Is Your Child Breathing Correctly?
Why nasal breathing is the key to better focus, sleep, health, academic performance, and behaviour.
Photo credit: Cottonbro Studio
I recently began reflecting on something often overlooked in parenting conversations: our children’s breathing. We are surrounded by discussions on nutrition, mental health, and academic performance, yet one of the most foundational functions of life: how our children breathe, rarely gets the attention it deserves. And yet, it plays such a significant role in how our children focus, behave, and sleep.
The science behind this might seem straightforward, but the consequences of dysfunctional breathing, especially in children, can be profound.
A stuffy nose will adversely affect a child’s sleep. After a night spent breathing heavily through the mouth, the child will wake up exhausted. This manifests as poor concentration and frustration in school. If this inability to focus continues for a length of time, a psychological evaluation and possible diagnosis of ADD or ADHD may follow.1
What is Nasal Breathing and Why Does it Matter?
Nasal breathing is, in essence, the most natural and efficient way for our bodies to take in oxygen. When we breathe through our nose, we allow our body to filter, humidify, and regulate the air before it reaches our lungs. For children, this optimal process can help in many ways: from improving cognitive function to reducing anxiety. In contrast, mouth breathing often bypasses these benefits, leading to potential health and behavioural issues.
What I find fascinating is how much of our child’s well-being is directly linked to something as simple as their breath. Breathing correctly is not just about avoiding respiratory issues; it is about maximising the body’s ability to focus, remain calm, and function at its best.
The Negative Effects of Dysfunctional Breathing in Children
In today’s fast-paced, overstimulated world, it is easy to miss the subtle signs of dysfunctional breathing in our children. We might write off their fidgeting, forgetfulness, or sleep disturbances as part of their personality or a phase. However, these may often be indicators of underlying respiratory habits (mouth breathing, in particular).
Children who frequently breathe through their mouths can experience poor sleep quality, difficulty focusing in school, frequent illnesses, and even emotional dysregulation. It is not hard to understand why, when the body is not receiving oxygen as efficiently, it’s forced to work harder, leading to fatigue, anxiety, and irritability.
In many ways, dysfunctional breathing is very likely a hidden factor in the challenges many children face in their day-to-day lives:
Also, 40% of children who experience sleep disorders, including snoring or sleep apnea, develop ADD, ADHD, or a learning disability…A 2012 paper by pediatric sleep expert Karen Bonuck demonstrated that mouth breathing, snoring, and apnea at 6, 18, and 30 months of age significantly increases the risk of neurobehavioural and neurocognitive disorders at ages 4 and 7.2
The Buteyko Breathing Method
This is where the Buteyko breathing method comes in. This is a technique developed to retrain the body’s natural breathing patterns. Buteyko breathing is a method that focuses on restoring nasal breathing, which, in turn, supports the body’s overall function.
For children, this means not just better respiratory health, but also a boost in their focus, reduced anxiety, and a noticeable improvement in sleep quality. Imagine a child who sleeps soundly, wakes refreshed, and is able to engage fully in school, simply because they have re-learned how to breathe the way their bodies were meant to.
This is the kind of transformation the Buteyko method can offer, and it is a tool every parent should have at their disposal. And, even better it is backed up by science.
Free Resources to Help You Get Started
Because so many parents are unaware of the importance of nasal breathing, I’ve created a free Nasal Breathing Checklist to help you identify if your child may benefit from breathing re-education. This checklist is a practical tool that breaks down the signs to look for, so you can begin to make small yet impactful changes in your child’s health.
You can download the checklist here.
Invitation to the Free Webinar
I am also hosting a free webinar to look deeper into this topic. In this hour long session, we will explore the impact of nasal breathing on your child’s health, focus, and behaviour. You’ll walk away with actionable tips and insights on how to help your child breathe better and live better.
Webinar Date: Thursday 17th October 2024
Time: 6pm London time
Register here.
We spend so much time as parents thinking about how to help our children thrive, but it is often the small, overlooked habits—like how they breathe—that can make the biggest difference. By focusing on nasal breathing, we open up new possibilities for our children’s health, well-being, and success.
The Breathing Cure by Patrick McKeown, OxyAt Books, 2021, p214
The Breathing Cure, p214