By: Rosie Torres, R.D.H.
We already know that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spread similarly to how other flu-like diseases spread – through saliva or mucus droplets in the air. But did you know that the body has a natural filter for that? It’s called the nose. With May being “Mouth Breathing Awareness” month, let’s discover some of the secrets that only the “nose knows.”
Nitric Oxide AKA The “Essential” Worker
Your nose has a “bestie.” And it works hard for your whole body! It’s called “NO” or Nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a naturally occurring gas that has a significant effect on many bodily functions and contains antiviral properties that inhibit the replication of viruses in the early stages of infection. The nose has the ability to filter air when it enters the body. Breathing through your nose helps transfer nitric oxide from your nostrils to your lungs.
Between 2004 and 2005, during the SARSCoV virus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) which is in the same family as COVID-19, scientific research was conducted regarding nitric oxide and how it could prevent the replication of the virus. Researchers determined that breathing through your nose instead of your mouth leads to improved protection against viruses. Nasal breathing won’t cure COVID-19 by any means, but it might help by clearing mucus and secretions from the lungs. Shortness of breath is one of the common respiratory symptoms of COVID-19.
Additional Benefits of Nitric Oxide:
- Vital to white blood cells, which kill unwanted microorganisms.
- Helps to reverse the buildup of cholesterol and plaque in your blood vessels.
- Improves blood circulation and airway dilation.
- Is a component used in nitroglycerin, which is used for people with heart disease.
- Critical to athletic endurance and strength, regulation of blood pressure, arterial inflammation, sleep quality and memory.
- (By the way, nasal breathing is also good for your nose! It keeps it hydrated and maintains healthy blood flow and mucous production.)
Carbon Dioxide AKA The “Unsung Hero”
When we hear the word “breathe,” we most likely associate it with necessity, just like food and water. Oxygen. Fresh, clean air. Instinctively, we might even automatically take a deep breath in. The nose controls how much air is taken in, but did you know that it also controls how much is exhaled? Oxygen is actually absorbed on the exhale, NOT the inhale! With nasal breathing, there is a slower exhale compared to mouth breathing. The back pressure created in the lungs with the slower exhale gives the lungs more time to transfer oxygen to the blood. Not only does mouth breathing greatly reduce nitric oxide uptake, but it also lowers carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the lungs and the blood. This leads to lower levels of oxygen released. There is a big misconception that taking in more air delivers more oxygen to your body’s cells.
Low CO2 levels associated with mouth breathing trigger faster breathing than usual, which leads to hyperventilation (or over-breathing). As a result, less oxygen gets to the brain, muscles, and all of your body’s cells, which inhibits your body from functioning at its best. This dryness and lack of filtered air in mouth breathing can cause things like:
- Enlarged and inflamed tonsils and adenoids
- Increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections
- Gastric reflux and asthma (due to smooth muscle spasms)
The body needs a balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide to thrive. If you are breathing correctly, carbon dioxide is another antiviral substance in your body that helps to protect you. Now that we know that nasal breathing may offer our bodies better protection against COVID-19, how should one transition from mouth to nasal breathing?
First, let’s look at what causes mouth breathing:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Chronic nasal congestion
- Deviated septum
- Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
- Nasal polyps
- Respiratory infections
And the other negative effects it has on the body:
- Bad breath (normally it can be difficult to smell your own breath, but wearing face masks regularly and for long periods of time might make you more aware of it)
- Crooked teeth
- Dental cavities
- Digestive problems (gas, acid reflux, upset stomach)
- Gummy smiles
- Headaches
- Long, narrow faces and mouths (including less-defined cheekbones, small lower jaws, and weak chins)
- Orthodontic complications
- Periodontal disease
- Poor sleep (leads to chronic fatigue)
- Sleep apnea
- Sleep Disordered Breathing
- Speech problems
- TMJ disorders
- Tongue-tie
Next, let’s self-assess for mouth breathing:
Some people are aware that they always breathe through their mouth, but others may think that they don’t. Here is a 5 QUESTION QUIZ to ask yourself if you think that you might be a mouth breather:
1.When you are at rest – watching television, for example (or any activity in which you are listening intently) is your mouth open?
