Breathing through the mouth affects natural bacteria that can easily cause gum disease or tooth decay. People with deviated nasal septum and cleft palate often breathe this way.
Difficulty recognizing mouth breathing while sleeping
It is difficult for a person to know whether they are breathing through their mouth or not while sleeping. Some warning signs include dry mouth, snoring, bad breath, hoarseness, fatigue, and irritability when waking up. People with these symptoms should see a doctor and have tests performed for diagnosis.
Reason
Nasal congestion due to allergies, tumors, nasal polyps (benign tumors in the nasal cavity) is a common reason for mouth breathing.
The nasal septum has the role of dividing the nasal cavity in two, supporting proper breathing. When the nasal septum is crooked or misaligned, it will obstruct the flow of air through the nose, making breathing through the nose more difficult. The patient’s breathing rate is impaired so they tend to breathe through their mouth.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that affect the structure of the mouth. Patients can breathe through their mouth until surgery.
When sleep apnea occurs, the body needs to receive enough oxygen, leading to mouth breathing.
Stress and anxiety can also cause a person to breathe improperly. Because when the brain is stressed, it activates the sympathetic nervous system, which leads to shallow, rapid and irregular breathing.
Many harmful effects
Breathing through the nose is beneficial because it helps increase air flow to the arteries, veins and nerves, supports the immune system, reduces allergens, and limits snoring and sleep apnea.
Breathing through the nose also allows the nose to filter toxins and allergens from the air, preventing them from entering the body, keeping the air warm when it is too cold and humidifying if it is too dry.
Conversely, breathing through your mouth can dry out the gums and lining tissue, which in turn affects the natural bacteria in the mouth, causing gum disease or tooth decay. The respiratory tract can become infected, making asthma worse when breathing this way. Prolonged conditions can affect the child’s physical condition, for example, elongated face, drooping eyes, narrow nostrils…
Time to breathe through your mouth
Healthy people can flexibly use both their nose and mouth to breathe. According to experts, the necessary time to breathe through your mouth is when you are exercising intensely or your nose is clogged due to colds or allergies. At this time, breathing through your mouth can temporarily help get air into your lungs faster.