Stop Mouth Breathing Treatment

Effects of mouth breathing

Effects of over breathing and mouth breathing on brain oxygen levels When you stop nose breathing and your mouth is open, you suffer from deficiencies in O2 (oxygen), CO2 (carbon dioxide), and NO (nitric oxide) in body cells due to hyperventilation.

This leads to:
- decreased perfusion (blood supply) of all vital organs
- suppressed Bohr effect
- over-excited state of nerve cells causing increased anxiety, more problems with sleep, etc.
- constrictions of airways, leading to dyspnea, nasal congestion, and frequent infections
- muscular tension
- tissue hypoxia
- generation of free radicals in body cells
- increased inflammation and heart rate
- abnormalities related to regulation of the blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and body weight
- suppressed repair of cells, tissues and organs; and so forth.

For medical research related to these and many other effects, visit the links below or the web page Mouth vs. Nose Breathing Effects.

Stop-mouth-breathing treatment works if you know the cause

Patients with mouth breathing Regardless of the superficial causes and triggers, there is one cause of mouth breathing: chronic hyperventilation. Hyperventilation leads to the primary effects outlined above. These effects produce secondary symptoms of hyperventilation such as sinusitis, extra-mucus production, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, deviated septum, snoring, sleep apnea, and other pathologies that worsen nasal breathing, creating an illusion that they cause mouth breathing. Hence, in order to stop mouth breathing, one needs to stop his or her hyperventilation and increase body-oxygen levels.

Mouth breathing treatment options are numerous. Depending on the current clinical picture and symptoms, the effective treatment for mouth breathing includes immediate respiratory techniques and long-term breathing exercises and lifestyle changes in order to retrain the automatic breathing pattern. Best doctors smiling

Mouth-breathing treatment options

- If you suffer from occasional sinusitis (nasal congestion, blocked nose, or stuffy nose), apply the technique How to Unblock the Nose Breathing Exercise. It works in 1-2 minutes and this exercise can be applied as many times as you like. (By the way, this exercise instantly proves that heavy breathing, which is the cause of your mouth breathing and nasal congestions since CO2 does wonders as an instant and long-term mouth breathing treatment).

Woman sleeps with mouth taped - If you suffer from mouth breathing during sleep, learn the medical technique How to Tape the Mouth at Night for stopping oral breathing during night sleep. Note that for most people it is impossible to stop mouth breathing, if they sleep on their back at night. Sleeping on your back increases chances of mouth breathing some 5-10 times. For this reason, if you sleep on your back, it is also important to apply the treatment Prevent Sleeping on One's Back.

- If you are afraid or nervous to use a tape at night, you may tape only one half of your mouth, or you may use 2 clean cotton socks and sew them together to make a support for your jaw. Sleeping in a sitting position is another excellent option to feel better in the morning and have higher morning body-oxygen test results.

Doctor helps his patient - If you suffer from memory problems and your mouth opens automatically (you are a habitual mouth breather), learn about steps related to constant reminding about importance of nasal breathing. Use stickers on your tables and desks, PC screen, doors, and other places on the house reminding you, "Nose breathing!" or "Close the mouth". Keep a large mirror on your working desk in front of you so that you can see your face and the way you breathe. If you have children, promise them a treat if they notice you breathing through the mouth.

- If you are a chronic mouth breather (due to adenoid vegetation, nasal polyps, deviated septum, and other causes), the simplest and easiest way to acquire nasal breathing fast is to apply breathing devices: the Frolov breathing device or Amazing DIY breathing device. Indeed, a blocked nose will not prevent your from using breathing devices. But even people with sleep apnea, snoring at night with mouth breathing, obesity, hypertension, asthma and diabetes will also get most benefits from using breathing devices since there is no need to have a breathing teacher or a practitioner.

In general, your chance of success for this (stop mouth breathing treatment) program depends on your unconscious or automatic breathing pattern in the following manner.

Relationships between body oxygen level and chances of an open mouth

Body-Oxygen Level	Minute Ventilation*	Chance of mouth breathing, especially during sleep
Less than 10 s	Over 20 L/min	Very likely
10-20 s	12-20 L/min	Likely
20-30 s	9-12 L/min	Very unlikely
30-40 s	6-9 L/min	Almost impossible
>40 s	<6 L/min	Virtually impossible

* Minute ventilation for a 70-kg person at rest

In order to achieve a higher body-oxygen level right now, you can use free Buteyko breathing exercises and breathing techniques. Free detailed instructions (breathing exercises and lifestyle changes) are provided in the section Learn.

Check it here: a mouth breather has a low body oxygen level: Body Oxygen Test.

Reference pages: Breathing norms and medical facts:
- Breathing norms: Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
- 6 breathing myths: Myths and superstitions about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
- Hyperventilation: Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
- Hyperventilation syndrome: Western scientific evidence about prevalence of chronic hyperventilation in patients with chronic conditions (37 medical studies)
- Normal minute ventilation: Small and slow breathing at rest is enjoyed by healthy subjects (14 studies)
- Hyperventilation prevalence: Present in over 90% of normal people (24 medical studies)
- HV and hypoxia: How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
- Body-oxygen test (CP test) : How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (two in one) using a simple DIY test
- Body oxygen in healthy: Results for the body-oxygen test for healthy people (27 medical studies)
- Body oxygen in sick : Results for the body-oxygen test for sick people (14 medical studies)
- Buteyko Table of Health Zones: Clinical description and ranges for breathing zones: from the critically ill (severely sick) up to super healthy people with maximum possible body oxygenation
- Morning hyperventilation: Why people feel worse and critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

References: pages about CO2 effect:
- Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
- The Bohr effect: How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
- Cell oxygen levels: How alveolar CO2 influences oxygen transport
- Oxygen transport: O2 transport is controlled by vasoconstriction-vasodilation and the Bohr effects, both of which rely on CO2
- Free radical generation: Reactive oxygen species are produced within cells due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia
- Inflammatory response: Chronic inflammation in fueled by the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces and eliminates inflammation
- Nerve stabilization: People remain calm due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
- Muscle relaxation: Relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
- Bronchodilation: Dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) is caused by carbon dioxide, and their constriction by hypocapnia (low CO2)
- Blood pH: Regulation of blood pH due to breathing and regulation of other bodily fluids
- CO2: lung damage: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents lung injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
- CO2: Topical carbon dioxide can heal skin and tissues
- Synthesis of glutamine in the brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
- Deep breathing myth: Ignorant and naive people promote the idea that deep breathing and breathing more air at rest is beneficial for health
- Breathing control: How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven, irregular and erratic.