Nose vs. Mouth Breathing

Our nose provides a natural filter and provides our lungs with clean, warm and humidified air. In addition, the paranasal sinuses produce nitric oxide — a vasodilator that opens up blood vessels to receive more oxygen. Nose breathing allows this nitric oxide to exert its antibacterial and antiviral effect, cleaning the air that we breathe. Mouth breathing equates to “dirty air breathing”, as air bypasses the natural cleansing processes that occur during nose breathing.

Breathing and the Nervous System

Mouth breathing is chest breathing. Chest breathing activates our “fight or flight” response by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. This “crisis mode” response is designed to prepare your body for immediate action, causing you to breathe fast and shallow while blood is redirected to your muscles. If you’ve ever been startled or stressed, then you know what this feels like!

When we sleep with our mouth open, the effect is similar to being startled or stressed. Mouth-breathing can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, preparing our body for “fight or flight” when we should be preparing to sleep. No wonder your adrenals are fatigued and you need your caffeine fix to get you through the day! Mouth breathing can also increase our rate of urinary elimination. This affects bed-wetting in children, while adults may have to wake up multiple times during the night to eliminate. These are only a few of the negative “fight or flight” symptoms we experience with mouth breathing.

On the other hand, nose breathing is diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is calm, restorative and reparative to our body. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, our body’s mechanism for promoting a natural “rest and digest” response. A person who is able to breathe with their nose typically wakes up feeling well-rested. Their body has sufficient oxygen to repair and restore tissues that were damaged during the day. They are more likely to sleep through the night without having to wake up to eliminate or wetting their bed.

Underlying Cause

Many are unable to easily breathe with their nose. The reasons could be numerous, from a stuffed-up nose and allergies to sleep apnea — a condition where the tongue and soft tissue obstructs the airway space. The underlying cause of mouth breathing and many other symptoms is often an underdeveloped jaw and airway space. In his book Early Sirens, holistic dental surgeon Dr. Felix Liao (2017) says, “underdeveloped jaws result in not only crowded teeth, but also a narrower airway” (p. 3), creating a cascade of potential health issues. (referrence available)

Grow, Breathe, Sleep, Thrive!

Close your mouth + breathe with your nose = healthy breathing. Using a biomimetic oral appliance, we are able to activate your natural potential to GROW the jaw and airway so you can BREATHE properly, get great SLEEP and THRIVE without pharmaceuticals, without surgery and without pain!