EP 90 – Eat This: Mouth Breathing

You know when you take a deep breath in, does it happen through your mouth or your nose if you’re not instructed on which … Yes, we breathe in and we breathe out. And it’s essential to keep on living, yes, but when was the last time that you noticed if you’re breathing through your nose or mouth? While you might think, um isn’t any breathing a good thing? Well yes, but there is a distinction between mouth breathing and nose breathing and depending on what your default is, can have a positive or negative impact on your health. Chris, which do you think is better for you? Mouth or nose? It’s actually breathing through your nose that’s the best way to oxygenate your body. There’s a whole science lesson that could happen here, but I really want to focus on all the aspects of mouth breathing versus nostril breathing, so let’s leave that rabbit hole for now. You might be aware of how you breathe during the day, through your mouth or not, but what happens at night? If you have someone sleeping next to you and you get that nudge that you’re snoring or you know you have sleep apnea, you are likely a mouth breather. But did you know that high blood pressure, cavities and gum disease, bad breath, chronic fatigue, increased anxiety, allergies, blocked up nose and risk of asthma, dry lips and mouth, a weak chin and jawline, bad posture, crappy sleep and an increased need to pee in the night can all tell you that you’re a mouth breather. WHAT? I know, I know, rather mind blowing isn’t it?!

Let’s get to it on EAT THIS with Lianne, mouth breathing and the health implications of using this orifice to oxygenate your body with holistic dentist Dr Lawrence Freedman, who first introduced me to just how important this topic is.

Deep breathing and shallow breathing bring their own benefits or issues, but what I want to focus on is the mouth vs nasal breathing today. You might wonder where on earth I’m going with this, but if you don’t know by now that my goal is to help you uplevel your health from all angles, maybe I haven’t communicated that well enough. Daytime mouth breathing, especially now with a mask on, is common. But what about nighttime, and how on earth do you know how you breathe at night unless you’ve got someone watching over you? Well, breathing through your mouth at night puts you at higher risk for sleep disorders including snoring, sleep apnea and hypopnea which is the partial blockage of air, scientists have found. Each of those, in turn, can lead to daytime fatigue, which impacts mood, concentration, focus, energy and also is linked to issues like high blood pressure and more. So rather than me reaming off the implications and what to do about it, I’d like to introduce Dr Lawrence Freedman, who is my dentist and who looks after my girls too. Dr Freedman has been in dentistry for 32 years. He’s a dentist that doesn’t stop learning and he became interested in pain disorders. His special interest is in TMJ problems, orthodontics, and full mouth rehabilitation, as well as overall health and looking at the jaw and mouth as it has to do with the rest of your body. I’ll let him explain more about what he does and I think this will be an eye opening discussion for so many.

Ok so there was a lot to unpack there. That peeing in the night because of mouth breathing – I wonder how many people are reaching for the mouth tape now?! In my research I found that interrupted breathing stresses the heart, triggering the release of hormones that cause you to produce more urine. Whaaaa? Isn’t the body amazing and odd at the same time.

Who out there is going to get some of that one dollar tape from the pharmacy and try it out during the day first, then give it a go overnight? I will be! I’ve put it off for way too long. 

Also, did you grasp what he said to come back to every few minutes? Tongue to the roof of your mouth, teeth apart and lips closed. Try and do that right now and see how it feels. For my constant teeth clenching, it sure gives my jaw a break when I do that. And I’ve become better at it as I do it by default more and more. 

Have you subscribed yet? Upcoming episodes are going to include TMJ with Dr Freedman and a few other loyal listener questions, and you don’t want to miss out. 

Learn more about Dr Freedman here.

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