Attention deficit disorder—be it ADD or ADHD—is a diagnosis we hear all too often this day and age. But is every case being diagnosed correctly? What if certain symptoms that appear to point to ADD or ADHD actually stem from something else?
As we gain a greater understanding of breathing wellness, a growing amount of evidence suggests that various sleep airway issues (such as sleep apnea and other conditions that obstruct proper airflow during nighttime breathing) can actually cause several of the same symptoms as ADD and ADHD. More specifically, trouble paying attention, distractibility, hyperactivity, and even certain behavioral problems have all shown to result from lack of quality sleep caused by sleep airway issues in individuals both young and old. In some cases, symptoms of unidentified sleep airway disorders have led to a misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD. In others, the severity of attention deficit disorder symptoms has been amplified by undiagnosed and/or uncontrolled sleep airway problems.
As a leader in the breathing wellness movement, Dr. Martin Gorman has seen and successfully treated numerous patients for nearly a decade suffering from sleep airway conditions—including individuals who were misdiagnosed with attention deficit disorder, as well as those who were properly diagnosed but unaware that sleep airway problems were compounding the issue. Blending advanced scientific ideologies and non-surgical oral appliance therapies, he is able to target the underlying cause(s) of nighttime airway obstruction, effectively yielding improved nighttime breathing, better quality sleep, and a significant reduction—if not elimination—of symptoms attributed to sleep airway disorders.
Ultimately, none of this is to claim ADD/ADHD is widely misdiagnosed and that the majority of cases are actually related to sleep airway issues instead. However, when attention deficit disorder is suspected, it would be prudent to seek the expertise of a breathing wellness professional like Dr. Gorman in order to determine whether a sleep airway issue may be causing or exacerbating symptoms. Depending on the diagnosis, proper treatment can either help reduce the severity of ADD/ADHD, or potentially resolve all symptoms misattributed to attention deficit disorder completely.
To learn more about the correlation between attention deficit disorder symptoms and sleep airway issues, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Gorman for yourself or a loved one, please feel free to contact our practice online or by telephone today. We are happy to help!
