{"id":1068,"date":"2023-04-26T20:35:26","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T00:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/warsaworthodontics.com\/?p=1068"},"modified":"2023-04-26T22:44:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T02:44:04","slug":"sleep-school-grades-and-how-orthodontists-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/warsaworthodontics.com\/sleep-school-grades-and-how-orthodontists-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep, School Grades, and How Orthodontists Can Help"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Dr. Emily Watson<\/b><\/p>\n
Parents understandably become frustrated when their child\u2019s latest school report card shows a slip in grades and, perhaps even more troubling, includes comments from the teacher about behavior problems.<\/span><\/p>\n Mom and Dad are likely to deliver a stern lecture, insisting that the child improve their study habits and conduct themselves in the proper manner in class. In some cases, that may do the trick and that is that.<\/span><\/p>\n But it could be that the child is just as frustrated as the parent. Any number of factors can play a part in a dip in academic performance at school, but one explanation sometimes overlooked is a lack of restful sleep from the night before. And many children suffer through restless nights because of a couple of health concerns: upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) and obstructive sleep apnea.<\/span><\/p>\n UARS is the more common of the two among children, with <\/span>up to 27% affected<\/b><\/a>. <\/b>UARS is when there is a restriction or resistance to airflow that requires increased effort to maintain adequate breathing. It is similar to obstructive sleep apnea in that the resistance to airflow is more predominant during sleep when the throat and tongue muscles are most relaxed. It\u2019s not quite as severe as obstructive sleep apnea, though. With UARS, the person wakes up before there is a blockage that would cause interruption to breathing.<\/span><\/p>\n Children with UARS can display a number of symptoms, including fatigue, difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep, mood disturbances, and anxiety, among other symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n UARS happens when loose or relaxed fatty tissue in the throat collapses when airways become narrowed, or if the tongue falls to the back of the throat and blocks it.<\/span><\/p>\n Although UARS is more common in children, some do suffer from another sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea. This likely comes as a surprise to some people, especially since the problem is most common in middle-aged and older adults. But about 2% of children suffer from the condition, according to <\/span>Johns Hopkins Medicine<\/span><\/a>, and for those who are school-age, the effects can haunt them during school hours when they are trying to stay awake as their teachers go over the day\u2019s lessons.<\/span><\/p>\n Not only do these children have trouble concentrating, they also are more likely to exhibit behavior problems. Have you ever been moody after a poor night\u2019s sleep? Children are no different and that moodiness travels with them to school, where they may fail to pay attention to the teacher or engage in behaviors that land them in trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n Addressing the Problem<\/b><\/p>\n What to do about such sleep disorders?<\/span><\/p>\n Desperate parents might turn to everyone from guidance counselors to pediatricians for help, but one overlooked professional who also might uncover the problem and offer insights for solving it is an orthodontist. To begin to understand why an orthodontist might help pinpoint UARS or sleep apnea when a child has come to their office for a completely unrelated reason, let\u2019s look at what happens to the child whose breathing is disrupted while sleeping.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n