Is poor breathing making you unhealthy?

You probably don’t give much thought to how you breathe. But if you’re breathing through your mouth, especially when sleeping or exercising, it could be quietly disrupting your health in ways that add up over time.

Mouth breathing is often dismissed as a minor issue. But science and clinical observation are revealing just how much this habit can interfere with core aspects of wellbeing, including sleep quality, digestion, anxiety levels, immune function, and even the way your face develops.

Let’s unpack what mouth breathing does to your body, how to spot it, and most importantly, what you can do to retrain your breath and reclaim your health.

How Mouth Breathing Alters Your Face

Mouth breathing can affect more than your airways—it can literally shape your face over time. When we breathe through the nose, the tongue naturally rests on the roof of the mouth, promoting proper jaw alignment and encouraging the midface to develop correctly.

But with chronic mouth breathing, the tongue rests lower in the mouth, leading to narrower palates, a longer face, and even crowding of teeth. This is particularly noticeable in children, but adults can also experience structural changes, including weakened jawlines and posture compensation.

Even if you’re past the age of facial development, switching to nasal breathing can still have a significant impact on posture, tension, and sinus health.

Mouth Breathing Sabotages Your Sleep

If you wake up feeling groggy despite a full night in bed, mouth breathing may be to blame. Breathing through your mouth at night can dry out the airways, leading to snoring, poor oxygen exchange, and disrupted sleep.

Even more concerning, mouth breathing is associated with a higher risk of sleep apnoea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during the night. This affects not only rest but also hormone balance, immunity, and blood sugar control.

Simple tools like mouth tape or nasal strips (under professional guidance) can help retrain your body to breathe through the nose during sleep, improving oxygen levels and sleep quality over time.

How Poor Breathing Disrupts Your Digestion

Digestion doesn’t start in the stomach, it starts in the brain and the breath. Mouth breathing tends to trigger a low-grade stress response in the body. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated (think: fight or flight mode), blood flow is diverted away from the digestive tract.

This can slow digestion, lead to bloating or constipation, and reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients effectively. In contrast, nasal breathing encourages the parasympathetic state, rest and digest, allowing your gut to do its job more efficiently.

Try taking a few slow, nasal breaths before meals to signal to your body that it’s time to digest.

Mouth Breathing and Mental Health

There’s a strong connection between breath and mood. Mouth breathing can tip the balance toward anxiety. Breathing through the mouth tends to be shallow and rapid, mimicking the breathing patterns we experience when under threat.

This type of breathing increases heart rate, raises cortisol (your stress hormone), and reduces the levels of carbon dioxide needed to keep the brain calm and alert. Over time, this can create a feedback loop of tension, poor concentration, and heightened anxiety.

Switching to slow, nasal breathing activates the vagus nerve and helps regulate the nervous system, creating a sense of calm that supports emotional stability.

How Mouth Breathing Affects Your Immune System

Your nose isn’t just a passive passage for air, it’s your first line of defence. The nasal passages filter, warm, and humidify the air before it reaches your lungs, trapping dust, bacteria, and viruses along the way.

Mouth breathing bypasses this natural filtration system, allowing more pathogens to enter the body unfiltered. This increases your risk of respiratory infections and makes your immune system work harder than it needs to.

If you frequently breathe through your mouth, especially in dry environments, you might also experience dry throat, inflamed tonsils, or a sore mouth—all signs that your defences are under strain.

What Causes Mouth Breathing?

It’s not always a conscious choice. Often, chronic nasal congestion (from allergies, sinus issues, or anatomical blockages) forces the mouth to compensate. In other cases, it’s simply a long-standing habit formed in childhood or as a response to stress.

Common signs of mouth breathing include:

• Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat

• Bad breath despite good oral hygiene

• Snoring or noisy breathing at night

• Feeling tired even after 7–8 hours of sleep

• Frequent yawning or sighing during the day

How to Fix It Starting Today

Changing your breathing habits won’t happen overnight, but it’s absolutely possible with consistency.

Here are some steps you can start taking:

• Clear the airways: Use a saline nasal rinse or see an ENT if you struggle with chronic congestion.

• Check your posture: Slouched posture compresses the diaphragm and promotes shallow mouth breathing. Sit tall and open the chest.

• Use your tongue: Keep it resting gently on the roof of your mouth with lips closed and teeth slightly apart.

• Practice nasal breathing: Try nasal-only breathing during low-intensity walking or while watching TV.

• Retrain with breathwork: Exercises like box breathing or alternate nostril breathing can help reset your natural rhythm.

• Consider myofunctional therapy: This type of therapy focuses on retraining oral muscles and posture to support better breathing patterns.

Mouth breathing may seem like a small habit but the ill-effects can be wide-reaching, from your face and gut to your energy and emotions.

By becoming more aware of how you breathe and making small adjustments throughout the day, you can support your body’s natural systems and feel more balanced, resilient, and energised. Sometimes, the most powerful change starts with something as simple as closing your mouth.

The information provided in this newsletter is for general guidance and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your health and wellness routine.

Wishing you good health,

The Wellness Valet Team

Recipe of the Week: Mouth-Breather’s Friendly Frittata

Ingredients:

• Eggs

• Spinach

• Red capsicum

• Sweet potato (pre-roasted)

• Leek or red onion

• Fresh herbs (like parsley or dill)

• Garlic and turmeric for added anti-inflammatory power

Method

• Lightly sauté the vegetables and aromatics.

• Whisk eggs with herbs and a splash of plant-based milk.

• Pour over the veg and cook gently until mostly set.

• Finish under the grill or bake in the oven.

This nourishing frittata is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients to support sinus health, nasal breathing, and overall energy. It's rich in vitamin C, magnesium, and healthy fats.