While frequent bed wetting can be a sign of being too hot 🥵 or too cold 🥶 overnight, did you know that chronic bed-wetting can also be an indication of open mouth breathing or sleep disordered breathing (SDB)? 👄
How does this happen? 😥
Despite being asleep, poor breathing can keep the body’s fight-or-flight nervous system engaged due to reduced oxygen intake, preventing your toddler from entering a deep sleep 😴. In deep sleep, we naturally produce less urine, helping us to sleep through the night. Without deep sleep, the bladder continues to fill 💧. When combined with reduced oxygen intake from open-mouth breathing, this can lead to frequent bed-wetting or night wakes needing to use the potty (for toddlers who are toilet trained at night) 🚽
Other signs of sleep-disordered breathing include:
😴 Sleeping in unusual positions
😴 Moving around a lot during sleep
😴 Mouth breathing
😴 Snoring
😴 Teeth grinding
😴 Unexplainable cavity rate
😴 Crowded teeth
😴 Difficulty focusing
😴 Irritability/mood swings
😴 Learning difficulties
😴 Hyperactivity
If you suspect your toddler has sleep disordered breathing, please consult your healthcare professional, such as a myofunctional therapist or an airway-focused dentist, to determine if SDB is a concern 🩷🌸💫