48. Could Your Airway Be the Root Cause of Your Child's ADHD, Your Exhaustion, and Your Sleep Apnea? with Dr. Hilary Fritsch, DMD

48. Could Your Airway Be the Root Cause of Your Child's ADHD, Your Exhaustion, and Your Sleep Apnea? with Dr. Hilary Fritsch, DMD

July 6, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

Dr. Hilary Fritsch discusses the impact of airway dysfunction on ADHD, sleep apnea, and chronic fatigue, particularly in children and women in perimenopause.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Hilary Fritsch, DMD, an airway and biological dentist specializing in jaw development and non-surgical treatment of sleep and breathing disorders. We cover three audiences I care deeply about: parents of children showing signs of airway dysfunction, women in perimenopause who are exhausted and being missed by standard sleep testing, and adults who have been managing symptoms with a CPAP and want to know if there is a better path. Dr. Fritsch explains how mouth breathing, tongue ties, and underdeveloped palates are silently driving ADHD, anxiety, autoimmune disease, and chronic fatigue. She also shares the recent Harvard research on CPAP risks for low-risk patients that genuinely surprised me and why myofunctional therapy alone can cut apnea in half. I share my own journey and my daughter Elle's experience with palate expansion. This episode is packed with actionable information you will not want to miss. What You Will Learn: Why underdeveloped jaws and mouth breathing are a root cause of ADHD, anxiety, and chronic fatigue in children and adults The specific signs of early airway dysfunction in infants and children — and why acting early…

People in this episode

Host: Amy Myers, MD

Guest: Dr. Hilary Fritsch

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard

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