Are You Really Sleeping? Why Most People Aren’t Sleeping as Well as They Think

Introduction: The Illusion of a "Good Night’s Sleep"

Do you wake up groggy, foggy, or needing caffeine to get through the day—even after 7 to 8 hours of sleep? You're not alone. At BreatheWorks, many of our patients report feeling exhausted despite spending ample time in bed. They assume they’re sleeping well because they don’t fully wake up at night. But true restfulness goes far beyond sleep quantity.

The reality is that sleep disturbances are often subtle and go unnoticed. They may show up as fragmented sleep, disrupted oxygen flow, or dysfunctional breathing patterns. And while these issues are frequently missed by standard evaluations, they can dramatically affect your focus, energy, mood, and long-term health.

Why Sleep Quality Is More Important Than Sleep Quantity

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, sleep is not a passive state. It’s a dynamic, healing process essential to physical and mental recovery. Deep and REM sleep stages are where the brain detoxifies, the immune system resets, and memories are consolidated. If breathing or oxygen levels are compromised during the night, the body may never fully enter these restorative states.

Even low-level interruptions—known as micro-arousals—can limit recovery without ever fully waking the person. These disruptions are often caused by mouth breathing, partial airway collapse, snoring, or undiagnosed sleep apnea. Research shows that chronic sleep fragmentation increases systemic inflammation, stress hormone levels, and risk of cardiovascular disease.

"You don’t have to stop breathing entirely to have a sleep disorder. Even shallow breathing or subtle airway resistance can rob the brain of quality rest."

Why Many People Aren’t Sleeping as Well as They Think

At BreatheWorks, we often see patients who pass sleep questionnaires and think their sleep is normal. But further evaluation reveals red flags:

• Mouth breathing at night

• Snoring or gasping sounds while sleeping

• Tension in the jaw, neck, or upper chest upon waking

• Bruxism (grinding or clenching teeth during sleep)

• Daytime symptoms like poor focus, memory issues, or emotional dysregulation

• Children with restless sleep, bedwetting, or hyperactivity

These issues may not wake you fully but they fragment sleep stages, reduce oxygen saturation, and prevent the deep rest your body and brain need to function well.

The Role of Myofunctional Therapy in Sleep Quality

We don’t treat sleep apnea directly at BreatheWorks, but we play a critical role in improving the structures and functions that affect nighttime breathing. Our specialty is myofunctional therapy a targeted, evidence-based treatment that strengthens the muscles of the face, mouth, tongue, and airway.

When the tongue rests low in the mouth or collapses into the airway during sleep, it can contribute to snoring, mouth breathing, and even obstructive sleep apnea. Weak or dysfunctional oral muscles often go hand-in-hand with poor oral rest posture, especially in people with a history of tongue tie, chronic nasal congestion, or structural issues.

By working to improve:

• Tongue elevation and suction to the palate

• Proper lip seal and nasal breathing

• Swallowing mechanics

• Jaw and neck posture

...myofunctional therapy addresses root causes of airway resistance that contribute to sleep disturbances.

According to Guilleminault et al. (1993), upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) can cause the same daytime symptoms as sleep apnea despite appearing normal on a standard sleep study. Myofunctional therapy can improve airway tone and help mitigate these symptoms.

What to Expect from a BreatheWorks Evaluation

Our expert speech-language pathologists begin with a whole-person evaluation. We look beyond surface-level symptoms to uncover patterns in your breathing, eating, posture, and muscle function. We assess:

• Tongue posture and oral rest habits

• Nasal breathing vs. mouth breathing patterns

• Jaw alignment and TMJ function

• Swallowing coordination and core stability

• Chewing efficiency and vocal usage

With this information, we create a personalized therapy plan focused on building strength, restoring balance, and supporting deeper, more restorative sleep—without medication or machines.

We also work collaboratively with ENTs, sleep physicians, and dental teams to ensure that your care plan addresses both symptoms and underlying causes.

Signs You Might Not Be Sleeping Well (Even If You Think You Are)

You or your child may benefit from a BreatheWorks evaluation if you notice:

• Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep

• Waking up with a dry mouth, sore jaw, or tight neck

• Restlessness, frequent turning, or bedwetting

• Chronic daytime fatigue despite enough sleep hours

• Difficulty concentrating, especially in the morning

• Emotional reactivity or heightened anxiety

• Diagnosed or suspected obstructive sleep apnea or UARS

• Mouth breathing as a default pattern during day or night

How Better Breathing Leads to Better Sleep

Your sleep cannot improve without improving how you breathe—and how you breathe cannot improve without evaluating your oropharyngeal function. At BreatheWorks, our mission is to help people reconnect to their body’s natural design: lips closed, tongue up, nasal breathing.

Using time-tested techniques and the latest research, we help patients strengthen the very muscles that keep their airway open, promote restorative breathing, and contribute to full-body wellness.

Final Thoughts

Most people think they're sleeping well because they don't wake up during the night. But restlessness, fatigue, memory issues, and emotional ups and downs can all be signs of poor-quality sleep driven by airway dysfunction.

At BreatheWorks, we help uncover and address the hidden contributors to poor sleep. Through our integrative model of myofunctional therapy, posture training, and collaborative care, we empower patients to sleep more deeply, breathe more freely, and live more fully.

If you're tired of feeling tired, a simple evaluation might reveal the missing link.

Sources:

• American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Clinical Practice Guidelines.

• National Institutes of Health. Sleep and Chronic Disease.

• Guilleminault, C. (1993). Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome in Sleep.

• ASHA.org. Scope of Practice for Speech-Language Pathologists.

• BreatheWorks.com. Services and Clinical Philosophy.