After my last post, Mermanda asked: “Are you a mouth breather?”
And the answer is … why, yes!
I breathe through my mouth. That’s just how it is.
Throughout my life, people have tried to help. Almost every day in high school trig, I’d stare at the white board with my mouth wide open and my friend would lean over and whisper, “Meesh, close your mouth.” Then I’d close my mouth for a minute or so, consciously inhaling through my nose, but as the teacher would continue saying something about a cosine or tangent, my lower jaw would fall back to its natural state and I’d revert to mouth-breathing once again.
More recently, Matt tried to intervene. It didn’t turn out well.
Matt: See how I’m doing it. [He inhales and exhales.]
Me: Easy for you. Your nostrils are ginormous. Mine are tiny.
Matt: Your nostrils are normal-sized. You just have to train yourself.
Me: Well, I just like a lot of air, okay?
Matt: You don’t need that much air. Slow down.
Me: [I breathe through my nose for about a minute] COUGH-COUGH! Help, I can’t breathe!
Matt: [Rolls eyes]
I think society needs to stop judging us mouth breathers. We don’t all wear our pants too high and doodle unicorns and say, “Gosh!” We’re normal people who happen to use an alternative mode of obtaining oxygen.
I myself have learned to be okay with being a mouth-breather.
That is, until the other day when I learned that I grind my teeth and need to wear a mouth guard at night.
So just to clarify: I unintentionally open my mouth during the day and clench it shut at night.
FML.
does that mean you’re a drooler too?
Either your conscious or your subconscious is trying to smother the other one.
Maybe your mouth has some self-hating issues…?
In all seriousness, though I used to have the SAME problem. My tiny nose freaked me out, and I thought I HAD to keep my mouth open. There was no way I’d ever get enough air in, etc.
So, when I can’t breathe through my mouth, my doctor gives me an inhaler. Maybe they need to invent the same thing for your nose. To help open up the passageways and get you on your way to better breathing.
Dudette, I’m trying to reform Andrew to be a normal nose-breather. And here’s why: He freaking snores like a train. And now that I have some jaw issues (I see a mouth guard in my future too!) wearing ear plugs HURTS. So I can either have an earache or a good night’s sleep. Because I’m a wimp sometimes, I’ve been sleeping sans ear plugs and waking Andrew up every hour saying, “YOU’RE SNORING!” It startles both of us to be honest.
mouth breather.
:D
Let’s put an end to all of this.
Flow through a given orifice (nostril in this case) is related to the pressure drop across the orifice. I’ll spare you the formulas, but I assure you that your nostrils are appropriately sized to fill your lungs in an appropriate timing for breathing.
Oh man, the grinding of the teeth and the needing to breathe through your mouth? Hm, that’s an interesting combo. Make sure Matt is around the first few nights you try the mouth guard or it could get dangerous! (Just kidding. Seriously, you’ll probably end up spitting the stupid thing out in your sleep. Trust me. Been there, done that.)
I couldn’t decide which way to go so now I just hold my breath…
okay that is so random and complete opposites, that’s pretty funny.
Seriously, I subconsciously do this usually when I watch tv..I have asthma problem too..so this is why I was mocked all the time in the elementary school huh :p
Mish, omgosh. I totally do the same. Both! I am both a mouth breather AND a teeth clencher! I accept you!
You are just perfect the way you are…except for the teeth grinding.
You’ll whittle those pearly whites down too wee nubbins. Then your mouth breathing might not pass for cute. :P
“I just like a lot of air, okay?”
FML? No, Michelle, FTW!
Ha, I just got a nightguard a few weeks ago, per advice from my dentist, who warned me that if I keep grinding like this, I’ll have cow teeth by the time I’m 40. COW TEETH. Be happy you manage to keep your mouth open during the day; at least you’re not a 24/7 clencher like me. Wah.
meeshie you are too funny. wear that night guard!! i have forked over thousands of dollars at the dentist when i go in for routine cleanings from cracks and chips in my teeth from grinding. i always manage to chuck it across the room in the middle of the night in my sleep..
Interesting. I’m now practicing breathing both ways and am thinking that maybe breathing through the nose doesn’t get me enough air? I’ve never questioned my air intake before.
WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME SOMETHING ELSE TO STRESS OUT ABOUT? lol
Sounds like you may have some food allergies which can cause the sinus to swell forcing you to breath through the mouth because you can’t get enough air through the nose. It really isn’t an allergy – it is just that our modern foods are becoming more poisonous to our health. Check into Celiac disease. Weston Price, a dentist, documented mouth breathers and attributed it to nutritional and physical degeneration due to the adverse effects on people eating modern processed foods.
Mouth breathers need to be aware that the flow of air through the mouth dries it out and causes halitosis, which sucks for those around you. Also, the feeling of “not enough air” when nose-breathing usually is caused by breathing shallowly. Try inhaling and exhaling fully through your nose. Also, google “long-face syndrome.”