Mouth Breathing / Tongue Posture

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Mouth Breathing

Mouth breathing and having an open mouth posture are really the same thing. If they are happening over a long period of times they may cause health problems, such as sleep issues, anxiety and depression, TMJ pain and sinus infections.

Mouth breathing is a form of chemical stress on your nervous system due to acidosis from too much carbon dioxide (essentially low level hyperventilation). 

When you mouth breathe, your tongue sits on the floor of the mouth, the back of the tongue drops down and create an airway restriction. A person would compensate of this, by bringing their head forward into a forward head posture which can often increase neck and shoulder tension, instability of the jaw, clenching, grinding and/or sleep apnea. It is perfectly natural to breathe through your mouth on occasion like when you are exercising and speaking.

It is important to realize that mouth breathing and having an open mouth are equally detrimental to your health.


What causes mouth breathing?

Individuals with predominant habitual mouth breathing habits often develop maladaptive habits and patterns of orofacial function that may impact various conditions including:

  • Asthma

  • Deviated septum

  • Nasal polyps

  • Respiratory infections

  • Allergies and/or food sensitivities

  • Enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids

  • Chronic nasal congestion

  • Low postural tongue and/or tongue tie

Any of these factors can make it impossible for a person to breathe through their nose,

and switch gears into mouth breathing.

 

Mouth Breathing in Children

Published: Oct 4, 2017

So what happens when you mouth breathe?

Tongue Posture / Tongue Thrust

Your tongue should rest fully up in the roof of your mouth. But when you are a mouth breather, your mouth stays open and you’re tongue rests low.  A low postural tongue, is like a muscle you are not using, the muscle atrophies and becomes weak. This often leads to a swallowing dysfunction and can affect your facial development and posture and can cause problems with speech, swallowing, breathing and chewing.

If the tongue is resting low in the mouth, it needs to push forward or sideways in order to swallow – this is called a tongue thrust (reverse swallow). A tongue thrust and mouth breathing quite often go hand in hand.

So if you are a mouth breather, you may have a tongue thrust present.

How does this effect our body?

This where I love using the term, "Back To Your Roots" as our goal is to dig a little deeper and address the roots cause.

When you mouth breathe, 18% less oxygen is absorbed which can affect many different areas in our body and may impact various conditions including:

  • Anxiety

  • Bad breath

  • Headaches

  • Facial skeletal growth

  • Teeth grinding (bruxism)

  • increased risk of cavities

  • Gingivitis and gum disease

  • Sore throat and cold symptoms

  • Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

  • Sleep-disordered breathing (including snoring and sleep apnea)

  • Digestive concerns – gas, upset stomach, acid reflux

Poor oxygen concentration in the bloodstream has been known to be associated with high blood pressure, heart problems, sleep apnea and other medical issues.

Nasal breathing helps to support nervous system regulation for the healing process.

So tongue up - Lips closed - And healthy breathing through your nose