myFM: Mouth Breathing

There is a distinction between mouth breathing and nose breathing and depending on what your default is, can have a positive or negative impact on your health. 

Which do you think is better for you? Mouth or nose? It’s actually breathing through your nose that’s the best way to oxygenate your body. 

How’s this for a list if you’re a mouth breather: high blood pressure, cavities and gum disease, bad breath, chronic fatigue, increased anxiety, allergies, blocked up nose and risk of asthma, dry lips and mouth, a weak chin and jawline, bad posture, crappy sleep and an increased need to pee in the night can all tell you that you’re a mouth breather. WHAT? I know, I know, rather mind blowing isn’t it?!

Daytime mouth breathing, especially now with a mask on, is common. But what about nighttime, and how on earth do you know how you breathe at night unless you’ve got someone watching over you? Well,breathing through your mouth at night puts you at higher risk for sleep disorders including snoring, sleep apnea and hypopnea which is the partial blockage of air, scientists have found. Each of those, in turn, can lead to daytime fatigue, which impactsmood, concentration, focus, energyand also is linked to issues like high blood pressure and more. 

Our top tip from Dr Lawrence Freedman, dentist, is to put your tongue to the roof of your mouth, like when you say the letter N, have your teeth apart and your lips closed. Try and do that right now and see how it feels. For my constant teeth clenching, it sure gives my jaw a break when I do that. And then there’s taping your mouth. I tried it last night for the second time, and I’m not exactly sure at what time I did this, but I peeled it off before the morning! And I survived. The first time I tried it, my mouth felt less dry and my morning didn’t feel like the bottom of a bird cage (british expression). Despite not sleeping for long enough, my energy was still pretty good. 

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