NOSE BREATHING VS MOUTH BREATHING
Nose breathing
- Parasympathetic drive
- Relaxation Signals
- Restoration
- Lower in the lungs
- slows heart rate
- deeper, softer, longer breaths
- diaphragmatic breathing
- Nitric oxide release
Mouth breathing
- Sympathetic drive
- Stimulating signals
- ready for actin
- Top of the lungs
- speeds up heart rate
- short shallow breaths
- Upper chest breathing
Benefits of Nose breathing
- The nose acts as a filter and retains small particles in the air, including pollen.
- The nose adds moisture to the air to prevent dryness in the lungs and bronchial tubes.
- The nose warms up cold air to body temperature before it gets to your lungs.
- Nose breathing adds resistance to the air stream. This increases oxygen uptake by maintaining the lungs’ elasticity.
Effects of nasal vs mouth breathing:
– Facial growth & development: Air that we inhale through the nose passes through the nasal mucosa, which stimulates the reflex nerves that control breathing and help us achieve a deep sleep. Mouth breathing bypasses the nasal mucosa and makes regular breathing difficult, which can lead to snoring, breath irregularities and sleep apnea. Deep sleep is when Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released, which is essential to a child’s brain development and long bone growth. A child with an open mouth will very likely grow into an adult with flatter facial features, less prominent cheekbones, a longer face, droopier eyes and lower facial muscle tone, a narrower palate, and even a smaller lower jaw in most cases. Check for allergies that could block the nasal airway.
– Oxygen & Sleep: When adults and children breathe through their mouths during the day, chances are very high that they also breathe through their mouths all night long as well. Mouth breathing at night, combined with an obstructed airway, are two symptoms directly connected to sleep apnea and altered levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the bloodstream. When less oxygen is able to reach the brain, learning and the ability to focus at school becomes a problem for many children. In adults, chronic fatigue, tiredness, and brain fog are common symptoms.
– Speech: When children have an open mouth, they are more likely to struggle with certain speech sounds. The most commonly associated speech problem is a lisp, or the inability to say “S” sounds correctly. Speech is affected because when you have an open mouth, you also have what we refer to as a “tongue thrust swallowing pattern.” This type of swallowing pattern causes the tongue to protrude, or push forward during speaking and swallowing. Look for signs of a tongue-tie and/or flared out teeth.
– Braces & Teeth Stability: If mouth breathing or tongue thrusting is present, the stability of the alignment of your teeth will be compromised once your braces are removed. This means you are likely to experience orthodontic relapse and you may need braces again in the future if mouth breathing persists.
