Do you wake up tired and irritable, even after a full night's sleep? Is your mouth dry and your voice hoarse first thing in the morning? Does your child get tired during the day and struggle to concentrate at school?
You might be surprised to learn that these all point to the possibility that you (or your little one) could be a mouth breather. Habitually breathing through your mouth can cause a myriad of problems, impacting several areas of your health and well-being.
From bad breath and misaligned teeth to speech problems and sleep disorders, mouth breathing may seem harmless, but it’s actually a serious health concern.
Myospots can help you correct mouth breathing, but you might not even realise yet that you’re doing it, especially if it’s happening at night when you’re asleep. Not sure if you’re a mouth breather?
Let’s take a look at some of the signs and symptoms to watch out for, in both adults and children.
Mouth breathing symptoms in adults
You might be surprised by the many different symptoms of mouth-breathing.
Here’s how to tell if you’re a mouth breather.
Do you snore? Or sleep with your mouth open? Mouth breathing is one of the most common causes of snoring. If you snore or sleep with your mouth open, it’s a good indication that you’re likely breathing through your mouth in your sleep.
But don’t worry, if your snoring’s gotten you kicked out of the bedroom, tongue exercises have been shown to reduce snoring when performed regularly.
Tongue exercises, like those performed using Myospots, might help to increase strength in the muscles around your airway and reduce how often and how loudly you snore.
Do you wake up with drool on your pillow, a dry mouth, a hoarse voice, or bad breath?
When you breathe through your mouth air doesn’t get filtered and humidified by your nose plus, the drool that would normally have collected in your mouth seeps out, causing those wet patches under your head. Furthermore, with your mouth open and drool escaping, your mouth becomes dry.
Saliva is responsible for keeping your mouth and throat moist and clean. Without it, you can experience nasty symptoms like bad breath, and a scratchy throat.
Finally, do you experience sleep problems like regular night wakings? Do you wake up tired?
Do you experience fatigue or brain fog during the day? In many instances, nocturnal sleep problems can be a sign that you’re not breathing properly.
Mouth breathing can cause disruptions to your sleep as it affects your ability to transition into the deep restorative sleep your mind and body need each night.
Mouth breathing symptoms in children:
Children who mouth breathe may show different and, in some instances, more serious signs.
Does your child have behaviour problems? Are they irritable or do they have difficulty concentrating? Is your child sleepy during the day?
As mentioned, mouth breathing can affect the quality of your sleep and stop you from feeling fully rested during the day.
As well as causing fatigue, in children this can cause extreme irritability, impaired concentration, and memory and behaviour problems. This can ultimately affect academic performance and social development.
Does your child have a slower-than-normal growth rate or is their face developing abnormally?
Mouth breathing, and the resulting lack of deep sleep, can affect your child’s growth and development. This is because the human growth hormone, which is responsible for long bone growth, is released during deep sleep.
Children who habitually mouth breathe may have narrowed faces and receding jaws or chins.
Does your little one wake up crying during the night? Do they have dry or cracked lips?
When children breathe through their mouths they expose their lips, mouths, and throats to dry air. This can cause their lips to become chapped and their throat and mouth to feel scratchy and painful, causing further disruption to sleep.
Parents need to be aware of and watch out for these symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment for mouth breathing may prevent long-term health problems.
How Myospots can help
If you or your child is mouth breathing, Myospots is a simple and affordable solution.
Myospots are small, flavoured pads that stick to the roof of your mouth. You can use the pads to guide your tongue as you do tongue exercises to reset the position and strength of your tongue, to reduce mouth breathing.
Learn more about how they work here. If you’re still not sure if you or your child is mouth breathing, you can take our quiz for some clear direction on how to tell if someone is a mouth breather. Get started today – buy now.
All information is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Your healthcare provider can consult with you to confirm if this advice is right for you.
