Breathing and Childhood
Everyone knows that breathing is fairly important to survival… but did you know that the way you breathe can have profound effects on your health?
Throughout early childhood, our faces and noses develop to allow breathing to occur through the nose, while also being protected from what’s in the air by our immune system, mucus, sinuses and other clever devices our bodies develop.
When this complex system goes slightly off course, it can become impossible for a young child to breathe through their nose, and the start breathing through their mouth instead. This leaves them more prone to throat, ear and chest infections, but also changes the way jaw and face develop.
Babies actually don’t even learn how to breathe through their mouth until they are around 3-4 months old, except for when they’re crying. Babies can breathe through the mouth perfectly well when they’re upset - which any new parent can confirm!
In children who “mouth-breathe”, the jaw often fails to develop properly, leading to a chin that looks small and a little further back than most other children. This has long term consequences for how that child chews, swallows, speaks and grows teeth, which can all have knock-on effects to the rest of the body.
Studies have also shown that when breathing through the mouth at night, it’s much harder to achieve the kind of deep sleep that’s so important for brain development, growth, and helping to learn to control the bladder.
What causes mouth breathing?
A range of issues can cause a child to breathe through their mouth. Enlarged adenoids is often at the root of the problem, but it can also be caused by tongue tie, compression at the base or sides of the skull (often from a traumatic birth), jaw joints that aren’t forming properly, a high palate, or small nasal cavity.
What can be done?
In most of the above cases, osteopathic treatment can help to resolve the problem. I will usually address facial alignment, drainage pathways, head shape, neck motion and more, through very soft-touch and relaxing techniques. As children are still developing their bones and joints, I will NEVER manipulate or “click” a baby.
Sometimes treatment alone is enough, and sometimes it needs to be complementary to assessment/treatment by a dentist, and it usually involves at home exercises for older children. I will often show parents a few simple stretches/massages they can do for their little ones to help the process along at home.
Occasionally, I will refer to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist via your GP, if I suspect adenoids or other chronic issues that need a pediatrician.
