I had never heard of mouth tape before, have you?! I have no clue if I sleep with my mouth open or not but I think I should test this out. It sounds intriguing and could possibly be a really simple sleep aid. The idea is that you can improve your sleep significantly by breathing through your nose instead of your mouth. Breathing through your nose keeps you in deeper more restful sleep. Apparently we were all born nose breathers but when the muscles in our respiratory airway start developing we begin breathing through our mouths instead. We mistakenly use our mouths to take deep breaths expecting that will maximize oxygen intake, calm us, or help us regain our energy. But mouth breathing does just the opposite, as it causes us to hyperventilate, or “over-breathe.” Our mouths are built for eating; our noses are built for breathing. The regulated cadence of nose breathing protects us from hyperventilation, allowing the body to thrive.The other benefits of nose breathing are multifold: you humidify the air which protects your lungs from cold or dry environments; it produces nitric oxide kills bacteria in airborne particles and hence helps your immunity; it activates your parasympathetic nervous system to help reduce stress and anxiety; it helps to keep optimal blood oxygen saturation for strength and stamina; it reduces dry mouth and nasal congestion and it helps you progress consistently through the sleep cycles. I’m going try this. He mentions one brand called Somnifix. Also check out High Intensity Health podcast on YouTube. There is a really good episode Dr. Jason Fung where the host mentions the mouth tape and also talks with Dr. Jason Fung about leptin and insulin resistance and the role they play in weigh regulation. It’s a very good explanation and I will definitely be doing some posts from it.
How Mouth Tape can give you a better night’s Sleep
