The DOC Podcast
Avsnitt

The Truth About Mouth Breathing, Sleep, & Sleep Medicine (w/Dr. Funke Brown) [Ep.170]

The DOC Podcast
Dela

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown, a triple board-certified sleep physician, founder of Restful Sleep MD, and best-selling author. We go way beyond the basics of sleep, exploring what "good sleep" actually means, why sleep medicine gets so little attention in physician and dental training, and why that has to change.

Dr. Brown and I dig into the full spectrum of sleep-disordered breathing (it's so much more than just obstructive sleep apnea), the strengths and serious limitations of polysomnography versus home sleep testing, and why relying only on the AHI can cause us to miss patients who are genuinely struggling. We also spend a lot of time on the far-reaching effects of poor sleep in kids - behavior, learning, emotional regulation, and how sleep issues so often masquerade as ADHD.

We talk candidly about why snoring and chronic mouth breathing should never be treated as "no big deal," why interdisciplinary collaboration between sleep physicians, pediatricians, ENTs, dentists, orthodontists, and myofunctional therapists is essential, and why I'm genuinely optimistic about where sleep medicine is headed.

TIMESTAMPS

  • 0:00 — Cold open: sleep's impact on children isn't benign
  • 0:38 — Podcast welcome
  • 1:02 — Guest introduction: Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown
  • 4:20 — Interview begins
  • 5:39 — Dr. Brown's background and path into sleep medicine
  • 7:13 — Sleep education gaps in medical/dental training
  • 10:19 — Defining good sleep: quantity, quality, timing
  • 14:42 — Wearables, sleep tracking, and orthosomnia
  • 20:24 — Acute vs. chronic sleep problems and recovery
  • 26:52 — In-lab polysomnography: strengths and limitations
  • 37:28 — The sleep-disordered breathing spectrum
  • 41:10 — Primary snoring: why it's never normal
  • 46:14 — Allergies, nasal airway, and root causes
  • 48:12 — Chronic mouth breathing debate
  • 54:23 — Why physicians and dentists avoid the topic
  • 1:00:10 — ADHD and sleep-disordered breathing overlap
  • 1:08:57 — Home sleep testing and treatment options
  • 1:09:48 — The future of sleep medicine
  • 1:16:00 — Closing thoughts and where to find Dr. Brown

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LINKS

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