She also said this may help with the production of nitric oxide in the body, because the main source of nitric oxide is the nasal cavity. “Nitrooxide helps regulate blood pressure and improve circulation, which in turn can improve heart health and lower bp. In addition, nitric oxide is also important in regulating insulin, which can affect your blood sugar levels,” she said.
What are the disadvantages of breathing?
How severe is people actually breathing on their mouths? According to one expert, breathing is a bigger problem than you would expect. “Breathing is unhealthy for anyone,” said Ben Miraglia, dental dentist and chief clinical officer. “Breathing without breath is OK.”
Breathing can cause sleep and breathing problems. According to the Cleveland Clinic, your nose is designed to filter debris, allergens and even tiny insects (thanks to those nose hairs), designed to make your lungs and throat warmer, wetter air. You don’t get the same benefits when you breathe through your mouth. It will also make you more likely to have sleep problems such as sleep apnea, this sleep disorder, which repeatedly stops breathing and starts.
Miraglia treats children primarily from a youth perspective and deals with airway problems, including larger dental problems, viewing breathing as a general problem rather than a sleep problem. From a sleep perspective, interest in oral breathing often comes from sleep problems such as Nord and sleep apnea, although getting better all night (wet, less debris, etc.) is obviously a big benefit.
Doctors recommend mouth tape?
If you’re here after hearing anecdotes about how mouth recordings make someone sleep better, then you’re not alone in hearing oral tape this way. There is no shortage of these videos online, often touting the specific tapes they use. But for now, this is primarily a personal point of view that supports the narrative. “There is currently extremely limited clinical evidence to support the efficacy of mouth tape in managing sleep disorders,” Benavidez said. “A small study in 2022 was often cited to examine mild sleep apnea in 20 people. Although these participants had improved mouth tape, the study did not include placebo comparisons, and 20 participants were simply not enough to draw reliable conclusions.”
This is not to say it will never be available. Even with patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Benavidez said he found its use. Specifically, he found this useful for OSA patients who want to wear a nasal CPAP mask and can add mouth tape in a night setting. “This may help minimize “oral leakage” (the nasal congestion air escapes through the mouth during treatment) and improve comfort and compliance. I’ve been successful in some people,” Benavides said.
Is mouth tape safe?
If you can breathe comfortably through your nose, you can safely perform oral tape. If you want to use mouth tape to solve a sleep disorder or breathing problem, nasal passages may not be able to solve.
“For example, those with moderate to severe sleep apnea may actually find their breathing ability more impaired than before. Worse, this could further damage people with central sleep apnea, a different type of apnea disease,” Benavidez said. “The other group of people who have impaired nasal breathing, because the ability to eliminate breathing severely limits their remaining (usually much needed) airflow path.”
