How to Stop Sleeping With Your Mouth Open: Effective Strategies

Want to stop sleeping with your mouth open? Read this to learn why it matters and strategies to help you breathe through your nose for better health.

If you frequently wake up with a runny nose, dry mouth and a sore throat, you’re likely breathing through your mouth instead of your nose and, in short, sleeping with your mouth open. Sure, it’s common, but did you know it can harm your sleep quality and lead to health issues?

This article will also discuss the causes of mouth breathing and its adverse effects. Keep reading to learn how to stop sleeping with your mouth open and get the sleep you deserve.

Key Takeaways

• Nasal breathing is the natural, healthier way to breathe, whereas mouth breathing can lead to poor sleep quality and various health issues.

• Nasal congestion, allergies, structural abnormalities, habitual behavior, or sleep apnea can cause mouth breathing, making normal nasal breathing difficult.

• Strategies and devices are available to help you stop breathing with your mouth open, but in severe cases, it's essential to consult a healthcare professional.

Table of Contents

• Mouth Breather vs Nose Breather: What’s the Difference?

• Why Do I Sleep With My Mouth Open?

• What Are Health Risks Associated With Mouth Breathing During Sleep?

• Strategies and Devices to Help You Stop Sleeping With Your Mouth Open

• What Are the Side Effects and Benefits of Mouth Taping?

• What Are Lifestyle Changes to Prevent Mouth Breathing at Night?

• When Should I Seek Professional Help?

• Conclusion: Achieving Better Sleep by Stopping Mouth Breathing

Mouth Breather vs Nose Breather: What’s the Difference?

You might be wondering why breathing through your nose is preferable. It’s the natural way of breathing. Cleveland Clinic says, “Our noses are designed to process the air that comes in very differently than our mouths. These are intentional and functional parts of our body’s design to keep us safe and healthy.⁽¹⁾”

It filters and humidifies the air, improving oxygen circulation. If you’re a nose breather, your air will contain minimal allergens, irritants and pollutants.

Meanwhile, if you’re a mouth breather, the air you take in isn’t cleaned by the filtration system known as your nose. Sleeping with your mouth open also leads to dry mouth and poor oral health. (Hello, gingivitis, halitosis and cavities!) It can lead to all sorts of health issues, including sleep apnea, allergies, cracked lips and drooling. (By the way, we have an article on how to stop drooling in your sleep if you’re interested.)

Now, breathing through your mouth occasionally when you have a cold isn’t a cause for concern. It’s a problem when it starts affecting your sleep quality and causing various health issues.

Why Do I Sleep With My Mouth Open?

There are several reasons you’re breathing through your mouth. Here are some of the more common ones:

Nasal congestion and allergies make it challenging to breathe through your nose. As a result, you end up breathing through your mouth because it’s necessary.

Other causes are structural abnormalities like a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Unusually narrow nasal passages can also lead to mouth breathing. In severe cases, surgery is often necessary to correct these abnormalities.

Surprisingly, sleeping with your mouth open can be chalked up to habit. Breathing through your mouth may have been something you learned (without knowing it) that has stuck over time.

Sleeping with your mouth open is also linked to sleep apnea, especially when accompanied by snoring. This condition causes breathing pauses and gasping for air as you sleep. Breathing through your mouth is your body’s attempt to get enough air.

What Are Health Risks Associated With Mouth Breathing During Sleep?

Now that you know the causes, let’s move on to the health risks of sleeping with your mouth open.

Mouth breathing can lead to a dry mouth and throat. These, in turn, can lead to bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay. According to WebMD,  Mouth breathing “can change the natural bacteria in your mouth, leading to gum disease or tooth decay.⁽²⁾”

Breathing through your mouth can also impact your sleep quality. It puts you at a higher risk for sleep disorders, which disrupt your zzzs. These disruptions make entering the deeper sleep stages hard for truly restorative shuteye.

Sleeping with your mouth open increases the risk of snoring and developing sleep apnea, which is potentially serious and dangerous.

Remember when we said mouth breathing exposes you to allergens and irritants? Well, if you have bronchitis or asthma, sleeping with your mouth open can worsen the symptoms of respiratory problems.

If your mouth breathing is chronic, it could lead to dental issues like open bite and jaw misalignment. These issues occur because the tongue or jaw is in an unnatural position when you breathe through your mouth.

Strategies and Devices to Help You Stop Sleeping With Your Mouth Open

We’ve devised a list responding to your burning question: “How do I stop sleeping with my mouth open?” Let’s explore 10 strategies. Most of these can be done independently at home, but a few require your doctor’s guidance and recommendation.

1. If allergies and nasal congestion are the culprits behind your mouth breathing, use over-the-counter decongestants or antihistamines. These help clear your nasal passages, making it easier to breathe through your nose during sleep.

2. Consider using a humidifier in your bedroom. Humidifiers moisten the air and make breathing through your nose easier. Remember that a dry throat and nasal passages make breathing through your nose difficult.

3. If you need to improve the airflow in your nasal passages, try nasal strips or dilators. These gently lift the nasal passages, minimizing mouth breathing during sleep.

4. Another strategy is positional therapy. Consider sleeping on your side or with your head slightly elevated. This position helps prevent your tongue from falling to the back of your throat, obstructing your airways and reducing mouth breathing. (For more information, read our article on the best sleeping position for breathing problems.)

5. Nasal irrigation systems, such as neti pots, are ideal for clearing the nasal passages of mucus, allergens, and irritants. They also help promote easier nasal breathing.

