Can You Breathe Too Much? Understanding Over-Breathing
Breathing is automatic, so most of us never think about how we do it. Yet many people breathe more than their body needs. This is often called over-breathing or dysfunctional breathing.
What is over-breathing?
At rest, healthy breathing is quiet, slow and through the nose, driven gently by the diaphragm. Over-breathing means taking in more air than the body requires. This disturbs the balance of carbon dioxide in the blood, which can leave you feeling unwell even though you are breathing "more".
Common signs
Frequent sighing or yawning
Breathing through the mouth, especially at night
Upper-chest rather than tummy breathing
Feeling breathless without an obvious cause
Light-headedness, tingling or chest tightness
Dysfunctional breathing is common, particularly in people with asthma. It can occur alongside anxiety, which can make the two hard to separate.
Why this matters for your mouth and sleep
Habitual mouth breathing dries the mouth, which increases the risk of dental decay and gum inflammation. It is also common in people who snore. That is why we pay attention to breathing patterns during your examination.
The Buteyko Breathing Method
The Buteyko Method is a breathing retraining approach that encourages:
nasal breathing, day and night
gentle, relaxed, reduced breathing
short, comfortable breath-holds
In people with asthma, studies have found that Buteyko can improve symptoms and reduce reliever inhaler use. It has not been shown to improve lung function itself. It should always complement, never replace, prescribed medication.
How we can help
If you would like us to assess your breathing, or if you have concerns about mouth breathing or snoring, we can talk it through with you.
Contact Whitland Dental Co on 01994 238 660 or visit www.whitlanddental.co.
References
Boulding, R., Stacey, R., Niven, R., & Fowler, S. J. (2016). Dysfunctional breathing: A review of the literature and proposal for classification. European Respiratory Review, 25(141), 287–294. https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0004-2016
Bowler, S. D., Green, A., & Mitchell, C. A. (1998). Buteyko breathing techniques in asthma: A blinded randomised controlled trial. Medical Journal of Australia, 169(11–12), 575–578. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1998.tb123422.x
Cooper, S., Oborne, J., Newton, S., Harrison, V., Thompson Coon, J., Lewis, S., & Tattersfield, A. (2003). Effect of two breathing exercises (Buteyko and pranayama) in asthma: A randomised controlled trial. Thorax, 58(8), 674–679. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax.58.8.674
Courtney, R., & Cohen, M. (2008). Investigating the claims of Konstantin Buteyko, M.D., Ph.D.: The relationship of breath holding time to end tidal CO2 and other proposed measures of dysfunctional breathing. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14(2), 115–123. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2007.7204
Santino, T. A., Chaves, G. S. S., Freitas, D. A., Fregonezi, G. A. F., & Mendonça, K. M. P. P. (2020). Breathing exercises for adults with asthma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3, CD001277. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001277.pub4
Thomas, M., McKinley, R. K., Freeman, E., & Foy, C. (2001). Prevalence of dysfunctional breathing in patients treated for asthma in primary care: Cross sectional survey. BMJ, 322(7294), 1098–1100. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.322.7294.1098
I can collect all three blogs into one doc if you'd like them together for editing.
