Many of us are stressed out, overworked, and mentally drained in our everyday lives, which causes us to be in a constant state of fight or flight. Mouth Breathing or Breathing in and out via the nose allows us to take larger, deeper breaths, which urges the lower lung to transport more oxygen throughout the body and allows us to fall asleep. Furthermore, the lower lung is linked to our parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of relaxing the mind and body.
On the other hand, Mouth breathing is triggered by the upper lungs, which causes the sympathetic nerve receptors to become overactive and inhibits us from falling asleep. In this way, our body generates drowsiness with adrenaline.
Mouth breathing can have long-term consequences at any age and is frequently part of a cluster of other ailments that contribute to airway constriction. However, if you understand what’s going on, the answer is frequently relatively simple.
Humans do not breathe via their mouths naturally. Healthy individuals breathe exclusively via their nostrils; as a survival instinct, mouth breathing comes in. When a newborn, toddler, or adult does not obtain enough oxygen via the nose, mouth breathing develops an adaptation. Let’s learn in deep about this and study the ways in which we can avoid this condition.
Significant Effects of Mouth Breathing
- Facial Structure
Air inhaled via the nose travels thru the nasal mucosa, stimulating the reflex neurons that govern breathing and assisting us in falling asleep. Mouth breathing bypasses the nasal mucosa, making normal breathing harder, and can result in snoring, breath irregularities, and sleep apnea. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released during deep sleep, which is necessary for brain development and long bone density. In most circumstances, individuals with an open mouth would grow up with softer facial structure, less pronounced cheekbones, a broader face, droopier eyes and cranial musculature, a narrow palate, as well as a shorter lower jaw.
- Overall Well-Being
When individuals breathe using their mouths throughout the day, likely, they will also breathe via their mouths at bedtime. Mouth breathing during the night, along with a blocked airway, is a sign of sleep apnea and a change in the concentration of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the circulation. As less oxygen is likely to access the brain, many youngsters struggle with learning and focusing at school. Chronic fatigue, weariness, and brain fog are typical complaints in adults.
- Teeth Stability
If you breathe through your mouth or protrude your tongue, the sturdiness of your teeth’s alignment will be jeopardised after your braces are removed. This indicates you are likely to have an orthodontic recurrence and may require braces once more in the future if you continue to breathe through your mouth.
Ways to Effectively Treat Mouth Breathing
- Breathing Exercises
Remember to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. That being stated, what has likely prevented you from breathing correctly is not a lack of information about appropriate breathing practices. Instead, your problem is most likely related to putting the technique into action. However, the only place to implementing anything into practice is to do just that: practice.
- Stress Management
When you are stressed, your breathing becomes hurried. Consequently, you’re more prone to forget to take deep breathes through your nose during stressful situations. Whether you need to consult a doctor or modify your surroundings, lowering stress can help you breathe better.
- Exercise Regularly
Exercising on a regular basis is another strategy to avoid mouth breathing. Begin a daily walking or running programme. You will increase your urge for deep breaths as a result; your brain will receive the message and automatically take over breathing responsibilities from your mouth and give it to the nose.
- Surgery
If none of the above works, you may have a problem with the way your nose is built. Consult your doctor about specialised procedures for your problem; it could mean the variation between you breathing normally or being a mouth-breather for the rest of your life.
Bottom Line
Simply said, it is breathing via the mouth rather than the nose. This may appear innocuous, but individuals who breathe via their lips have a lower quality of life. We breathe around 20,000 times each day on average. That is 20,000 possibilities for the human body not to work well.
Typically mouth breathers inhale 2-3 times as much air as they should. What’s the problem with this? Suppose you breathe 2-3 times as much air as you should. In that case, you will expel three times as much air as compared to what you should, and your carbon dioxide levels will be deficient, resulting in your body’s natural buffering system being depleted. This releases histamines (inflammation) from the cells in your body and gets your inner system out of it.
All above-stated show how necessary it is to breathe the right way to attain a better, healthier, and more efficient lifestyle.