Is it time to shut your mouth?

You probably don’t give much thought to how you breathe. But, you could be either a nose breather or a mouth breather…

Truth be told, breathing just happens, so you might not know which one you are, but it pays to find out. Turns out, our bodies were designed to breathe through our noses, as breathing through our mouths can lead to a bunch of health issues.  

We checked in with our expert, Dr Lewis Ehrlich, to find out what the problem is with mouth breathing, and what you can do about it.

Unbalanced oxygen levels.

Lewis explains that by breathing through your nose, your oxygen and carbon dioxide levels stay balanced. When you breathe through your mouth, however, there is a risk of “over-breathing” and throwing out this balance, which can make it hard for the right amount of oxygen to reach your bloodstream and cells. “This means that many of our tissues and organs become oxygen deprived and can’t operate efficiently,” says Lewis.

Increased bacteria.

Your nose is fitted out with your very own filtration system (AKA nose hairs, adenoids, turbinates, and mucous membranes in your sinuses), so when you breathe through your nose, any bacteria in the air is filtered out. When you breathe through your mouth however, all those toxins are sucked right in. Lewis says, “Mouth breathing like this can enlarge your tonsils, increase the chances of infections and cause difficulty breathing at night.” Eek!

Dental decay.

Not only does an increase of bacteria in your mouth from mouth breathing stimulate dental decay, but Lewis explains that mouth breathing can also dry your saliva which protects your teeth. “Saliva has a flushing effect and helps to clear out oral debris and noxious agents. Its enzymes also help to neutralise any acidic challenges in the mouth which can decay teeth.”

Posture.

Your posture can also be affected by the way you breathe. Correct posture means an open airway with your eyes in line with the horizon. “The only way for a mouth breather to achieve this is to adopt a ‘head forward posture’, which can lead to an increase in muscle tension around the neck, head and jaw, as well as headaches and migraines,” says Lewis.

What can you do about it?

A common way to encourage nose breathing is to tape your mouth closed at night (yep, seriously!), or to insert a nose clip to broaden your nasal passage and increase air flow. However, often mouth breathing can occur due to a medical condition so it’s always a good idea to consult your doctor.

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