09. Mechanically Assisted Breathing
Effective breathing is key during sleep and it's possible you may have structural issues in your head, nose and/or throat or even below which are negatively impacting your ability to breathe. These include:
Your nasal passages are too narrow making it challenging to get adequate air in and out
- Reasons for this include the following below. You may use your testing technique to determine if any of these apply to you.
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- Your palate is too narrow. Chronic mouth breathing feeds into this developmental pattern. To learn more about why we develop narrow faces read here.
- You have enlarged turbinates or polyps in your nasal cavity reducing the flow of air here.
- You have increased neuromuscular tension in your head, neck and/or below which closes down your airway.
- You have sinus congestion due to underlying toxins and/or pathogens.
- Or some or all of the above as they tend to contribute to each other.
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Your oropharangeal airway is being occluded
- If you are mouth breathing during sleep, there is a tendency for your jaw and thus tongue to slide back into your throat which can potentially occlude your airway. This may happen more if you sleep on your back. Furthermore, if your palate is too narrow, your tongue can have a difficult time posturing on the roof of your mouth (preferred place where your tongue should naturally rest) making it more likely to mouth breathe. This fosters a pattern of the tongue sliding back into the throat occluding the airway.
Your airway is collapsing
- If you are mouth breathing during sleep it disrupts the pressure relationship within your airway making it more likely for your airway to collapse.
- If you are not appropriately using your diaphragm and abdominals to breathe this can also affect the air pressure in your airway making it more prone to collapse.
- Malocclusion creates increased neuromuscular tension in your head, neck and jaw and even below to your rib cage, pelvis and feet. This can also make your airway prone to collapse.
When there are structural issues at play that are negatively impacting your breathing and thus sleep, the dental profession has many solutions (besides the traditional C-PAP option that the medical professional will routinely prescribe). ENTs can also help in this department if enlarged polyps and turbinates are at play. Performing specific postural restoration and orofacial myofunctional therapy techniques can address neuromuscular tension issues as well as poor patterns related to chewing, swallowing, tongue posture and breathing.
You may consider pursuing mandibular advancement surgery if you have tried without success or do not align with:
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- Over-the-counter nasal dilators
- Neuromuscular training
- Occlusal orthotics
- Lip and tongue interventions
- Mandibular advancement appliances
- ENT intervention
- Mechanically ventilated breathing
- And you have thoroughly exhausted the physiological and emotional factors that may also be contributing to your sleep issues.
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Browse the following 2 Mechanically Assisted Breathing options or use your testing technique to determine if either pertain to you.
CPAP
- CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure and means the level of pressure is constant throughout both inhalation, exhalation and the pause between them. An issue with this method or mechanical ventilation is that it does not mimic the natural fluctation of airway pressure between inhalation and exhalation. This could be why many do not tolerate it well.
- A nasal vs full face mask is recommended to simulate more normal breathing mechanics.
BiPAP
- A bipap (bilevel positive airway pressure) is generally preferred over a cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) as it more naturally reflects the air pressure differential during normal inhalation and exhalation. Discuss with your doctor what is most appropriate for you.
ASV
- Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) machines monitor a person’s breathing while they sleep and deliver customized air pressure to stabilize breathing.
- The main difference between ASV and CPAP machines is that ASV machines deliver air pressure dynamically, adjusting according to the person’s breathing patterns, differing from CPAP machines which deliver a set level of air pressure throughout the night.
There are many other structural solutions to breathing and sleep problems.
Browse the following 8 options or use your testing technique to determine if any pertain to you.
Sleep issues can be rooted in physiological and emotional problems.
Browse the following 2 options or use your testing technique to determine if any pertain to you.
Enjoy these other related Master Guide items to Resonate Health:
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This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your medical doctor or professional if you have medical concerns.
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