Mouth Breathing

Take a moment and ask yourself: Do I breathe through my nose or my mouth primarily? If you're not sure of the answer, ask yourself if you often have a dry mouth or wake up with drool on your pillow. Breathing through your mouth has many negative effects, and breathing through your nose can give you some major health benefits.

Benefits of Nasal Breathing

There is a chemical substance, called Nasal Nitric Oxide, that is a powerful tool in the body's arsenal for healing and prevention. Nasal Nitic Oxide is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory substance, meaning its value in the immune system is immense. Nasal Nitric Oxide is produced only when breathing though the nose. There is no other way for your body to get this substance, either naturally or though supplements.

Nasal breathing also warms and humidifies the air before it enters the lungs. This helps to condition the air so it does not irritate your throat or lungs.

Negatives of Mouth Breathing

In children and teens, mouth breathing can and will permanently alter the skeletal system. Consistent mouth breathing will cause the lower jaw to develop in a "retrognathic" or sunken in appearance. Some people call it having a "weak chin", some people may call it looking like Mitch McConnell. This can also lead to future jaw pain because the joint did not develop correctly. The nose will elongate, the midface will elongate, and often dark circles will develop under the eyes. This skeletal change will also make the airway develop smaller, and these children will be much more prone to Sleep Apnea.

Dentally, breathing through the mouth is terrible for your health. One of saliva's main jobs is to wash away bacteria. If we breathe through our mouths, they become dry and we have a lack of that good saliva. This means bacteria will accumulate instead of being washed away, causing an increase in both tooth decay and gum disease.

Nasal congestion can be caused by mouth breathing. When breathing through the mouth, we exhale much more CO2 than when breathing through our nose. Our body needs a certain level of CO2 to maintain homeostasis, so it sends up a red flag when we exhale CO2 too quickly. The body assumes we are exhaling though the nose, since that is what we are designed to do, so it sends histamines to the nasal passages to cause inflammation to slow our exhales, hoping to hold on to more CO2 for longer.

Feeling SO TIRED all the time can also be from mouth breathing, particularly at night. Our body absorbs 30% less oxygen to our tissues, including our brain, when breathing through the mouth. If we aren't getting enough oxygen, our brains will feel foggy and tired, even if we've had a full night of sleep. This is because our brain can't enter the deep sleep regeneration cycle with so little oxygen. This can also cause you to be a "light sleeper" or the person who wakes up to go to the bathroom often. Getting less oxygen may also make you extra forgetful, and makes every single ache and pain you feel worse because your tissues aren't regenerating and healing at the rate they could be.

Want help training yourself to breathe though your nose day and night? Contact Classic City Myo! I want to help you feel better!