6. Doctors sometimes recommend oral appliances, such as Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs) or tongue-retaining devices, to help keep the airways open and promote breathing through the nose.

7. Another option is to use nasal cones or vents. These are inserted into the nostrils, maximizing airflow to promote nasal breathing and improve snoring. Make sure yours are made from medical-grade materials like Manta Anti-Snore Nose Vents.

8. If sleep apnea causes you to sleep with your mouth open, your healthcare provider may recommend a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machine. This device uses pressure to keep your airways open.

9. If breathing through your mouth is a habit, train yourself to breathe through your nose during the day. When you catch yourself breathing through your mouth, make a conscious effort to switch to nasal breathing.

10. A popular (but controversial) method is mouth taping, which involves taping the lips with strips made especially for this purpose. The technique supposedly encourages breathing through the nose during sleep.

Experiment with a combination of these strategies to see what suits you best. You may find that breathing through your mouth will be significantly reduced if not a thing of the past.

Remember that a few of these strategies need the go-signal from your healthcare provider. Make it a point to consult with them if you have any existing medical conditions.

What Are the Side Effects and Benefits of Mouth Taping?

Let’s briefly talk about mouth taping, the recent sleep aid trend that has become super popular. Mouth taping benefits include:

• It improves sleep quality by reducing sleep disruptions and snoring.

• It prevents the drying effects of mouth breathing, reducing the risk of dry mouth, bad breath, and throat irritation.

• It facilitates better oxygen absorption and air filtration by promoting nasal breathing.

• It helps prevent jaw misalignment, teeth grinding, and other dental issues associated with mouth breathing.

That said, mouth taping also has its downside. According to the Sleep Foundation, side effects include:

• Lip Irritation

• Pain upon removal

• Anxiety for those unused to having their mouth taped shut

• Discomfort

• Difficulty breathing

Note that side effects come from anecdotal sources; more research is needed.⁽³⁾

What Are Lifestyle Changes to Prevent Mouth Breathing at Night?

Another way to stop sleeping with your mouth open is to make a few lifestyle tweaks. These adjustments will help you breathe through your nose and improve your health.

First, manage your weight. Excess fat around the neck and throat can contribute to airway obstruction, which increases the likelihood of breathing through your mouth and increases your risk of sleep apnea. Make sure your diet is well-balanced, and exercise regularly to keep off the weight.

Steer clear of alcohol and sedatives too close to bedtime. These can relax your throat muscles, leading to airway obstruction and mouth breathing during sleep.

Transform your sleeping space into a cool, quiet and dark environment. Keep your bedding clean and use a humidifier to bust allergens and irritants. You’ll experience better sleep quality and reduce the likelihood of mouth breathing due to allergies and nasal congestion.

Manage your stress levels. It might sound surprising, but stress can cause you to breathe through your mouth. Healthline says, “Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, leading to shallow, rapid, and abnormal breathing.⁽⁴⁾” Try incorporating relaxing activities, like meditation and deep breathing exercises, into your bedtime routine.

Avoid dehydration. Staying hydrated throughout your day can keep your throat and nasal passages moist, reducing the likelihood of mouth breathing due to dryness.

These lifestyle changes can improve your sleep and reduce some factors that cause you to sleep with your mouth open at night. Why not give them a shot?

When Should I Seek Professional Help?

So, what if all the lifestyle changes, strategies and devices don’t help you stop sleeping with your mouth open? It might be time to consult your healthcare provider. You must be aware of certain situations requiring medical advice and assistance, including:

• If your mouth breathing persists no matter what self-care strategies you’ve tried, a doctor can identify any underlying conditions or causes.

• Sleep apnea symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, pauses in breathing and daytime fatigue. See a sleep doctor if you suspect you have this condition, which may cause you to breathe through your mouth.

• Consult an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist if you suspect structural abnormalities, like a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils or adenoids.

• See a dentist or orthodontist if you notice dental issues, such as grinding your teeth in your sleep or changes in your bite or jaw apart from breathing through your mouth.

• If mouth breathing is caused by chronic nasal congestion and allergies persist, see an allergist or an ENT doctor.

Don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Doing so can help identify what’s causing you to breathe through your mouth during sleep. It’ll help you stop sleeping with your mouth open and address any underlying medical issues that need attention.

Conclusion: Achieving Better Sleep by Stopping Mouth Breathing

Now you know how sleeping with your mouth open can be a problem. Breathing through your mouth during sleep impacts your quality of zzzs and health. Identifying what causes you to sleep with your mouth open is the first step in stopping it.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to reducing mouth breathing. Finding the sweet spot between specific strategies and lifestyle changes takes experimentation, but it is worth the effort. It doesn’t hurt to consult a healthcare professional when finding the right mix. Medical advice is essential if mouth breathing persists or is accompanied by other symptoms.

We hope this article arms you with the information you need on how to stop mouth breathing when sleeping. Let us know which strategies, lifestyle changes or devices work for you by commenting below.

Sources:  

(1) "Nose Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing: Which Is Better?” Cleveland Clinic, health.clevelandclinic.org/breathe-mouth-nose. Accessed 18 December 2024.

(2) “What to Know About Mouth Breathing.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/oral-health/mouth-breathing. Accessed 18 December 2024.

(3) “Mouth Taping for Sleep: Does It Work?” Sleep Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org/snoring/mouth-taping-for-sleep. Accessed 18 December 2024.

(4) “What to Know About Mouth Breathing” Healthline, www.healthline.com/health/mouth-breathing. Accessed 18 December 2024.

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