Airway Health Dentistry in Anchorage, AK
Helping to improve your airway can improve your overall health.
Did you know there is an entire science behind nasal breathing and its benefits?
Regular mouth breathing can trigger a fight-or-flight response where your body releases cortisol and other stress chemicals.
Nasal breathing promotes a rest-and-digest state, which allows your body to release a chemical called nitric oxide.
Why Do We Need Nitric Oxide?
- Increases vasodilation in blood vessels, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout the body.
- It can also lower blood pressure.
- It supports immune responses by fighting infections and regulating inflammation
- It even helps with memory and cognitive function.
Nitric oxide does so much more for our health, which is why it is so important for the body to have it.
For more on nasal breathing, see our Myofunctional Therapy page.
Why Mouth Breathing Matters
Regular mouth breathing can trigger a fight-or-flight response, where the body releases cortisol and other stress chemicals. Nasal breathing does the opposite. It promotes the rest-and-digest state that allows the body to release nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels so oxygen and nutrients reach tissue more effectively, and which can lower blood pressure. Nitric oxide also supports immune response by helping fight infection and regulate inflammation, and it plays a role in memory and cognitive function.
