slug | title | beforetoc | guide | tactic | updated |
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breathing-shapes-body |
Breathe through your nose |
Breathing through the nose shapes the correct skull and skeleton, unlike mouth breathing. |
naturally |
other |
In normal circumstances, you shouldn't breathe through your mouth.
Experiments have found that mouth breathing distorts the jaw and face, disrupts sleep and brain development. It can change the position of teeth, posture, and body height.[^bsb-12221401][^bsb-90490]
{% include image.html name="mandibular-growth-direction" alt="Study of mandibular growth direction during mouth breathing in monkeys." caption="Image. Study of mandibular growth direction during mouth breathing in monkeys. Left (A): skull with natural breathing, right (B): with closed nasal passages. During mouth breathing (B), the chin moves downward and forward, and the lower jaw retracts. This results in an open bite and a narrow, elongated face (Tomer & Harvold, 1982)." %}
Some specialists suggest starting by taping the mouth with adhesive tape, for example, during sleep or sports activities.[^bsb-mckeown] You will have no choice but breathe through your nose. A similar effect is obtained with an anti-snoring strap.
Maintain a natural state: lips together, teeth apart, tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth without touching the teeth.
Snoring is an issue of oxygen intake.
Try nasal dilator strips and any other anti-snoring remedies.
It's better not to sleep on your back because the mandibular, tongue, and palate are pulled back, narrowing the throat, which also makes breathing difficult.
For more serious problems, medical assistance may be required.
Even habitual snoring is an indicator of a number of health problems in children, including poor physical growth, emotional and behavioral problems, neurocognitive impairment and decreased academic performance (Gelb, 2014)
Recovering nasal breathing rebuilds the airways, but the facial bones don't always return to their correct state.
For correction of significant deformities, bracket systems, implants, and orthognathic surgery are used in medicine.
In some cases, performing myofunctional therapy and facial exercises is sufficient.
Have you ever noticed how people breathe on a treadmill?
It's almost always through the mouth.
Heavy physical exertion forces us to do so in order to inhale more air. To avoid this, the following may help:
- warm-up
- increase the load seamlessly
- reduce rhythm if necessary
When the body adapts to nasal breathing, you will be able to handle a fast pace more easily. Additionally, endurance will increase, and the strain on your heart will decrease.
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