Breathing through the mouth, Drawbacks, how to improve it
The breathing we do unconsciously every day. You still live in a mask. but do you unknowingly breathe through your mouth because it's hard to breathe There are many disadvantages? We will present the effects of constant breathing through the mouth on the body and how to improve it
What kind of exercise is breathing
We take in the oxygen we need to survive by breathing in and exhaling carbon dioxide. You may not be aware of this because you usually do it unconsciously, but do you normally breathe with your nose. or mouth Even if you have heard that nasal breathing is better, there may be a few people who are usually conscious of nasal breathing.
Nasal breathing
is a natural way of breathing in humans, and oral breathing plays an auxiliary role. If you have to breathe through your mouth, do it.. for example, you need to get a lot of oxygen into your body through strenuous exercise.
Air enters through the nose and enters the bronchi through the nasal cavity → pharynx → larynx, and is transported to the lungs.
When air passes through the nose, the fine hairs, and mucus that grow in the nose work to remove foreign substances. such as bacteria and viruses.
In addition, the air passing through the nose enters the body in a moderately moist and hot state, which makes it difficult for the trachea to dry out.
On the other hand,
the main role of the mouth is to eat and talk. so it does not serve to purify the air. Therefore, when you breathe through your mouth, air mixed with bacteria and viruses can enter your body as it is.
There are various reasons for breathing through the mouth.
If the nose is stuffed up due to rhinitis, or the alignment of the teeth is tied. this may be due to poor chewing power and mouth muscles due to the preference for eating soft foods.
In addition, it is said that swaddling when using a smartphone. or computer, the airway for nasal breathing cannot be secured, and breathing through the mouth may occur.
when wearing a mask
many people breathe through their mouths because it is difficult to breathe, and their breathing naturally becomes shallow. When breathing becomes shallow, oxygen in the body is insufficient and organ function deteriorates.
Especially when breathing becomes shallow, the brain is prone to oxygen deficiency and is damaged. In addition. when breathing shallowly, the sympathetic nerves become dominant. so the autonomic nerves are unbalanced, which causes various adverse effects on the body. such as fatigue, exhaustion, headache, insomnia, and weakened immunity.
Drawbacks of Breathing through the mouth
Increases your susceptibility to colds and infections
In nasal breathing, the nasal mucosa prevents bacteria and viruses from entering the body. but in oral breathing, air mixed with bacteria and viruses enters the body as it is, which increases the risk of colds and infections.
It has the ability to cause bad breath and tooth decay.
When you breathe through your mouth, the oral cavity becomes dry and saliva production decreases.
Saliva has a self-cleaning function to wash away dirt stuck to the teeth and suppress the growth of bacteria in the mouth, but breathing through the mouth weakens these functions. which can result in bad breath and tooth decay, and gum disease. In addition, if the mouth is dry. it is easy for stains to get on the teeth, which can cause yellowing.
Deterioration of tooth alignment
The balance of various pressures such as tongue force and lip force is evenly applied to the teeth, resulting in a clean tooth alignment.
However, if you often open your mouth by breathing through the mouth, disturbing the balance of forces. such as the tongue and lips. which leads to protrusion of the teeth, there is a possibility that the alignment of the teeth will deteriorate.
Especially if you have been breathing through your mouth since childhood. your jaw may develop poorly and your skeleton may be affected.
Weakness of the facial muscles
The longer the mouth is open, the weaker the muscles around the mouth. As a result, the surrounding facial muscles also weaken. which causes nasolabial folds, sagging, wrinkles around the eyes, and a double chin.
Sleep apnea syndrome is more likely to occur
If you sleep with your mouth open, your tongue will fall into the back of your throat and block the airways. which can cause sleep apnea syndrome. It also makes it easier to snore.
Even if you think you sleep well, if you don't get a good night's sleep, it can cause you to lose concentration and slow down your metabolism.
How to improve Breathing through the mouth
People who breathe through the mouth are often unconscious, so you need to realize that you are breathing through the mouth first. If you experience symptoms. such as dry mouth, lips, snoring, sore throat when you wake up, and the mouth being dirty. or the mouth being unconscious, you may be breathing through the mouth.
I usually don't pay much attention to it, but just trying to breathe through your nose can help.
If you are breathing in your mouth due to nasal congestion or alignment of your teeth, you should first seek treatment with an otolaryngologist. or dentist to improve your symptoms.
If you breathe through your mouth, the muscles around your mouth may weaken, so it is also effective to do exercises to make it easier to close your mouth. I'll tell you how to do gymnastics later.
chewing and eating well
such as eating solid food, can train the muscles of the mouth. When eating, why not try to chew well about 20 to 30 times per bite Chewing and eating well can be expected to have the effect of reducing the burden on the digestive system and preventing overeating.
Also, since you cannot be conscious of nasal breathing during sleep, it is recommended to use commercially available goods.
Tapes are sold to facilitate breathing through the nose and prevent the mouth from opening. It is also effective to make the pillow at a height that suits you.
Exercises to improve Breathing through the mouth
Aibi exercise is a gymnastic exercise created by Dr. Kazuaki Imai, director of the Mirai clinic in Fukuoka city, to improve oral breathing to nasal breathing. By doing this continuously every day, the tongue muscles will be strengthened and you will be able to close your mouth normally.
Just repeat the following four movements.so it's simple to do anywhere
How to do Abe Gymnastics
- 1. Open your mouth wide to say ahh.
- 2. Spread your mouth wide to the side.
- 3. Stick your mouth forward with ugh.
- 4. Be and stick out your tongue and stretch it down.
You can expect the effect if you do 30 sets a day with 1 to 4 as one set. It seems that it's okay to speak publicly or not.
You can divide 30 sets into several times. It seems that you can make it a habit if you do it. as a group with actions that you do every day, such as doing 10 sets after 3 meals or after brushing your teeth.
a summary
Breathing through the mouth can make you more susceptible to colds and infections. or cause tooth decay and bad breath. It also hurts health and beauty. so I want to try to breathe through my nose. If you inadvertently breathe through your mouth, please pay attention to your nasal breathing to maintain your health.
In addition, to avoid colds and infectious diseases, it is important to try to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and strengthen immunity. To do this, try to eat a balanced diet of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.