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Revisiting Nightly Mouth Breathing During Sleeping Hours
Have you ever been known to, or told, you breath through your mouth at night?
We discussed this in a thread and had two different thoughts about breathing through your mouth at night verses the nose and what to do and not do.
I asked my BE pulmonologist a couple of questions a few days ago.
First Question: Does mouth breathing at night dry out the lungs, mucus, at night if one is breathing through the mouth at night.
Answer Received: No
Second Question: Would there be any harm in using micropore tape in the center of my mouth just under my nose to just under my bottom lip?
Answer Received: No
My recent experience: With beginning to again tape my mouth closed at night.
I have noticed the 'sputum' that always needs to be cleared out of my throat at night, when I awake at night and before I can go back to sleep, has not been as sticky and as hard to get up and out, to release it from the throat, with my taping my mouth closed. I would nearly gag on the 'sticky sputum'' without taping my mouth closed, it was that sticky. As Jill put it...."juicy". It is more 'juicy' with my taping my mouth closed.
If we are truly suppose to breath through our nose, (much healthier for us) and since breathing through the mouth at night always caused me to wake up with dry mouth, with the saliva that dries up in the mouth at night causing horrible dry mouth, I can't, for me, quite understand why taping the mouth closed would be negative.
If I remember what we wrote and discussed correctly on the thread we really weren't given a definitive reason why we shouldn't tape our mouth closed to stop the mouth breathing at night. We were just told to not do it, or stop doing it by either a doctor or a dentist. That's what I originally got, 'stop taping the mouth closed."
Also, if sleeping for hours with the mouth open and the mouth becomes so dry, I, that's an I, tend to think that it would affect the lungs, causing dryness., drying up some of the mucus in the lungs. ??
Again, as with our doctors we all have different thoughts, ways of looking at things and ways of doing things etc. etc. However, as they say, if it is working for you do it, try it. So I will again tape and see if it helps in the big picture with the BE/MAI.
I wish I had thought to bring this fact up at NJH when I was there. I failed to mention mouth breathing at night and taping the mouth closed. With all their research etc. etc. surely they would be the ones to give us a reason why not to or it's O.K. to tape.
Barbara
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Keeping your mouth closed while sticking your tongue out can also reduce mouth breathing. Or at last it works for me. A bit less coughing as well.
@kathyjjb please discuss your concerns regarding your CO2 levels with your medical team. These can be easily tested, and if you have BE it would seem unlikely that your blood CO2 levels are low given the obstructive nature of BE.
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1 ReactionSo you are a night mouth breather? Is that how you sleep at night?
Do you do it during the day? You are serious, right? 🤔 That's some "it works for me".
It is true that we all find different solutions for what appears to be the same problems and we are all different in the things we can and can't do.
I'd be biting my tongue and that would most definitely hurt.
For a short time in all this, however I am no longer doing it and don't know to this day why it was happening, I was often accidentally biting my tongue or the inside walls of my mouth. Things that happen that we don't understand!🙄 Thank goodness that 'happening' has stopped.
Barbara
If you enjoyed Breath you might also enjoy a more technical discussion about C02 levels and nose breathing in "Close your Mouth".
https://buteykoclinic.com/products/close-your-mouth
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1 ReactionYes, that is how I fall asleep and before I crash, with my tongue between my lips, which forces me breathe through my nose. Of course it probably doesn't last long, after I conk out. I also hum in that position, which might help with breathing and provide other benefits. Definitely helps calm my overactive mind.
Oh yes, I understand that over active mind. A friend once asked me: "Don't you ever shut down" meaning the constant thinking. There is just so much to think about! 😉
If I can't fall asleep I usually visualize numbers while I count silently to myself.
Humming yourself to sleep...I might try that one.
Have a good nights sleep.
Barbara
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1 ReactionScoop-
Did somewhat of a 'deep dive' after your post and looking up Buteykoclinic....in Ireland.
From there the following named techniques: diaphragmatic breathing, purse lip breathing, 4- 7- 8 breathing, box breathing and further we have Active Cycle Breathing, Autogenic Breathing.....
Happy breathing to us all. Hopefully lots of good results for us with the all important breathing techniques for everyone, and especially us living with BE.
Barbara
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2 Reactions@lorifilipek
I noticed you hit "helpful". Was that a nod that you might also be a mouth breather at night?
Barbara
I discovered Buteyko 15-20 years ago and started using mouth tape because I breathed thru my mouth at night. I used the tape religiously for probably 15 years, then stopped. I started mouth breathing again, so now I use the tape again at night. It keeps my mouth less dry. It also helps decrease snoring. I cough in the morning, but only bring up a little phlegm. (I also took NAC for a while, which produced more phlegm. However, it increased my hip arthritis, so I stopped the NAC and my arthritis doesn't bother me nearly as much. I have mild BE and MAC, and only nebulize 7% saline. Otherwise, my health seems fine. I'm 77.)
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1 ReactionYes! See my comment above this one.