93: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky and guest Dr. Stacy Becker93: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky and guest Dr. Stacy Becker
UK Health Radio Podcast
Host Andrew Kolsky talks with dental sleep specialist Dr. Stacy Becker about CPAP alternatives, oral appliances and the crucial role of jaw and airway anatomy in sleep. They also discuss how childhood mouth breathing and snoring can affect growth, behaviour and long-term health, and why early dental intervention matters.
43:11•30 Jun 2026
Why Your Jaw, Tongue and Nose Might Be Ruining Your Sleep
Episode Overview
- CPAP is effective for many, but a large proportion of people struggle to tolerate it and may abandon it without realising the ongoing risks of untreated sleep apnoea.
- Custom oral appliances can stabilise the lower jaw, create more space for the tongue and keep the airway open, but they need to be fitted and monitored by trained dental sleep specialists.
- Stage 3 sleep is essential for brain cleansing, growth hormone release and overall repair; pills that simply knock you out do not replace deep restorative sleep.
- Childhood mouth breathing, snoring and crowded teeth are strong warning signs of airway and growth problems that can affect facial development, behaviour and school performance.
- Early assessment by dentists who understand airway-focused treatment, alongside ENT input where needed, can widen the palate, improve nasal breathing and reduce long-term sleep and cognitive problems.
“You don't grow out of neurocognitive deficits. You grow into it.”
Ever wondered what it takes to actually breathe and sleep properly, rather than just get through the night? This conversation between host Andrew Kolsky and dental sleep specialist Dr. Stacy Becker pulls back the curtain on how our mouths, noses and jaws shape the quality of our sleep from childhood onwards. You'll hear Dr.
Becker explain how she moved from general dentistry into sleep medicine after helping her own father, whose severe sleep apnoea made standard CPAP treatment hard to tolerate. She breaks down the difference between CPAP machines and custom oral appliances in clear, practical terms, comparing CPAP’s air pressure approach with devices that gently reposition the jaw to keep the tongue from blocking the airway. She also warns against over-the-counter mouthguards that stop snoring but may leave serious breathing issues unchecked.
The episode then shifts to children, where things get even more eye-opening. Dr. Becker links mouth breathing, enlarged tonsils and crowded teeth with long-term changes in facial growth, airway size and even behaviour and school performance. She stresses that many kids are simply “breathing through the wrong hole” and explains how early dental intervention and palatal expansion can increase nasal volume, create room for the tongue and support healthier growth.
Her ASAP Pathway approach focuses on spotting problems in very young children and coordinating dentists, orthodontists and ENT doctors to act quickly, rather than waiting for them to “grow out of it”. As she points out, they often don’t grow out of these issues – they grow into them.
If you’ve ever struggled with sleep apnoea, heard your child snore, or wondered why you still feel exhausted despite a full night in bed, this episode offers a clear, no-nonsense look at what might really be going on. Could your airway, rather than your willpower, be the missing piece?
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