Comments on: Attention All Mouth Breathers – 5 Important Reasons Why You Must Breathe Through Your Nose

By: Judith T.

Judith T. — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:43:14 +0000

Dr.Park,
I have a 14 year old son who has been a mouth breather all his life. His nose has been stuffy and has no sense smell for many years. I just came across your page and now realize there may be a connection with his multiple issues and would like advice. He was diagnosed with asthma at about 5 years old. The current controller he is on for that is advair. He has been hospitalized with pneumonia about 8 times since age 7. I now think this may more be related to his reflux when sleeping than asthma. We did take him to an allergy clinic and he recieved shots twice a week. His nose remained stuffy and blocked and we stopped the shots after 6 months. He has a bad deviated septum and we just assumed this is the cause. He had frequent strep throat and very large tonsills so we took him to an ENT hoping a tonsillectomy would also help him sleep better. The ENT removed the tonsills, adenoids, and did a procedure on his turbinates. He stated the deviated septum should be repaired but we decided to wait. It has been a year since the surgery and his nose is still blocked and can't smell anything so we were considering the repair. The reason I started doing some research was a result of an orthodontic evaluation he just had. He has major teeth crowding and a very narrow palate. The orthodontist stated that the expander he will need may also help with the nasal passages and deviated septum. Now I am even starting to think his learning and attention issues at school may be more related to sleep problems than ADHD. Especially since we have no family history of ADHD.We hated putting him on medication for that. He has three siblings, all very healthy. no asthma, ADHD, allergies, reflux, nothing. Thanks for your time, any guidance greatly appreciated!

By: Steven Park

Steven Park — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:18:07 +0000

Tom S,

The three most common reason for nasal congestion are deviated septum, enlarged turbinates (mostly from allergies) and nasal valve collapse. If Breathe Right Strips help, then you have nasal valve collapse. See an ENT for a more definitive diagnosis.

By: Tom S

Tom S — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:39:17 +0000

Hi Dr. Park.

I'm 18 and have been breathing through my mouth for as long as I remember. When I attempt to breath through my nose, after a few minutes, I simply feel like I'm not getting enough air, and continue to breath through my mouth. I don't have any congestion and am not overweight. Do you have any tips or suggestions?

Thanks!

By: Steven Park

Steven Park — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:55:56 +0000

Kenneth,

It sounds like you have nasal valve collapse. Sinus cones and Nozovents are two options for you if Breathe Right strips don’t help. Ultimately, you’ll have to see an ENT surgeon to figure out if it’s from internal nasal congestion, or from naturally flimsy nostrils.

By: kenneth kullmann

kenneth kullmann — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:29:07 +0000

I have begun using a Wendy's plastic straw but to about 1 1/2 inches long to insert in my left nostril because the nasal passageway collapses when I breathe in. Is there damage which my be done by this? Does it interfere with the turbonnate function? Any suggestions? I saw nose cone mentioned. What is it?

Thankd

By: Steven Park

Steven Park — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:19:34 +0000

Great point, James. Many of these over-the-internet chin straps function by keeping the mouth closed, and in some people, it can work, but for most, since they have nasal congestion due to structural reasons, they won't be able to sleep with it on. Sometimes, a mandibular advancement device for sleep apnea can cause the tongue to fall back and aggravate the problem, especially if it's thick.

By: James

James — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:40:10 +0000

Great information Dr Park. An additional reason for more difficulty when mouth breathing is that opening the mouth rotates the jaw downward. This narrows the throat by pushing the hyoid back slightly and by reducing the tenstion on the tongue mucle making the tongue more prone to fall backwards. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

By: Candy Cook

Candy Cook — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:20:48 +0000

I have recently been waking up in the middle of the night with severe allergy symptoms. Is it possible to become allergic to a cpap machine? Any input would be appreciated , as this is causing extreme loss of sleep.

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:05:36 +0000

Excellent summary! I’ve definitely noticed a huge correlation to how well I sleep and how well I feel and function the next day to my ability to breath freely through my nose at night. I get the best sleep (and therefore better days) if I use adhesive nasal strips. The next best is using Max-Air Nose cones (I’m more aware of them and they sometimes fall out).

By: Steven Park

Steven Park — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:07:30 +0000

I’m hosting a special Ask Dr. Park teleseminar on nasal questions such as yours. Please feel free to ask your question there and you’ll get the information to access the call. Here’s the link to ask your question:

http://doctorstevenpark.com/ask-dr-park-about-your-nose-sleep-apnea