Mouth breathing explained

Mouth breathing
Synonyms:Chronic oral ventilation
Symptoms:Snoring, dry mouth, hoarse voice, bad breath, fatigue, sleep apnea[1] [2]
Causes:Chronic nasal congestion
Treatment:Treatment of the underlying cause of nasal congestion if present, building a habit to breathe through the nose

Mouth breathing, medically known as chronic oral ventilation, is long-term breathing through the mouth. It often is caused by an obstruction to breathing through the nose, the innate breathing organ in the human body.[3] However, by the early 20th century, the term "mouth-breather" had developed a pejorative slang meaning connoting a stupid person.

Etymology

In the early 20th century, "mouth-breather" was a technical term used by doctors to describe children who were breathing through their mouths due to an underlying medical condition. English lexicographer Jonathon Green notes that by 1915, the phrase "mouth-breather" had developed a pejorative connotation within English slang, defined as a "stupid person".[4] Currently, the Macmillan Dictionary defines the term "mouth breather" as a pejorative noun that is used to mean "a stupid person."[5] [6]

Cause of inability for nasal breathing

Jason Turowski, MD of the Cleveland Clinic states that "we are designed to breathe through our noses from birth – it's the way humans have evolved."[7] [3] Infants for example in the first six to twelve months of postnatal can only use their noses to breathe unless crying is involved.[8] Thus, the impact of chronic mouth breathing on health is a research area within orthodontics (and the related field of myofunctional therapy)[9] and anthropology.[10] It is classified into three types: obstructive, habitual, and anatomic.[11]

There is a noted order of cause and effect leading to airway dysfunction related to mouth breathing. This first starts with an inflammatory reaction then leading to tissue growth in the area which leads to airway obstruction and mouth breathing and then finally an altered face structure.[12]

Nasal breathing produces nitric oxide within the body, while mouth breathing does not.[3] [13] In addition, the Boston Medical Center notes that the nose filters out particles that enter the body, humidifies the air we breathe and warms it to body temperature. In contrast, however, mouth breathing "pulls all pollution and germs directly into the lungs; dry cold air in the lungs makes the secretions thick, slows the cleaning cilia, and slows down the passage of oxygen into the bloodstream".[14] As a result, chronic mouth breathing may lead to illness.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] In about 85% of cases, it is an adaptation to nasal congestion, and frequently occurs during sleep. More specialized causes include: antrochoanal polyps;[20] a short upper lip which prevents the lips from meeting at rest (lip incompetence); and pregnancy rhinitis which tends to occur in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Potential effects

Conditions associated with mouth breathing include cheilitis glandularis, Down syndrome,[21] anterior open bite, tongue thrusting habit, cerebral palsy,[22] ADHD,[23] [24] sleep apnea, and snoring.[25] In addition, gingivitis, gingival enlargement, and increased levels of dental plaque are common in persons who chronically breathe through their mouths. The usual effect on the gums is sharply confined to the anterior maxillary region, especially the incisors (the upper teeth at the front). The appearance is erythematous (red), edematous (swollen) and shiny. This region receives the greatest exposure to airflow during mouth breathing, and it is thought that the inflammation and irritation is related to surface dehydration, but in animal experimentation, repeated air drying of the gums did not create such an appearance.[26]

Breathing through the mouth decreases saliva flow. Saliva has minerals to help neutralize bacteria, clean off the teeth, and rehydrate the tissues. Without it, the risk of gum disease and cavities increases.[27]

Chronic mouth breathing in children may affect dental and facial growth.[19] It may also lead to the development of a long, narrow face, sometimes termed long face syndrome.[28] Conversely, it has been suggested that a long thin face type, with corresponding thin nasopharyngeal airway, predisposes to nasal obstruction and mouth breathing.

