Buteyko Breathing or Breath Re-education

Exploring Buteyko Breathing and Techniques for Breath Re-education

Buteyko Breathing or breath re-education was developed by a Soviet doctor named Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko. The Buteyko method emphasizes the importance of nasal breathing. Healthy breathing should be natural, silent and through the nose. Yes, the nose was designed and put on your face for a reason. 

As a dental hygienist and oral myofunction therapist, one of the questions Sandraluz of Southwest Myofunctional Therapy asks her patients is “do you breathe through your nose or your mouth?”

So why would she care which orifice you are breathing through? The answer is easy, long term dysfunctional mouth breathing could be impacting your present and long-term health more than you realize. 

As we breathe in and out the nose works like an air humidifier and filtering system. Nose breathing allows more oxygen to get to active tissues. That is because breathing through the nose releases nitric oxide, which is necessary to increase carbon dioxide in the blood, which, in turn, is what releases oxygen. 

But dysfunctional breathing, brought about by issues such as chronic nasal congestion, allergies, asthma, thumb sucking, diet, large tonsils, excessive talking, stress, high temperatures or genetic predisposition can change our easy, natural nose breathing to hyperventilating, maladapted mouth breathing.

When we breathe through the mouth oxygen is not efficiently delivered to the body and the brain, and the nitric oxide goes unutilized. Now we have serious health issues developing such as increased risk of respiratory infections, dry mouth, decreased levels of energy, sleep apnea, behavioral disorders, abnormal facial development, TMJ and migraines.

The good news is, people can be taught how to breathe correctly through their noses again. Myofunctional therapists have a variety of methods, including Buteyko Breathing to help children and adults. Intervening early can help avoid many dental, sleep, orthodontic, and overall health issues.

Buteyko Breathing is a simple, easily taught set of exercises that requires no special equipment or long-term expense. Practiced regularly, it maximizes the delivery of oxygen to all the cells of the body. Retraining our systems to use the oxygen we take in more efficiently and effectively can help improve areas as diverse as digestion, energy, mood stability, sleep quality, and oral health.

If you or someone you love needs help with nasal breathing re-education, contact Southwest Myofunctional Therapy to set up an appointment at (505) 218-6565.