Is It Bad To Be a Mouth Breather?
In my business as a myofunctional therapist, I’ve done many webinars/seminars taught by Patrick McKeown. If you have fallen into the rabbit hole of all things myo, then you’ve certainly heard his name and perhaps have read his work. I recently watched his Youtube TED talk video, “Shut your Mouth and Change your Life” and it reminded me of the common question I get asked from potential clients “is it bad to be a mouth breather”?
Yes! When you are mouth breathing you are constantly stimulating your sympathetic nervous system. You are running from that saber-toothed tiger, all day every day. You are living with chronically elevated stress hormones.
When you breathe correctly you can have a drastic impact. Through your breath
- You can influence the 100,000 miles of blood vessels in your body
- You can influence the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your cells
- You can open up and decongest the nose
- You can open the lower airways
- You can achieve a calm state
I’ve talked about this very topic recently, here and here.
Is mouth breathing reversible?
Yes and no. Yes, you can learn how to nasal breathe, so technically the mouth breathing habit is reversible. However, you can’t reverse the damage done from that mouth breathing. What changes you caused to your craniofacial growth by mouth breathing is irreversible. In his video, Patrick says “how you breathed as a child determines how you will look for the rest of your life” and he couldn’t be more spot on.
How do I stop mouth breathing?
There are several methods to help stop mouth breathing. Before I give you some tips and tricks, I want to touch on how important it is to know that you can stop mouth breathing.
Do you have swollen nasal turbinates, a deviated septum, polyps or any other condition that will prevent you from learning how to nasal breathe? Do you have ginormous, kissing tonsils that force you to mouth breathe? Those two questions are at the very top of the list when I’m completing a myofunctional exam on a potential client.
In the event that you have a physical barrier, you will need to see a specialist to help you remove the barrier so that I can help you be successful with therapy.
What does that entail? It is usually a referral to your favorite ENT for a soft tissue exam. The ENT will help figure out what blockage is present and what you should do about it. Many times, my clients will tell me “I was told to get my nose surgery a long time ago but I just haven’t done it”. (Beware, if you have had some recommended procedures on the to-do list, now will probably be a good time to revisit that list)
In an article I recently ran across, Dr. Tamez (from Tejas Ear, Nose and Throat, P.A.) talked about some great methods to stop mouth breathing:
- Clear your nose
- Practice correct breathing
- Get off the couch
- Consider surgery
- See a myofunctional therapist
Yep, you read that right. This girl right here.
In all seriousness though, I would add a few more things to the list:
- Evaluate your environment. Many of my clients are living in areas where there is a lot of dust, dirt, pollen, mold, and dander. Anyone of these can be causing congestion to due inflammatory responses. There are more to the list I’m sure, but the previous examples are what I see most commonly. Actually, you would be surprised how many clients or parents know there is a problem with pet dander but doesn’t want to keep Fluffy off the pillow at night. (…shaking my head)
- Evaluate your diet. When I was working my way through kicking the mouth-breathing habit, I started with acupuncture, which let to a nutritionist who taught me that gluten, sugar, alcohol, and dairy are the 4 biggest inflammatory causing agents. When I took all 4 of those items out of my diet, my sinuses cleared up and I stopped taking 4 daily allergy meds. I was sold. When I added the items back in, I got the sniffles. This is something I talk about with my mouth breathers. If I am working to help you learn how to nasal breathe, and you are doing something that you know causes congestion, then you are preventing me from helping you.
Mouth-Breathing Treatment
Before treating this condition, it is most important to understand the cause.
Like I said earlier, if you have a physical condition or blockage that is preventing adequate airflow, then you must consider that problem first.
Beyond that, I encourage you to:
- Work with a myofunctional therapist
- Understand the vicious mouth breathing cycle so you can break it
- Use essential oils to help you breathe best
- Use nasal decongestants, antihistamines or sprays sparingly and with caution. These items help mask the problem, not solve the problem at the source.
- Stay very hydrated
- Use a humidifier
If You Have Concerns
By now, if you’ve been following me long enough…you know my path of passion here. You know this stuff is on my heart like a brick and I’m here to serve, educate, and empower YOU to take this time to focus on YOU.
I spend countless hours creating content to educate you. If any of my content makes you nod your head or resonates with you like a fire in your belly, YOU deserve to know more. You deserve to be more. You deserve to be your best self.
How does myofunctional impairment look like for you? Let’s unpack that.
Maybe it’s feeling like poop. Day in and day out. Maybe its exhaustion from poor sleep or a snoring partner. Maybe it’s poor self-image because you don’t like how your face looks. Maybe it’s poor parenting because you just don’t have the energy.
Now….ask yourself….what it might look like if you put YOU first, and made this your year, your month, your hour, your minute to make YOU a priority?
Does it look like you flying out of bed in the morning to voraciously face the day…because you’re rested?
Does it look like you “OWNING” the energy to move your blessed, amazing body because you have untapped energy?
Does it look like you finally being able to shed those last 10-20-30 pounds because your energy and self-love have gone sky-high?
Does it look like you finally feeling good? No digestive issues or medications to mask the problem.
Right now, is YOUR chance to take that first step to feel your best and live your best life. Don’t short change yourself or make excuses. Don’t put up barriers or start with the self-talking lies. Make yourself a pinkie promise to start exploring your myofunctional impairment today. Don’t let another year, month, hour, minute or second go by without you choosing to make YOU a priority.
It doesn’t cost you a dime to make a free 30-minute appointment with me to talk about you and what you should do. Start. Today.
By the way, If you are like me, and you like to do some “me-search” before talking to a human. I get it. For that reason, I like to share my assessment tool with anyone who is suspecting myofunctional impairment. You can get the assessment tool here and it asks you 25 of the most common questions that I dig deep into during a myofunctional exam. And, if you want to step it up a notch, I recently taught a free class “Become a V.H.P: Your 6 Step Roadmap to Becoming a Vital Healthy Person By Understanding Your Myofunctional Impairment” where I walk you through 6 areas that are uber important for you to consider….and I make it easy on you because I tell you what numbers I’m talking about from the assessment tool . You can watch the video replay here. I encourage you to download your assessment first, fill it out and then watch the video!
About Carmen
Carmen found her path of passion years ago as a dental hygienist. After a stint in graduate school to earn her M.B.A., she left clinical hygiene practice to start her business, Integrative Myofunctional Therapy. In addition to seeing clients in her private online practice, she also teaches the craft of myofunctional therapy in her Myo Mastery Program, coaches dental offices on how to implement myofunctional screening into the daily practice, and speaks frequently in various settings.
Carmen is a provider for the Foundation of Airway Health, where she works diligently for the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of airway related disorders.
In addition, she is a proud member of several professional associations that afford her the opportunity to learn so that she can help her clients. Her professional memberships include: