Nasal Breathing: What's It All About?

Nasal Breathing- What's It All About?  

What is correct oral rest posture and why should I care? 

  • Correct oral rest posture is mouth closed, tongue lightly suctioned to the roof of the mouth, teeth slightly apart, and breathing through the nose. Correct oral rest posture is important because it supports our overall health and well-being. When individuals don’t have correct oral rest posture, they may suffer from attention difficulties, sleep difficulties, enlarged tonsils/ adenoids, headaches, and more.  

 

What are the impacts of mouth breathing?  

  • Research has shown 31% of children diagnosed with chronic mouth breathing exhibit an articulation disorder.1 

  • The nose acts as a filter. When we breathe through our mouth, our mouth is taking in unfiltered air, leaving our tonsils/adenoids exposed to unfiltered air which may cause them to become irritated and enlarged. 

  • When we achieve closed mouth breathing, it promotes the exchange of nitric oxygen increasing oxygen uptake 10-15%2. With more oxygen we are able to achieve a deeper REM cycle. With better sleep comes feeling rested upon waking, improved attention, less undesired behaviors, and decrease of irritability. Increased oxygen flow supports tissue and organ health as well as promotes activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. 

  • When we have a chronic open mouth posture, our tongue rests on the floor of our mouth. This can be an issue in young ones as our tongue is our natural palate expander. The tongue creates a perfect “home” for itself upon the roof of your mouth. When it is not lightly suctioned at rest, it may not be creating the space it needs to rest upon the roof of the mouth. This is the same reason prolonged use of a pacifier or oral habit (thumb sucking) may cause issues down the road. 

 

What are some reasons nasal breathing might be hard to achieve for some children? 

  • Children may have a difficulty achieving correct oral rest posture due to OMD (orofacial myofunctional disorder), obstructed airway (enlarged tonsils/adenoids), deviated septum, enlarged nasal turbinates, tethered oral tissues (tongue tie), weak jaw strength, and/or other difficulties.  

 

 What are some signs of orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs)?

  • Children with OMDs may present with the following: 

    • Thumb/finger sucking, nail biting, or other non-nutritive sucking habits 

    • Resting with lips open  

    • Tongue thrust 

    • Abnormal tongue rest posture 

    • Structural abnormalities (tethered oral tissues, dental abnormalities) 

    • Distorted speech sounds 

    • Drooling and poor oral control 
       

 What can help support correct oral rest posture? 

  • Myofunctional therapy aims to help individuals achieve correct oral rest posture to support optimal health. 

 

If you’d like to know more about myofunctional therapy or if you’re concerned about your child’s breathing habits or other related difficulties, give us a call and let’s see what we can do for you and your child! ProActive is here to help your child THRIVE! 

Resources: 

1 Hitos, S. F., Arakaki, R., Sole, D., & Weckx, L. M. (2013). Oral breathing and speech disorders in children. Jornal de Pediatria, 89(4), 361-365. 

2 Bulkin, Hallie. “Discuss Nasal Breathing At Length with Patrick McKeown, MA, BA.” The Untethered Podcast, Episodes 47-48, April 13, 2020, https://untetheredpodcast.com/2020/04/13/episode-47-mouth-breathing-shut-your-mouth-and-listen-part-1-of-2-with-patrick-mckeown/. 

The Myo Method 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Orofacial myofunctional disorders. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/orofacial-myofunctional-disorders/#collapse_7 

Emily Brandt