5 Ways to Stop Mouth Breathing

Breathing is an essential function that delivers oxygen to your body. If you're a healthy individual, you breathe through your nose and mouth. However, if you're living with nasal congestion, you may depend on mouth breathing. Unfortunately, excessive mouth breathing can take a toll on your health. So it's important to keep it to a minimum as much as possible. Here are five tips to help you stop mouth breathing.

1. Practice Breathing Properly

The more you practice breathing in through your nose, the better you'll get at it. If you're conscious of the way you breathe and make an effort to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, you're sure to notice a positive difference in your breathing abilities.

2. Get Rid of Nose Blockage

It's difficult to breathe through your nose when it's blocked. So be sure to blow your nose any time it feels stuffy. You can also use a nasal wash to get rid of all the bad stuff in your nasal passage that's preventing you from breathing in a healthy manner.

3. Reduce Stress

Time after time, studies prove that stress leads to rushed breathing. Therefore, it's vital to take control of your stress levels. If you believe you're stressed, take a warm bath, spend time with friends and family, meditate, and participate in hobbies you love. Don't be afraid to seek professional help if you can't manage your stress on your own.

4. Exercise

You likely know why exercise is important. What you may not be aware of, however is how it impacts your breathing. Working out consistently forces you to take deep breaths more often. This can help your nose take on some of the breathing duties and give your mouth a much needed break. Try to get at least 30-minutes of exercise each day. Even a simple daily walk around your neighborhood can do wonders for your breathing.

5. Seek Myofunctional Therapy

Myofunctional therapy focuses on exercise that helps the facial muscles you use to chew and swallow. It is often prescribed by medical professionals who wish to help their patients improve breathing. After several sessions with myofunctional therapy, you'll learn how to breathe through your nose and keep your tongue rested on the roof of your mouth.

Fortunately, these five tips almost always help excessive mouth breathers. If you find them to be ineffective, however, consult a doctor. A surgery that resolves any nose issues you have may be the next best step.


All information provided on this website is for information purposes only. Please see a healthcare professional for medical advice. If you are seeking this information in an emergency situation, please call 911 and seek emergency help.

All materials copyright © 2024 VoxMD.com, All Rights Reserved.