Open mouth posture is just as bad as mouth-breathing and can have the same negative effects.
2. Are you addicted to ChapStick/lip balm?
Mouth breathers usually exhibit chronically dry, chapped lips regardless of the weather. An open mouth leads to drooling (both while awake and asleep) which can cause mouth breathers to frequently lick their lips.
3. Do you have dry mouth when you wake up?
Mouth breathing at night dries out your entire oral cavity including tissues – teeth, gums, tongue, and throat. The lack of saliva encourages the growth of plaque (bad bacteria) which makes mouth breathers more susceptible to cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath.
4. Do you experience “brain fog?”
Mouth breathing leads to poor sleep quality and frequent disturbances during sleep. This makes you tired in the morning (even with a full night’s sleep) and leaves you feeling fatigued by mid-afternoon.
5. Do you snore?
In children, mouth breathing that is left untreated can set them up for Obstructive Sleep Apnea later in life. In adults, poor oxygen concentration in the bloodstream has been linked with medical conditions such as high blood pressure and sleep apnea. If you snore or frequently experience symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, dry mouth, etc.; you should be tested for Sleep Apnea. Ask your primary care physician or your dentist at Gallery57Dental for more information.
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, there are 4 simple breathing exercises that you can do at home to help strengthen and improve your nasal breathing skills.
1. TAPING YOUR MOUTH AT NIGHT
If you are a mouth breather, taping your mouth at night with two strips of surgical tape will cause you to snore less and sleep deeper.
Mouth Taping Tips:
- Be patient with yourself! Going from mouth breathing to nasal breathing takes time and practice. You are literally training your breathing – taking that breath all the way down to your diaphragm and then out through your nostrils.
- Please do not use duct tape, packing tape, masking tape, scotch tape, etc. I like 3M Micropore Surgical Tape in “medium hold.” It’s lightweight and it won’t hurt when you pull it off.
- It will feel a little weird at first (which is probably a good thing because it means you should be doing it!) You might only be able to use the tape for 1 – 3 hours at first, which is okay. After a few days, your tolerance will increase. After a few months, you should be able to start nasal breathing on your own without tape.
- Don’t wear facial or lip moisturizer since the tape won’t stick.
- Mouth tape should lie “horizontally” and not “vertically” against your mouth. If you feel too uncomfortable at first, you can leave a small gap between the two pieces of tape to allow for air to escape there.
2. WET GAUZE EXERCISE
Your muscles and mucus membranes will benefit from the forced inspiration and the cold-water particles in the gauze help humidify your airway. This also works well for some patients who have mild to moderate dental anxiety during treatment. Wet a folded gauze with cold water, squeeze it out and inhale several times through the gauze, with your mouth closed. Do 10 repetitions, two to three times per day.
3. THE BUNNY EXERCISE
Keeping your mouth closed, inhale, imitating a rabbit sniffing. Then relax your muscles and exhale, causing your nostrils to open. Do 10 repetitions, two to three times per day.
4. FOOT OF THE NOSE EXERCISE
Put your thumb under one of your nostrils (as if it is its foot). Exhale forcefully through the previous nostril, then move your thumb under the other nostril and inhale. During the exercise, keep one hand on your abdomen. Do 5 repetitions inhaling and exhaling through the same nostril, and then invert the role of the nostrils and do 5 more repetitions – a total of 10 repetitions, two to three times per day.
The state of your oral health is both an indication and a prediction of your whole-body health. The dental team at Gallery 57 Dental can help patients of all ages by diagnosing and treating pathological mouth breathing habits. We are always wishing you good health and safety with “every breath that you take!”