Additional approaches to mouth breathing

George Catlin

George Catlin was a 19th-century American painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. Travelling to the American West five times during the 1830s, he wrote about, and painted portraits that depicted, the life of the Plains Indians.[29] He was also the author of several books, including The Breath of Life[30] (later retitled as Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life) in 1862.[31] [32] It was based on his experiences traveling through the West, where he observed a consistent lifestyle habit among the Native American communities he encountered: a preference for nose breathing over mouth breathing. He also observed that they had perfectly straight teeth.[33] He repeatedly heard that this was because they believed that mouth breathing made an individual weak and caused disease, while nasal breathing made the body strong and prevented disease.[33] He also observed that mothers repeatedly closed the mouth of their infants while they were sleeping, to instill nasal breathing as a habit.[34]

Yoga

Yogis such as B. K. S. Iyengar advocated both inhaling and exhaling through the nose in the practice of yoga, rather than inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth,[35] [36] [37] using the phrase, "the nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating."[35] [36] [38] [39]

Mouth taping

Mouth taping is the practice of keeping the lips shut while sleeping with a strip of surgical tape. This is intended to prevent mouth breathing during sleep. The health effects of mouth taping have been little researched.[40]

In non-human animals

Lambs are noted to only switch to mouth breathing when the nasal passages are completely obstructed, with hypoxaemia having developed also as a result.[8]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Suzuki . Masaaki . Obstructive sleep apnea -consideration of its pathogenesis . Auris Nasus Larynx . Elsevier BV . 49 . 3 . 2022 . 0385-8146 . 10.1016/j.anl.2021.10.007 . 313–321. 34763987 . 243976270 .
  2. Kotecha . B. . The nose, snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea . Rhinology Journal . Stichting Nase . 49 . 3 . 2011-08-01 . 0300-0729 . 10.4193/rhino10.165 . 259–263. 21858254 . free .
  3. Web site: Nose breathing has more benefits than mouth breathing. 9 July 2020. Glazier. Eve. November 2019. The Times and Democrat.
  4. Web site: How '80s Is the Slang in Stranger Things?. 2 July 2020. Kelly. John. 23 August 2016. .
  5. Web site: Macmillan Dictionary: Mouthbreather. 31 May 2020. .
  6. Web site: How to Be a Nose Breather. 31 May 2020. Wollan. Malia. 23 April 2019. New York Times.
  7. Web site: Should You Breathe Through Your Mouth or Your Nose?. 28 June 2020. Turowski. Jason. 29 April 2016. Cleveland Clinic.
  8. R . Harding . Nasal obstruction in infancy . Australian Paediatric Journal . 1986 . 22 . Suppl 1 . 59–61 . 0004-993X . 3539080 . 2023-01-19 .
  9. Frey. Lorraine. The Essential Role of the Com in the Management of Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Literature Review and Discussion. The International Journal of Orofacial Myology . November 2014. 40. 42–55. Int J Orofacial Myology. 10.52010/ijom.2014.40.1.4. 27295847. free.
  10. Web site: How The 'Lost Art' Of Breathing Can Impact Sleep And Resilience. 23 June 2020. Gross. Terry. 27 May 2020. National Public Radio (NPR)/Fresh Air.
  11. Book: Orthodontics : principles and practice. Jaypee Bros. Medical Publishers. 2011. 9789350252420. Phulari BS. New Delhi.
  12. Stupak . Howard D. . Park . Steven Y. . Gravitational forces, negative pressure and facial structure in the genesis of airway dysfunction during sleep: a review of the paradigm . Sleep Medicine . Elsevier BV . 51 . 2018 . 1389-9457 . 10.1016/j.sleep.2018.06.016 . 125–132. 30165336 . 52134548 .
  13. News: Could nasal breathing improve athletic performance?. 31 May 2020. Berman. Joe. 29 January 2019. Washington Post.
  14. Web site: Your Nose, the Guardian of Your Lungs. 7 August 2017. 29 June 2020. Boston Medical Center.
