用嘴呼吸可能會破壞你的睡眠

用嘴呼吸可能會破壞你的睡眠

Mouth breathing through the night can lead to diminished sleep quality, snoring and elevated stress.

整晚用嘴呼吸會導(dǎo)致睡眠質(zhì)量下降、打鼾和壓力大。

Living with a plugged nose isn't fun, but James Nestor was ready. Plus, it was for science.

鼻子被堵住的生活不好玩，但詹姆斯·內(nèi)斯特已經(jīng)準備好了。另外，這是為了科學(xué)。

While researching his recent book, "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art," Nestor let Stanford University scientists block his nostrils with silicone and surgical tape to measure the impacts of breathing through his mouth for 10 days.

內(nèi)斯特在為他的新書《呼吸:一種消失的藝術(shù)的新科學(xué)》做研究時，讓斯坦福大學(xué)的科學(xué)家們用硅膠和外科膠帶堵住他的鼻孔，連續(xù)10天測量用嘴呼吸的影響。

"We knew it wasn't going to be good, because there's a very firm scientific foundation showing all the deleterious effects of mouth breathing, from periodontal disease to metabolic disorders," Nestor said. The surprise was just how quickly the experiment affected him.

內(nèi)斯特說：“我們知道這不太好，因為有一個非常科學(xué)的基礎(chǔ)，表明用嘴呼吸從牙周炎到代謝紊亂的所有有害影響。”令人驚訝的是實驗對他影響之快。

Nestor's blood pressure rose 13 points, edging the writer into stage one hypertension. Measurements of heart rate variability showed his body was in a state of stress. His pulse went up, and he stumbled around in a mental fog.

內(nèi)斯特的血壓上升了13個百分點，使這位作家進入了高血壓的第一階段。心率變異性的測量顯示他的身體處于壓力狀態(tài)。他的脈搏加快了，在精神的迷霧中跌跌撞撞。

He also snored for hours each night, developing obstructive sleep apnea. His blood oxygen levels dropped.

他還每晚打鼾好幾個小時，患上了阻塞性睡眠呼吸暫停。他的血氧含量下降了。

"We had no idea it was going to be that bad," Nestor said. "The snoring and sleep apnea was so dramatic, and it came on so quickly, that everyone was pretty floored."

“我們不知道情況會這么糟糕，”內(nèi)斯特說。“鼾聲和睡眠呼吸暫停太劇烈了，而且發(fā)生得太快，以至于每個人都非常震驚。”

What Nestor learned, aside from the hazards of being a research subject, was that mouth breathing can ruin a good night's sleep.

除了對研究對象造成危害之外，內(nèi)斯特還了解到，嘴巴呼吸會破壞夜間的良好睡眠。

Breathing through your mouth at night puts you at higher risk for sleep disorders including snoring, sleep apnea and hypopnea, the partial blockage of air, scientists have found. Each of those, in turn, can lead to daytime fatigue.

科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，晚上用嘴呼吸會使你面臨更高的睡眠障礙風險，包括打鼾、睡眠呼吸暫停和呼吸不足，即部分空氣阻塞。每一種情況都會導(dǎo)致白天疲勞。

That doesn't mean you're doomed to wake up in a daze because you're prone to mouth breathing when you sleep. Experts have a long list of strategies designed to turn you into a nasal breather — including a low-cost breathing hack you can pick up at the corner store.

你睡覺的時候傾向于用嘴呼吸，這并不意味著你一定會在昏昏沉沉中醒來。專家們有一長串的方法可以讓你成為一個鼻呼吸者——包括一種低成本呼吸技巧，你可以在街角商店買到。

What causes nighttime mouth breathing?
夜間用嘴呼吸的原因是什么?

There is a long list of reasons why people breathe through their mouths at night, said Dr. Steven Park, a surgeon with a specialty in sleep medicine, and the host of the podcast, "Breathe Better, Sleep Better, Live Better."

睡眠醫(yī)學(xué)專業(yè)的外科醫(yī)生、播客“呼吸更好、睡眠更好、生活更好”的主持人史蒂文·帕克博士說，人們在夜間用嘴呼吸的原因有一長串。

"The most common reason is if your nose is stuffy," Park said. "From allergies, or if you have a deviated septum. Lots of medications can also cause nasal congestion."

“最常見的原因是鼻子不通氣，”帕克說。“因為過敏，或者你的鼻中隔彎曲。很多藥物也會導(dǎo)致鼻塞。”

Those problems are aggravated by lying down, he explained.

他解釋說，這些問題會因為躺下來而加劇。

"Generally when you lie down the blood vessels inside your nose fill up with blood," he said, explaining that the rush of blood causes swelling and constriction. If you can't breathe easily through your nose, you're likely to open your mouth for air, Park said.

“通常情況下，當你躺下的時候，你鼻子里的血管會充滿血液，”他解釋說，涌來的血液會導(dǎo)致腫脹和收縮。如果你無法通過鼻子輕松呼吸，你可能會張開嘴呼吸空氣，帕克說。

"You would think that if you open your mouth you would breathe better, but actually the reverse happens," he said. Opening your jaws causes the tongue to slump backward, obstructing your airway. "Even if you don't have sleep apnea, or you have mild sleep apnea, opening your mouth makes it much, much worse."

他說:“你可能認為張嘴呼吸會更好，但實際上恰恰相反。”張開你的下顎會導(dǎo)致舌頭向后塌陷，阻塞你的氣道。“即使你沒有睡眠呼吸暫停，或者你有輕微的睡眠呼吸暫停，張嘴呼吸會讓情況變得更糟。”

How do you know if you're mouth breathing at night? Many people, Park noted, are tipped off by a spouse or partner who notices that they're breathing through the mouth.

你怎么知道你是不是在晚上用嘴呼吸?帕克指出，很多人會從配偶或伴侶那里得知他們是用嘴呼吸的。

What can you do to fix it?

你能做什么來解決用嘴呼吸問題?

If you're tackling your nighttime mouth breathing, Park suggested you start by taking care of your nose to minimize congestion.

如果你正在控制夜間的用嘴呼吸，帕克建議你從照顧你的鼻子開始，盡量減少鼻塞。

"Number one, avoid eating close to bedtime," he said. That's because stomach juices can come up into your nose, sinuses, ears and mouth, causing congestion and inflammation.

“第一，睡前不要吃東西，”他說。這是因為胃液會進入你的鼻子、鼻竇、耳朵和嘴巴，導(dǎo)致鼻塞和炎癥。

Park also recommended nasal saline irrigation, flushing the nose with salt water in a squeeze bottle or neti pot. "That's a mild decongestant, because the salt water draws out clear water from the membrane," he explained.

帕克還建議用鹽水沖洗鼻子，用擠壓瓶或洗鼻壺里的鹽水沖洗鼻子。他解釋說:“這是一種溫和的解充血劑，因為鹽水會把膜上的清水吸走。”

But even if you get your nose to clear, nighttime mouth breathing can be a hard habit to break. That's led some to seek out products that secure their lips closed at night, such as Somnifix or Snorless strips.

但即使你的鼻子干凈了，夜間用嘴呼吸也是一個很難改掉的習慣。因此，一些人開始尋求夜間閉上嘴唇的產(chǎn)品，比如安眠藥或無鼾貼片。