDI measures how frequently breathing disturbances partially or fully disrupt sleep, even if the child does not fully wake up. The sleep study revealed that even if her daughter was put down for ten hours of sleep, her body was really only receiving a fraction of restorative sleep.
This lack of restorative sleep is what was causing her daughters behavioral issues. Suddenly the full story of her daughter’s symptoms was being put together. Bed wetting is common in children with narrow airways because the body is attempting to keep itself alive by signaling itself to go
to the bathroom and waking itself up. This is the same for teeth grinding and gasping for air during sleep. These signs of disordered breathing can be easily overlooked when behavioral issues are so overwhelmingly present. Many parents are told to wait, to surpass early treatment and wait until they are older in order to go into braces, remove tonsils and adenoids, or to receive ADHD medications. However, through the sleep study, Tinashe learned that there are solutions that can resolve these symptoms far earlier and significantly improve or resolve symptoms long-term.
Vivos Growth Guides are designed to support natural airway and jaw development during critical growth years, a significant portion of facial development occurs from the ages four to nine. By being told to wait to receive care, parents are missing out on the period of time that is most important for natural growth. After starting her daughter on Vivos Growth Guides, the changes were dramatic and noticeable. Her daughter was suddenly sleeping through the night, the dark circles under her eyes began to fade, and her school performance improved drastically. Teachers that were originally concerned about her behavior and her performance in the classroom were asking Tinashe what happened and how she was able to make such a drastic improvement in such a short amount of time. Many teachers asked if her daughter was being medicated for ADHD, but in reality her daughter was finally being treated for her narrow airways to address her disordered breathing.
Delayed treatment leaves most children with invasive and more painful treatment options later in life. If Tinashe’s daughter was left untreated, she would have been at higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea later in life and been forced into restrictive care rather than being able to naturally expand her airways and allowing her face and airway to develop fully. Tinashe paired her daughter’s care with Myofunctional therapy, training her daughter’s oral and facial muscles to support proper tongue posture, nasal breathing, and airway development, in order to prevent teeth grinding and bed wetting at night.
Through advocating for holistic care, Tinashe’s daughter is able to focus during school, sleep through the night, and even help around the house and with her siblings. Tinashe feels strongly in treating the root cause as early as possible and has even been able to identify early signs of
disordered breathing in her other children and advocate for them to receive similar care. Tinashe urges other parents to look out for these early signs in their own children and ensure that their doctors are able to see these early signs of disordered breathing as well. She wants every child to be able to receive the life changing care that her daughter was able to receive as early as she did.
Awareness is the first step in advocating for your child. By being able to link teeth grinding, bed wetting, and dark circles (venous pooling) to potential sleep related issues, parents are able to better review their options for treatment. Early treatment can help prevent the development of long-term health and developmental challenges. Early treatment can assist your child throughout their academic career, and their long-term wellness.
If you or your child struggle with disordered sleeping or breathing, reach out to Smile Brookline to book an appointment with Dr. Sara Stock. Offices are open Monday through Saturday and appointments can be booked online or over the phone. Don’t wait to take your first steps towards easier breathing, restorative sleep, and a better future.
Smile Brookline: Dr. Sara Stock DDS
1425 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446
www.smilebrookline.com
617-731-3364
