If you’ve heard inklings of people taping their mouth shut overnight, it’s not just a fad and there’s a good reason why many people might choose to do this. Generally, it’s healthier to breath through your nose. So, why is this the case? And should you start taping your mouth shut when you sleep?
Nose Breathing vs Mouth Breathing: What’s the Difference?
Mouth breathing simply isn’t as good for us as nose breathing. Often, we should only mouth breath when our nasal passageways are clogged or we have structural issues, such as a deviated septum, preventing us from breathing through our nose properly.
Additionally, mouth breathing is associated with various adverse health effects, such as:
- Bad breath
- Tooth decay
- Sleep apnea
- Snoring
- Jaw developmental abnormalities
- Allergic reactions
- Asthma
On the other hand, our noses are designed for us to breath through. They help:
- Filter out foreign entities like allergins, dust, or pollen.
- Moisturizes the air we breath in, which helps adjust the air to body temperature.
- Produce nitric oxide, which enhances circulation and gets oxygen to the areas of the body that need it faster.
Interestingly, some experts further theorize that breathing through your nose can reduce overall stress in the body, leading to a reduction in other health issues.
How Can You Start Breathing Through Your Nose More?
There’s a few ways to do this. For instance, you could set reminders on your phone for you to keep your mouth closed throughout the day.
You could also intentionally practice nasal breathing each day, such as by using your fingers to do alternate nasal breathing. This involves closing one nostril with your fingers, inhaling, then closing the opposite nostril, and exhaling through the previously closed nostril.
Deep belly breathing may also help. You can lay down or sit up tall. Keeping your mouth closed, you can then practice taking deep breaths in and out through your nose only.
Lastly, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, you can also tape your mouth shut. You want to be careful with this as if you have a deviated septum or another condition, this may not be suitable and actually may prevent you from being able to breath. However, if your issues is purely habit, mouth taping can ensure you breath through your nose as you sleep or during the day.
Many people use this at night. It’s recommended to moisturize the lips before applying a small amount of medical tape (This will help protect your skin when you go to pull it off in the morning). It might feel strange at first. Yet, you might just notice you sleep better with it!
If you’re in doubt, discuss your options with your doctor. They may also recommend a sleep study if you’re having issues with snoring at night.
For other health and wellness tips, book your FREE discovery call with your local Finsbury Park chiropractor. BOOK NOW.