Nose Breathing Extends Lifespan

Breathing, which we often do unconsciously and experience great distress when restricted, is an indispensable element of life. We still don't know how to breathe properly, even though we do it half a million times from birth to death. Liv Hospital Otorhinolaryngology Specialist Prof. Dr. Murat Timur Akçam talked about the health benefits of breathing correctly.

Breathe through your nose for a healthy life

Nitric oxide (NO) is formed in the nose and sinuses, which allows the vessels to expand, and it moves to the lower airways with the airflow during nasal breathing. After reaching the lungs, it regulates the blood flow and the functions of the vessels. It helps heart health and sexual health. It plays a protective role against heart attack by dilating blood vessels and reducing blood pressure. It helps destroy disease-causing organisms in the airway. It facilitates the access and passage of the ingested oxygen to the tissues, making respiration more effective.

What kind of damage does mouth breathing do to the body? 

1. Respiratory tract infections are more common because the defense mechanisms of the nose against viruses and bacteria are disabled.
2. Mouth breathing significantly increases the susceptibility to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
3. Mouth breathing can cause bad breath by creating changes in the bacteria living in the mouth.
4. Mouth breathing dries out the tongue, teeth and gums. As a result, the acid level in the mouth leads to tooth decay and gum disease.
5. Mouth breathing, especially during sleep, causes dehydration, leading to awakening with dry mouth and sore throat.
6. It has been shown that attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder increase with mouth breathing.
7. Children with mouth breathing are at higher risk of developing abnormal facial development and structural tooth disorders.

Why do we need mouth breathing?

All causes of nasal congestion, characterized by reduced airflow in one or both nostrils, lead to mouth breathing. Curvatures of the cartilage and bone in the middle wall of the nose (deviation of the septum), weakness of the nasal support structures, structural disorders such as the size of the nasal concha, diseases of the nasal lining such as allergies, infections, diseases that form a mass in the nose can cause nasal obstruction and cause mouth breathing. Especially in children, adenoid is an important cause of mouth breathing.

Possible to get rid of nasal congestion 

While the structural diseases that cause nasal obstruction can be treated simply by various surgeries, the diseases of the nasal covering usually require drug treatments. Treatment of nasal congestion usually allows breathing to return from the mouth to the nose.