Breathing retraining
A healthy developing child often has good breathing habits. If your child is breathing noisily, with an open mouth, or is breath-holding followed by a bigger louder breath, your child may have a dysfunctional breathing pattern. In contrast, healthy breathing is silent, rhythmic and through the nose. Many children mouth breathe during the day and night. The following list includes some conditions that may be related to dysfunctional breathing patterns and may be improved with breathing retraining.
- crowded teeth
- fatigue
- sleep-disordered breathing, snoring and/or sleep apnea
- nose congestion and open mouth posture
- poor concentration
- asthma
- tongue thrust and abnormal swallow
At the Children’s Osteopathic Centre we run breathing retraining programs to support healthy breathing habits for children. Breathing retraining to improve or normalise dysfunctional breathing is inherently safe. However, if you have any serious medical condition requiring ongoing medication, you should always consult your doctor before undertaking any change to your health management, including undergoing breathing retraining.