Episode 45 of the Airway First podcast is now out! You can catch this and all other episodes on Apple, SoundCloud, Podbean, RSS, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. And don't forget to check us out on YouTube!
My guests today are Dr. Joanne Ingleby and Dr. Aoife Stack.
Dr. Ingleby started out in Children’s and Community dentistry and then moved on to working in General Practice where she has been for the past 30 years. Her practice has been general dentistry, taking care of patients and helping them achieve the smile they want with often minimal treatment, hopefully maintaining long-term dental health. She is now looking after her first patients' children and enjoying the different challenges that different dental generations bring.
Dr Ingleby has an active interest in the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea, is on the Board of the British Society of Dental Sleep Medicine, completed the Masterclass in Dental Sleep Medicine, and is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. She teaches Dental Sleep Medicine to other dentists and is trying to increase awareness in the UK of the importance of an unobstructed airway for all ages. She receives direct referrals from National Sleep Clinics and ENT consultants, and of course from her patient population, who happen to mention that they snore.
You can find out more about Dr Jo Ingleby at sleepbettermanchester.co.uk or jo@parkfield-dental.co.uk.
Hailing from County Clare in the West of Ireland, Dr. Stack studied at University College Cork where she won awards for her clinical work and research.
Aoife is a general dentist with an interest in how function and structure come together to affect our airways, sleep, breathing, and facial form. She offers myofunctional therapy alongside orthodontic treatments. She has completed a one-year orthodontic certificate in London and has trained with the Breathe Institute in Los Angeles for treatment of tongue tie. She performs functional frenuloplasty, treating children and adults within a multidisciplinary team to help her patients towards optimal health. She is an avid learner, takes courses and attends conferences to keep up to date with current thinking, and has a keen interest in research having most recently been published in the British Dental Journal.
She is qualified as a myofunctional therapist and is a board member of the British Society of Dental Sleep Medicine. She is a The Breathe Institute ambassador.
You can find out more about Dr. Stack at foreversmile.co.uk and ONCLINIC.co.uk.
The chronic effects of sleep apnea are huge for the person snoring...not to mention the impacts it has on the person sleeping beside them. We are just starting to understand the long-term health impacts. ~ Dr. Joanne Ingleby
AIRWAY FIRST Show Notes:
NICE Guidelines 2021 - https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng202
Benefits of Butekoy Breathing - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/buteyko-breathing
Tonsils and adenoids get smaller after age six
Study on the Impacts of Pallete Expansion and Tonsils - National Library of Medicine
Close Your Mouth, Change Your Life, by Patrick McKeown
HOW DOES SLEEP APNEA DURING PREGNANCY IMPACT BABIES?
When it comes to understanding how airway issues and sleep apnea can impact a baby during pregnancy, Dr. Steven Lim has an amazing explanation:
We’re all familiar with the spiel during the safety demo before take-off. When the mask drops, you put the oxygen mask on yourself before your child. The reason for this is simple. You need to breathe properly before you can help others. If you have oxygen deprivation, your kid’s health and survival will be at risk regardless if they have a mask or not.
Pregnancy increases the risk of a woman experiencing sleep apnea or snoring. For women who already have sleep and airway issues, this risk of increase can put their baby in danger as oxygen is critical for fetal development and is the most important nutrient for a mother's body.
Snoring during pregnancy can have critical impacts on both the mother and the baby:
a lack of oxygen is associated with pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure
a lack of oxygen can cause growth retardation, birth defects, too much acid in the bodily fluids, or brain damage
a lack of oxygen can lead to scoliosis and other skeletal deformities lack of oxygen can cause a baby to have an underdeveloped jaw, thus, causing the baby to experience airway and sleep issues after birth
Sleep disordered breathing no only impacts pregnancy, but it also impacts the baby and the cycle can continue and impact the development of the baby. ~ Dr. Aoife Stack
HOW TO IMPROVE SLEEP HYGIENE DURING PREGNANCY?
If you do not have an airway disorder but are still finding it hard to sleep during pregnancy, there are things you can do to help improve your sleep quality and ensure you're getting the proper rest and oxygen your baby needs at night:
Avoid food and drinks that can trigger acid reflux before bed (citrus, tomatoes, spicy or fatty foods)
Eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of one larger meal just before bed
Try to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time every day...even on the weekends
Keep electronics out of the bedroom and avoid screentime before bed
Make yourself more comfortable by placing a pillow under your baby bump or between your legs
Use a rolled-up blanket or towel at the small of your back to help relieve pressure
Use extra pillows or a body pillow to support your body during sleep and to raise your head up while you sleep
Keep your bedroom quiet and cool at night
Consider using a humidifier at night to help minimize nasal congestion
