Mouth breathing and Its Immediate Biochemical Effects
When we breathe through the mouth, our CO2 losses are much greater, in comparison with nasal breathing, even though we can breathe much less air. Hence, the main effects of mouth breathing are due to CO2 deficiency. These CO2 effects were discussed in Section Carbon dioxide effects. Apart from these, nasal passages generate nitric oxide the hormone that plays many important roles in the human body. All these phenomena are explained in detail on the webpage devoted to importance of nasal breathing.
Immediate biochemical effects of oral or mouth breathing are:
- Reduced CO2 concentrations in alveoli of the lungs (hypocapnia)
- Hypocapnic vasoconstriction (constrictions of blood vessels due to CO2
deficiency)
- Suppressed Bohr effect
- Reduced oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs of the human body
- Abnormal excitability of nerve cells
- Muscular tension
- Biochemical stress due to cold, dry air entering into the lungs
- Biochemical stress due to dirty air (viruses, bacteria, toxic and harmful
chemicals) entering into the lungs
- Possible infections due to absence of the autoimmunization effect
- Pathological effects due to suppressed nitric oxide utilization, including
vasoconstriction, decreased destruction of parasitic organisms, viruses, and
malignant cells (by inactivating their respiratory chain enzymes) in alveoli of
the lungs, inflammation in blood vessels, disruption of normal
neurotransmission, hormonal effects.
Note that these negative effects of mouth breathing take place within minutes. Hence, when we exercise it is better to breathe through the nose only for immediate sport performance or to get an instant result. Health-wise, mouth breathing during exercise causes, in most people, the same negative effects due to reduced CO2 in the arterial blood. It is true for very fit athletes though, that they can increase their body CO2 content during physical exercise. This explains why many elite athletes enjoy their sports.
Conclusions. For better health, we should breathe only thru the nose 24-7, especially during night sleep and physical exercise.
More abstracts about other benefits of nasal breathing: Mouth breathing and morning fatigue; Nasal breathing, sleep apnea, and snoring; Mouth breathing in asthmatics; etc.
Devastating effects of mouth breathing on health of children (medical abstracts), which do not require any further comments.