If your nose is constantly blocked, it may be because you breathe through your mouth while you sleep, a new study has found. Daily mail.
Mouth breathing at night means you are twice as likely to suffer from regular nasal congestion compared to those who mainly breathe through the nose, according to research carried out for the vegetable oil company Olbas, in collaboration with family physician Dr Roger Henderson. In that research, 2000 adults were questioned about their sleeping and breathing habits.
About 18 percent of respondents said their partners had told them to breathe through their mouths while they slept.
Almost every third respondent (31 percent of them) who said they breathe through their mouths confirmed that they have problems with blocked noses. But only 15 percent of those who breathe through their nose while sleeping say that their nose is often blocked.
"Mouth breathing can cause several health problems compared to nose breathing, which is healthier," says Dr Henderson, adding:
"Breathing through the mouth can lead to less supply of oxygen to the body, and one of the problems this can cause is sleep disturbance and increased fatigue during the day. This also causes the mouth to dry out, which increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease," explains Henderson and adds that dry mouth increases the risk of upper respiratory tract infections as well as inflamed tonsils.
It's a vicious cycle, because a stuffy nose can cause mouth breathing, and mouth breathing can make your nose feel stuffy.
Dr. Henderson recommends using a saline spray or nasal decongestant, as well as sleeping on your back with extra pillows, to encourage nasal breathing.
Dr. Henderson explains that most people naturally breathe through their noses during the day. It is actually a survival technique so that we can continue to breathe while eating. Some people develop mouth breathing later in life, while some breathe like this almost from birth, if they have, for example, a deviated septum, making it difficult for them to breathe through their nose.
Nose breathing is important for several reasons. The nose acts as a filter and thus ensures that small particles, such as pollen, remain in the air. The nose also adds moisture to the air to prevent dryness in the lungs and bronchial passages. Passing air through the nose warms the air to body temperature before it reaches the lungs, and breathing through the nose also increases oxygen intake and maintains lung elasticity, reports Jutarnji list.
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