Mouth or Nose Breather?
I went to the dentist yesterday. I managed to forget how much I dislike going to the dentist until the day of the appointment. But it wasn't as bad as it has been sometimes. The worst part was the whole measuring of the gums thing, to see how much they are recessed and all that. That was slightly uncomfortable, as she poked or dug her way to see how many millimeters her took would sink into the gums. But the dental hygienist turned out to be a graduate of my place of employment (do I call it "my high school," even though I didn't go there?), and within the last ten years, so we had some good conversation about that. Actually, it was a fairly one-sided conversation, with her doing most of the talking, given that my mouth was open most of the time!
During my visit the fact came out that my gums bleed sometimes when I floss, despite that I regularly floss. She was like "Do you sleep with your mouth open?" I had to think a little. (I mean, who thinks about this that much?) "I'm not sure, but I think I do." She was like "Sometimes people who breathe at night through their mouths instead of their noses have gums that bleed easier as a result. It's not a bad thing, but it helps to know this so we know your gums aren't bleeding because of a dental hygiene problem."
So last night I consciously noted how I breathe. Yup, sure enough, with my mouth open. But I never really thought about this being an unusual thing. In fact, when I tried breathing through my nose with my mouth closed it seemed so unnatural, so uncomfortable. How in the world do people do that? And no wonder people have snoring problems if they're silly enough to breathe through their noses! And isn't this a vocal no-no too? I seem to remember vocal teachers/experts saying you always should breathe through your mouth. But maybe that only applies to your waking moments, or at least your singing moments.
I think it's time for a poll. Are you a nightly nose breather or mouth breather? I won't ask you to tell me if your gums bleed when you floss. Am I in the minority on this? Please do tell!
During my visit the fact came out that my gums bleed sometimes when I floss, despite that I regularly floss. She was like "Do you sleep with your mouth open?" I had to think a little. (I mean, who thinks about this that much?) "I'm not sure, but I think I do." She was like "Sometimes people who breathe at night through their mouths instead of their noses have gums that bleed easier as a result. It's not a bad thing, but it helps to know this so we know your gums aren't bleeding because of a dental hygiene problem."
So last night I consciously noted how I breathe. Yup, sure enough, with my mouth open. But I never really thought about this being an unusual thing. In fact, when I tried breathing through my nose with my mouth closed it seemed so unnatural, so uncomfortable. How in the world do people do that? And no wonder people have snoring problems if they're silly enough to breathe through their noses! And isn't this a vocal no-no too? I seem to remember vocal teachers/experts saying you always should breathe through your mouth. But maybe that only applies to your waking moments, or at least your singing moments.
I think it's time for a poll. Are you a nightly nose breather or mouth breather? I won't ask you to tell me if your gums bleed when you floss. Am I in the minority on this? Please do tell!
posted by redsoxwinthisyear at 8:30 PM
13 Comments:
I know I sleep with my mouth slightly open, but I'm pretty sure I breathe through my nose. It seems like I've heard you're supposed to breathe through your nose when you're sleeping. I mean, wouldn't your mouth feel pretty dry if you just breathed through your mouth?
I've heard bleeding gums can be a vitamin C deficiency. :-)
Yes, it would feel dry. Thus the glass of water always on hand to drink from at night!
Well, I have slight mold allergies, so whether I breathe through my mouth or nose generally depends on my level of congestion. I think I do breathe through my mouth at night - at any rate, I used to always wake up with a very dry mouth and I still sometimes do to a lesser degree - but it's kind of hard to tell when you're not awake. :)
You asked for it!
Nose, I think.
Nose, definitely nose. And isn't it the mouth people who snore more?!
Mouth people snore more? That's news to me. I'm pretty sure snoring is usually done through the nose, isn't it?
I used to breathe through my mouth I think. I usually go to sleep breathing through my nose, but I think after I'm sleeping I switch to my mouth. And like Aaron, it depends on my allergies or cold situation as well.
So I guess my answer is both nose and mouth -- switching back and forth? Who knows....
and I think there are different kinds of snores. Some with the mouth and some with the nose. :)
Mouth breathing is what mostly causes snoring I think. Try snoring with your mouth closed! Can't seem to get very big ones out that way no matter how hard I try!
mouth=snorers. something do to with the throat.
as for me, I don't know. Now I shall have to figure out :-)
Very funny hesper. But I now think snorers must be combination mouth and nose breathers together. If it's hard to snore with your mouth closed, it's also hard to snore with your mouth open and no air going through the nasal passage (though I was able to get some throat noise with my nose plugged).
nose, unless congested.
I think i'm a mouth person. And "The noisy sounds of snoring occur when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose. This area is the collapsible part of the airway where the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula. Snoring occurs when these structures strike each other and vibrate during breathing."
(don't you love copy and paste? :o)
I feel like I don't get enough air if I just breathe through my nose.
Plus, if you just breathe through your nose, that sometimes creates those weird whiffling noises that sound like someone far away is screaming in mortal terror.
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