01. Structural Factors Behind Sleep
Trouble sleeping? You are not alone as this is an epidemic problem for many of us in today’s age.
If so, you most likely have already heard that you shouldn’t sleep with your electronic devices near you and to minimize screen time 1-2 hours before going to bed. You may have even tried blue-blocker glasses. You also may have been told to not eat within 2 hours of going to sleep or exercise at night. You could have black out shades or perhaps ear plugs or an eye mask. Yet, you are still struggling to either:
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- Fall asleep and may not be able to until the early hours of the morning as you experience a surge of energy late at night.
- Stay asleep as you keep waking up in the middle of the night either to urinate, because of pain or some other unknown reason
- Fall back asleep after waking
- Feel refreshed and rested upon waking which may continue throughout the day
- Breathe-you may have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and/or your partner has mentioned you snore.
Why does this happen? Well, it can be a bit complicated and there are a number of reasons which can also interact with one another. We have broken them down between structural, physiological and emotional factors. This page will focus on the structural components to sleep dysfunction. However, be sure to review the physiological and emotional articles pertaining to sleep as we typically all have some issues in each category that cross-interact.
Effective breathing is key during sleep and it's possible you may have structural issues in your head, nose and/or throat or even below which are negatively impacting your ability to breathe.
Your nasal passages are too narrow making it challenging to get adequate air in and out
- Reasons for this include the following below. You may use your testing technique to determine if any of these apply to you.
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- Your palate is too narrow. Chronic mouth breathing feeds into this developmental pattern. To learn more about why we develop narrow faces read here.
- You have enlarged turbinates or polyps in your nasal cavity reducing the flow of air here.
- You have increased neuromuscular tension in your head, neck and/or below which closes down your airway.
- You have sinus congestion due to underlying toxins and/or pathogens.
- Or some or all of the above as they tend to contribute to each other.
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Your oropharangeal airway is being occluded
- If you are mouth breathing during sleep, there is a tendency for your jaw and thus tongue to slide back into your throat which can potentially occlude your airway. This may happen more if you sleep on your back. Furthermore, if your palate is too narrow, your tongue can have a difficult time posturing on the roof of your mouth (preferred place where your tongue should naturally rest) making it more likely to mouth breathe. This fosters a pattern of the tongue sliding back into the throat occluding the airway.
Your airway is collapsing
- If you are mouth breathing during sleep it disrupts the pressure relationship within your airway making it more likely for your airway to collapse.
- If you are not appropriately using your diaphragm and abdominals to breathe this can also affect the air pressure in your airway making it more prone to collapse.
- Malocclusion creates increased neuromuscular tension in your head, neck and jaw and even below to your rib cage, pelvis and feet. This can also make your airway prone to collapse.
Possible Solutions to Structural Factors that are Impacting Breathing and Sleep
When there are structural issues at play that are negatively impacting your breathing and thus sleep, the dental profession has many solutions (besides the traditional C-PAP option that the medical professional will routinely prescribe). ENTs can also help in this department if enlarged polyps and turbinates are at play. Performing specific postural restoration and orofacial myofunctional therapy techniques can address neuromuscular tension issues as well as poor patterns related to chewing, swallowing, tongue posture and breathing.
To address narrow nasal passages and palates you have the potential to widen and expand your dental arch. Since the bone (maxilla) that houses your dental arch is at the base of your nasal passages, expanding it can in turn widen your nasal passages and sinus cavity making it easier to breathe. This can concurrently improve your bite and occlusion which contributes to more balanced neuromuscular tension in your head, neck and jaw also helping you breathe. Below are some approaches. You may use your testing technique to determine if any of these would benefit you.
Browse the below options 1-9 or use your testing technique to determine if any of the following pertain to you.
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This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your medical doctor or professional if you have medical concerns.
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