By Alfred Sassler, DO, AAOA PPR Commitee A major pet food producer is marketing a “groundbreaking” cat food to reduce cat allergens. It was released after 10 years of development and testing to produce a nutritional solution to reduce house…
Keep Your Mouth Shut (At Night)
Christine DeMason, MD FAAOA
Nasal breathing is vital to our health. Humans are supposed to breath out of the nose and not the mouth. This is because our nose has unique properties that our mouth does not have. The nose has structures called the turbinates that help warm and humidify the air which makes the air less dry when it goes into our throat and lungs as well as allows for better gas exchange into our lungs. The nose also has protective mechanisms that get rid of dust and infectious particles in the air we breathe and is the first line of defense against these pathogens. The nose holds the olfaction or smell nerve. This allows us to smell things like smoke when we breathe in.
The mouth does not have these unique properties. It is not uncommon for people who are chronic mouth breathers to have a dry mouth with some having chronic sore throat and voice changes since they are not getting the benefits of nasal breathing. There is some data to suggest that mouth breathing can cause dental issues as well as fatigue and increased blood pressure. Mouth breathing can also worsen obstructive sleep apnea symptoms such as not feeling well rested. While mouth breathing can be seen during the day, in most patients it is worse at night likely due to gravity and increase blood flow to the nose with lying flat.
Mouth breathing can also be the cause of snoring in some patients. This may be the reason that mouth taping has been a trend in social media recently. Taping is one of many treatments of mouth breathing at night. While it may be helpful to some patients, it is not for everyone.
Don’t try mouth taping before discussing with your Otolaryngologist. It is important to make sure that you are able to breathe out of your nose well. If you have allergies or structural issues such as deviated septum or nasal polyps then it might not be possible to breathe out of the nose, and mouth breathing may be the only option until these issues are fixed. Fixing these issues with allergy medications, allergy immunotherapy or surgeries can also help with snoring.
It is also essential to make sure that you don’t have obstructive sleep apnea before taping your mouth at night. This is where there is an obstruction in upper airway (often the palate or the back of the tongue) during sleep that leads to decrease airflow to the lungs. Untreated it can cause weight gain as well as increased risk of strokes, heart attacks and sudden death. Sleep apnea treatments include weight loss, weight loss medications such as the recent FDA approved tirzepatide, continuous positive pressure (CPAP) machine, oral appliances, and surgeries such as the hypoglossal nerve implantation. Taping the mouth is not a treatment for sleep apnea, and talking with your doctor is important to make sure you are not missing other medical disorders like sleep apnea.
There are other ways besides taping that can help keep the mouth closed at night. Nasal cones and nasal strips can help if it is a nasal structural issue. Sleeping on the side as well as chin straps are other options. For patients that the issue is due to habitual mouth breathing, there are some exercises that can help. While it is ideal to breathe out of the nose and not the mouth at night, before jumping in on any social media trends, it is recommended to discuss these options with your Otolaryngologist to make sure you are on the right treatment plan for you.