  15. Web site: 'Mouth-breathing' gross, harmful to your health. 28 June 2020. Dahl. Melissa. 11 January 2011. NBC News.
  16. Martel. Jan. Ko. Yun-Fei. Young. John D.. Ojcius. David. 6 May 2020. Could nasal nitric oxide help to mitigate the severity of COVID-19?. Microbes and Infection. 22. 4–5. 168–171. 10.1016/j.micinf.2020.05.002. 32387333. 7200356. free.
  17. Book: Rao A. Principles and Practice of Pedodontics.. 2012. Jaypee Brothers Medical Pub. New Delhi. 9789350258910. 169, 170. 3rd.
  18. Web site: Nall. Rachel. 22 September 2017. What's wrong with breathing through the mouth?. 31 May 2020. Medical News Today.
  19. Web site: Valcheva. Zornitsa. January 2018. THE ROLE OF MOUTH BREATHING ON DENTITION DEVELOPMENT AND FORMATION. 31 May 2020. Journal of IMAB.
  20. Book: Barnes L. Surgical pathology of the head and neck. 2009. Informa healthcare. New York. 978-1-4200-9163-2. 3rd.
  21. Book: Oral pathology : clinical pathologic correlations. Regezi JA, Sciubba JJ, Jordan RK. Elsevier/Saunders. 2011. 978-1-4557-0262-6. 6th. St. Louis, Mo..
  22. Book: Cawson's essentials of oral pathology and oral medicine. Cawson RA, Odell EW. Churchill Livingstone. 2008. 978-0-7020-4001-6. 8th. Edinburgh.
  23. It Is Just Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder…or Is It?. Won. Dana. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. February 2017. 38. 2. 169–172. J Dev Behav Pediatr. . 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000386. 28079611. 5401711.
  24. Increased oxygen load in the prefrontal cortex from mouth breathing: a vector-based near-infrared spectroscopy study. Sano. Masahiro. October 2013. 24. 17. 935–940. NeuroReport . 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000008. 24169579. 4047298.
  25. Guidelines proposal for clinical recognition of mouth breathing children. Pacheco. Maria Christina Thome. July–August 2015. 20. 4. 39–44. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. 10.1590/2176-9451.20.4.039-044.oar. 26352843. 4593528.
  26. Book: Newman MG, Takei HH, Klokkevold PR, Carranza FA. Carranza's clinical periodontology. 2012. Elsevier/Saunders. St. Louis, Mo.. 978-1-4377-0416-7. 11th.
  27. Web site: Graves . Elizabeth . Mouth Breather vs Nose Breather: Understanding the Differences and Why it Matters . Take Home Smile. 4 September 2022 .
  28. Influence of Mouth Breathing on the Dentofacial Growth of Children: A Cephalometric Study. Basheer. Bahija. Journal of International Oral Health. November 2014. 6. 6. 50–55. 25628484. 4295456.
  29. Web site: Catlin Virtual Exhibition. Smithsonian American Art Museum. 28 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140925200850/http://americanart.si.edu/catlin/highlights.html. 25 September 2014.
  30. Book: The breath of life, or mal-respiration, and its effects upon the enjoyments & life of man.. 1862. 28 June 2020. HathiTrust.
  31. Book: Nestor, James . James Nestor. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. 978-0735213616 . 48. Riverhead Books.
  32. Web site: George Catlin on Mouth Breathing. 2 July 2020. PubMed.
  33. Book: Nestor, James . James Nestor. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. 978-0735213616 . 49. Riverhead Books.
  34. Book: Nestor, James . James Nestor. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. 978-0735213616 . 50. Riverhead Books.
  35. Web site: Q&A: Is Mouth Breathing OK in Yoga?. 26 June 2020. 12 April 2017. Yoga Journal.
  36. Web site: Yogic Breathing: Tips for Breathing through Your Nose (Most of the Time). 26 June 2020. Payne. Larry. Yoga For Dummies, 3rd Edition.
  37. Web site: Yogic Breathing: A Study Guide. 26 June 2020. Himalayan Institute Core Faculty. Himalayan Institute Core Faculty. 13 July 2017. Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy.
  38. Book: Krucoff , Carol . Yoga Sparks. 31 May 2020. 2013. New Harbinger Publications. 9781608827022.
  39. Book: Jurek , Scott . Eat and Run. 31 May 2020. 2012. Houghton Mifflin. 978-0547569659.
  40. News: Blum . Dani . 2022-11-17 . Can a Piece of Tape Help You Sleep? . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-09-29 . 0362-4331.

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