This might sound like a weird thing to do, but after listening to Breath by James Nestor, I decided to try taping my mouth shut at night. That was the big takeaway for me, that mouth breathing deteriorates your health in many ways and should be avoided or corrected if possible. It was something I think I knew but it helped to hear it and the accompanying research to convince me to take action. So far, after quite a few nights forced to breathe only through my nose, I’ve been waking up feeling more alert and clear-headed. And my mouth is not dried out which is a bonus.
Growing up with asthma, I remember a long period of time when I slept with two fluffy pillows to keep my head raised high so I could breathe. My nose was often stuffed up and so breathing through my mouth always felt much safer and less stressful. If you know what an asthma attack feels like, you tend to like having no obstructions to your breathing. Taking a breath can either be an automatic action not even noticed or when restricted, stressful, and full of anxiety and tension. Might be one of the many reasons why I cry so much at the end of the movie The Elephant Man. Mr. Merrick had to prop himself up so he would not suffocate and die.
When I was twenty one I almost died from an asthma attack and had to be flown by helicopter to the hospital. The firefighters, who arrived first, nearly had to give me CPR, and I ended up on a ventilator for a few hours. So I have definitely thought a lot about my lungs and breathing. And around that same age, I had a major oral surgery to correct my under-bite and narrow upper palate. If I had it to do over again I might not go through with it. No doubt it was a traumatic thing for my head and body to endure, even though I was technically anesthetized.
I mostly blame asthma and mouth breathing through my developmental years for needing the surgery at all. When your tongue primarily stays at the bottom of your mouth as you are growing, it does not help to form your upper jaw and palate correctly. It’s not that I looked malformed, but my chin was more pronounced with an under-bite, my teeth did not line up properly, and my upper jaw was slightly recessed and narrow.
When I started writing this post, I did not intend to share as much as I have. Not sure why I feel a need to journal publicly about my life in this way, but I’m trusting that my inclination to do so is right and true.
