HOW TO STOP MOUTH BREATHING?

Do you breathe via nose? Or do you breathe through your mouth? Have a check on your respiratory habits. The nose and mouth are the two passages for the airflow to the lungs. The nostrils in the nose filter out the air you breathe and inhales oxygen for the body to survive and exhale carbon dioxide. When the nose gets blocked or clogged, people start breathing through the mouth. Breathing via mouth leads to oral health issues like bad breath, snoring and gum diseases. Also, children who breathe via mouth experience dental health issues like crooked teeth, facial deformities and improper growth of teeth. Hence it is necessary to breathe via the nose and give up on the habit of mouth breathing. Here are a few tips to stop mouth breathing.

1.PRACTISE BREATHING VIA NOSE

Practice can make anything possible, and so the habit of breathing via the nose. Nose breathing has many advantages, like the nostrils filter out the dirt when you inhale air and retains the small particles like pollen in the air. The nose also adds moisture to the air you breathe in that prevents dryness in the lungs and the bronchial tube. It might be difficult for the first few days, however, once you get accustomed to breathing via the nose, there’s no going back.

2.CLEAN THE NOSE

One of the main reasons for breathing via the mouth is the clogging of the nose. Clean up your nasal passages with saline water, nasal wash or turmeric. Mouth breathing could also be due to chronic sinus infection, and in such cases, it is extremely necessary to get the sinus treated for better breathing.

3.AVOID SLEEPING WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN

Few people are habited to keep their mouth open while sleeping which instils the habit of mouth breathing in them which is one of the reasons for snoring, and the mouth gets extremely dry leading to dental health issues.

4.SLEEP WITH YOUR HEAD ELEVATED

Use a thick or a double pillow to keep your head elevated when you sleep. Your head must be elevated compared to the rest of the body to avoid breathing via the mouth.  

5.PRACTICE YOGA

Start doing breathing exercises and yoga where you breathe in and breathe out via nose with the mouth closed. Also, give up on the slumber and embrace workouts that motivate your body to stay healthy and fit. When you return from a jog or after heavy exercise, you might breathe via mouth for a shorter time to grasp more and more oxygen. However, make sure it is only for a few minutes, and later you resume breathing only via the nose.  

6.STRESS REDUCTION

When you are under stress or anxious, you tend to breathe faster, and the faster breathing stimulates your mouth to perform respiratory activities. Firstly, try to reduce stress by meditating regularly and staying positive and happy at all times. Stress is a reason for most health issues, including mouth breathing. 

7.NOSE SURGERY

Sometimes the breathing via mouth instead of the nose could be due to the improper construction of your nose, hence a nasal surgery might be performed to correct your nose and the breathing issues.

8.VISIT A THERAPIST

Even after performing the above methods, if you are not able to prevent mouth breathing, visit a myofunctional therapist or an ENT specialist who will guide you with the workouts that tone up your facial muscles such that mouth breathing is avoided.

Mouth breathing might go unnoticed by you, but the consequences it brings can have a significant impact on your health like asthma, recurring sinus infections and dry mouth. Visit our clinic, The Elite Dental Care to preserve your dental health via painless dental treatments.  