Oxygenation and airway development (outside of orthodontics)

I’m no expert on this and have done very little research, but for what it’s worth my theory is that even if your airway is very narrow, you can still avoid OSA if you can manage to prevent your tongue from relaxing back into your airway. Proper tongue posture, closed mouth, and breathing through your nose could help this. Trying to tape your mouth shut, put in nasal dilators to help open nasal passageways, and try sleeping on your back. You could sleep on your side and avoid the the tongue relaxing into airway, but I believe this can cause asymmetrical growth of the face in one or the other direction. Of course this might not work for everyone but I think it’d be worth trying before more advanced treatments like surgery or even CPAP, which according to Dr. Mew can pull you maxilla back even more.

Posted by: darkindigo

To be clear, I know that every hour or so one nostril (or area behind) is breathed through more then it switches the other hour or so (time estimates)… this is true, though.  I heard this directly in conversing with an Oral and Maxiofacial surgeon.  I had not known that.  It all changes over time.  I wouldn’t get too hung up on one side being more congested… as this is expected & normal.  Check later in the day, and it’ll have already changed.  I think the main thing with Buteyko is traing our body’s default breath patterns.

 

I have heard this too, but my own experience has led me to dismiss it. Ideally both nostrils would be open enough to allow comfortable air flow at all times. I use congestion as a guide: when the airflow of one nostril is hindered, I know that my posture is not allowing that side of the face to expand sufficiently. The spine may not be fully extended,  head may not be in neutral tilt, the tongue may not be generating enough pressure against that side. Fixing these will usually open the congested nostril. 

How does the CPAP machine harm?