Research reveals the reason why you feel full for weeks after a cold goes away: It’s all about the way you sleep
- Mouth breathing means you are twice as likely to have a stuffy nose
- One in three who breathes through the mouth also regularly suffers from a stuffy nose
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Do you constantly feel overloaded? It may be related to mouth breathing while you sleep, a new study suggests.
A study shows that if you breathe through your mouth at night, you are twice as likely to have a stuffy nose, compared to those who usually breathe through their nose.
In the study, carried out for herbal oil company Olbas in collaboration with GP Dr Roger Henderson, 2,000 adults were asked about their sleeping and breathing habits.
About 18 percent said partners have told them they frequently breathe through their mouth while sleeping.
Nearly one in three (31 percent) of respondents who said they breathe through their mouth also said they often experience a stuffy nose.
Research shows that if you breathe through your mouth at night, you are twice as likely to have a stuffy nose as you normally would.
Nearly one in three (31 percent) of respondents who said they breathed through their mouth also said they often experience a stuffy nose
In contrast, only 15 percent of those who breathe through their nose regularly feel full.
“Breathing through your mouth can cause several health problems compared to healthier breathing through your nose,” Dr. Henderson said.
‘Mouth breathing can reduce the amount of oxygen delivered to the body and one of the problems this can cause is disturbed sleep and increased tiredness and fatigue during the day.
‘It also causes the mouth to dry out, which in turn increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.’
Dry mouth also increases the risk of upper respiratory tract infections and inflamed tonsils.
It’s a vicious cycle because a stuffy nose can be the reason for mouth breathing, but the breathing behavior can also make you feel congested.
Dr. Henderson recommended using a saline spray or nasal decongestant and sleeping on your back, supported by extra pillows to promote nasal breathing.
During the day, most people naturally breathe through their nose.
We evolved this way as a survival technique so that we can continue to breathe while eating with our mouths so we don’t choke.
Some people develop mouth breathing later in life, while others are born mouth breathing if they have a deviated septum or if the cartilage divider between the nostrils is abnormal, meaning it is difficult to breathe through the nose.
Nasal breathing is important for a number of reasons. The nose acts as a filter and ensures that small particles, such as pollen, remain in the air.
The nasal cavity also adds moisture to the air to prevent dehydration in the lungs and bronchi. It also warms cold air to body temperature before it reaches the lungs.
Nasal breathing also introduces resistance to airflow, which increases oxygen intake by maintaining lung elasticity.