Dr. James Otten

Dr. James Otten

Breathing Disorders

Dr James Otten

Hey, everybody. Dr. James Otten here.

What I wanted to talk to you about today is how you can look out for the health of others this holiday season.

One of the things that we’ve noticed in our practice as it has evolved into something more comprehensive, and not just about teeth, is that a significant part of the population have breathing disorders.

We used to think of breathing disorders as just being apnea, mostly being overweight male men of my age. But that’s not the case. Breathing disorders happen throughout all stages of life.

You may notice some during the holiday season will fall asleep shortly after sitting down. And if that’s a common occurrence for them, you might ask them if they often fall asleep that easily. You might ask if they fall asleep while driving, or when sitting still, reading a book or watching TV, and how often that happens. This could be a sign that they’re not getting restful sleep.

The other thing that we notice is that some very young, fit, often females have quite a bit of fatigue. We have triathletes that have breathing disorders that are giving them more fatigue than they would have normally.

And then there’s children. Do the kids have a lot of airway problems? Do they have allergies and asthma? Do any of the kids have symptoms of A.D.D. or A.D.H.D.? There is significant evidence that correlates that diagnosis with sleep disordered breathing. If they’re making noise when they breathe, they don’t have to snore, but if they struggle at all and make any kind of hissing sound when they breathe, they could have a breathing disorder. In our opinion, 80 to 90 percent of kids with A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. diagnoses likely have a breathing disorder that’s really the cause of their problems, and it’s not attention deficit so much as it’s just that they don’t get restful sleep.

So, we hope you enjoy your holiday season and you’re having a lot of fun. But at the same time, maybe you could help some of your family or friends with some of their health issues.

If you have any questions about any of the things I’ve discussed here, be sure to give us a call, or send us an e-mail, or message us on our Facebook page, and we’ll get back to you with more information.

Thank you so much for everything you do for us and your support of us. It truly enriches our lives and helps us to enrich yours. Have a great, great Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.