Get rid of snoring and sleep and breathe soundly with a simple duct tape trick
Get rid of blue light, put down your mobile phone, get good air, get enough darkness - these are all classic tips to ensure a healthy sleep and give your body time to regenerate. However, it seems that we should also pay attention to our breathing - which can hardly be consciously controlled during sleep. And that's where duct tape comes in. It is thanks to this tape, or rather to the taping of the mouth, that one will breathe through the nose instead of the mouth. What's so great about that?
Harmful mouth breathing?
Sounds strange, to say the least. However, according to expert James Nestor, who even wrote the book Breath: The New Science of Lost Art, night breathing through the mouth is very harmful. Nestor studied human breathing quite long and intensively and found that for thousands of years different cultures around the world have preferred the nose to the mouth for different types of inhalation. When you breathe in, the air is rich in oxygen and is humidified and filtered in the nasal area - but nothing like that happens when you breathe in through your mouth. Not to mention that night breathing through the mouth also causes a whole host of problems - from snoring to sleep apnoea to halitosis.
In fact, when air is inhaled through the mouth, it encourages the development of soft tissue vibrations in the back of the throat, which can lead to loud snoring, according to Healthline . But in addition, when breathing with the mouth open, the tongue sinks back into the throat when lying down, narrowing the airway as a result. And in this case, the likelihood of loud snoring is even higher. Moreover, according to Nestor, mouth breathing contributes significantly to the development of so-called sleep apnoea - which occurs when the airways are completely blocked. It should be said that this is not just some theory or conjecture, as Nestor himself underwent a 10-day experiment during which he had his nose completely blocked by a doctor and breathed only through his mouth. As he found out, he began to snore intensely every night and at the same time he really started to develop obstructive sleep apnoea. According to the tests performed, his body was then under much more pressure during waking hours as a result of inadequate sleep, and his blood pressure also increased (not to mention the considerable fatigue). Of course, a stuffy nose can also lead to a number of other undesirable "effects".
Zdroj: Giphy
"When the nasal cavity becomes blocked, airflow is reduced and bacteria multiply. These bacteria can cause a number of infections, as well as colds etc., leading to further congestion in the nose and sinuses. This then leaves the person with no choice but to breathe through the mouth," Nestor says in the book. It is the proliferation of bacteria that is linked to another of the undesirable effects of open-mouth breathing at night, namely unhealthy morning halitosis. Saliva acts as a natural "mouthwash" and contains a number of antibacterial substances that work intensively to destroy odour-causing bacteria. However, when you sleep with your mouth open, the saliva dries out while the bacteria multiply unhindered (and in fact, it could be argued that they also threaten the health of your gums - so keeping your mouth closed can help to keep them healthy too).
Seal your mouth!
There can be a number of reasons why people breathe with their mouths open at night. But how do you effectively get rid of this "bad habit"? It has to be said that this is certainly not a "revolutionary" idea either. There are even records of some Indian tribes in which mothers would gently close their offspring's mouths at night on a regular basis - just so they could learn to breathe through their noses. In the 19th century, George Catalin, a physician, recommended that his patients tie their jaws with a bandage. And today, there's even a special "sleeping band" on the market that can be used in various ways to eliminate nighttime mouth opening, according to Artofmanliness.com.
However, the easiest and also the cheapest method - which is also advocated and promoted by Nestor - according to breathing experts, is the use of hypoallergenic microporous tape, which can be found at the pharmacy. It's relatively easy to use (and you don't have to worry about taping your mouth like movie criminals do in kidnappings) - a square the size of a postage stamp taped over the centre of your mouth is sufficient. This will keep the mouth closed, but still leave "space" on the sides for airflow, but also for coughing, etc. (which should calm all those who are afraid of suffocating because of a taped mouth...).
Just the (obvious) benefits?
That breathing through the nose is beneficial (or much better for humans than breathing through the mouth) is a well-known (and scientifically supported) fact. On the other hand, as we know, nothing is black and white. Although taping over the mouth at night (i.e., in the form that has been described) should not harm anyone in principle, it is quite appropriate to consult your doctor about this practice. And while the benefits of breathing through the nose are basically unquestionable, as far as the benefits of taping the mouth at night are concerned, all the benefits presented are often mentioned by many experts, but so far there is no relevant clinical study that has conclusively proven that all the health conditions mentioned can be prevented thanks to this "technique". Still (ideally after consultation with a doctor) it might be worth a try...
