Break the Cycle of Mouth Breathing with Cincinnati Laser Treatment
Mouth breathing, whether awake or asleep, is often a habit and not as harmless as you might think. It’s often characterized by nasal or airway obstruction, which can lead to interrupted sleep, bad breath, morning headaches, and other health problems.
We explain what mouth breathing is and why it’s harmful over the long term, especially during sleep. We also explore solutions for mouth breathing and introduce laser therapy as a safe, effective approach to resolve breathing difficulties and improve sleep.
What’s Wrong with Mouth Breathing?
Mouth breathing refers to frequently inhaling through your mouth rather than your nose. If you’re an avid jogger or find yourself needing to exert yourself suddenly, breathing through your mouth may help you take in enough air. However, your mouth shouldn’t be your primary means of breathing.
Breathing through your mouth might seem like just another way to move air in and out of your lungs, but it’s an inefficient method of breathing. Rather, your nose is better equipped for
- Filtering out allergens and dust
- Warming and humidifying the air that enters your lungs
- Producing nitric oxide, helping oxygen circulate more efficiently through your system
Occasional mouth breathing, such as when you have a nasty head cold, is usually nothing to worry about. However, chronic mouth breathing, especially during sleep, isn’t a condition by itself but a sign of an underlying issue and warrants attention. If you regularly need to breathe through your mouth, it’s because you’re not getting enough air, which could be due to any of the following:
- Deviated septum, when your septum (cartilage and bone dividing the inside of your nose) blocks your airway or tilts to one side
- Enlarged tonsils, which often affect children
- Nasal congestion due to colds or allergies
- Nasal polyps, which are growths inside the nose
- Obesity, particularly excess tissue around the neck, that causes the airway to constrict during sleep
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which interrupts breathing during sleep
- Swollen turbinates, or the structures in your nose that clean the air that passes through. The swelling is often due to allergies or infection.
The Harms of Long-Term Mouth Breathing
Regular mouth breathing can negatively affect your overall well-being. For instance, it can drastically reduce the quality of your sleep, cause loud snoring, and reduce your oxygen efficiency. Even if you do get sleep at night, nighttime mouth breathing can still lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, brain fog, and irritability.
A serious consequence of mouth breathing during sleep is an increased risk of OSA, a severe form of sleep apnea characterized by loud, persistent snoring and repeated breathing pauses throughout the night. OSA is especially concerning because it can be linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, memory issues, cardiac problems, and stroke.
Even if you don’t experience chronic snoring at night, persistent mouth breathing while awake can lead to other problems, such as bad breath (halitosis). Morning bad breath that doesn’t go away with brushing can stem from dryness caused by mouth breathing during sleep.
Another problem that chronic mouth breathing causes is decreased oxygen efficiency. Nasal breathing helps your body take in more oxygen and expel more carbon dioxide. This exchange is possible through nitric oxide production, which requires nasal breathing. In contrast, mouth breathing bypasses this process and often leads to increased heart stress, greater daytime fatigue, and reduced performance during exercise.
How to Tell If You’re Mouth Breathing at Night
Mouth breathing during sleep can be nearly impossible to detect. However, your bed partner may notice that you struggle with chronic snoring or restless sleep. At Everglow Medical Spa, patients often seek our help for mouth breathing when they experience any of the following during sleep:
- Loud, chronic snoring
- Chest pains
- Choking or gasps
- Excessive daytime fatigue
- High blood pressure with snoring
- Pauses in breathing
There are signs to watch for during your waking hours:
- Cracked lips
- Daytime sleepiness
- Frequent cavities
- Morning headaches
- Nasal congestion
- Sore throat in the morning
- Waking up with dry mouth
If you experience more than one of these symptoms, mouth breathing may be to blame, and you should seek medical attention. The signs may seem subtle or harmless at first, but they can worsen over time.
NightLase®: A Long-Term Solution to Mouth Breathing
If your healthcare provider confirms that your mouth breathing is chronic and causing health issues, there are steps you can take on your own, such as adjusting your sleeping position, treating your nasal congestion, or losing weight. If your mouth breathing stems from structural issues in your neck or throat, such as a deviated septum, you may consider surgery, which carries its own risks and potential complications. Perhaps a doctor has suggested wearing a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device at night, which can be cumbersome and difficult to get used to.
If you dread using a CPAP machine or want a less invasive alternative to surgery for mouth breathing, contact Everglow Medical Spa to learn about NightLase®, a safe and effective laser treatment. Many of our clients who struggle with snoring or chronic mouth breathing have found relief with NightLase, which doesn’t require anesthesia or post-procedure recovery.
During a NightLase treatment, a qualified medical professional uses a targeted laser to contract the soft palate in your mouth and reduce excess tissue to make the airway more stable. This treatment, available at our West Chester medical spa, takes no more than 30 minutes. Our patients appreciate the minimal time commitment per session, making it easy to fit into their busy schedules.
Our patients often notice results after just one night, and snoring typically continues to decrease over the next month. For optimal results, it’s best to schedule a series of NightLase sessions over several months, then come in for a follow-up visit once a year to continue benefiting from improved sleep.
Laser Therapy in Cincinnati That Promotes Better Breathing
Are you struggling with chronic snoring, unexplained bad breath, or daytime sleepiness? Persistent mouth breathing may be at the root of your issue. If you can’t achieve healthy nasal breathing, Everglow Medical Spa can help. If you have OSA or another medical problem due to mouth breathing, NightLase can be a part of your overall treatment plan. Contact us today to learn how NightLase can support better breathing, improve airway function, and help you get more restful sleep.