Mouth breathers. Buteyko method. Question.

I am curious if anyone is familiar with Buteyko and the breathing methods taught in this approach. I just recently became aware of this approach to breathing and am interested in knowing if it has actually helped people who have used it. Thank you. -Chuck-

Any breathing method practised diligently and daily will help you with something. However breathing while asleep is under the control of a different part of your brain/body and often depends on the physical structure of your face, throat, nose and mouth.

Thank you for your insight, BlackSpinner. -Chuck-

I took a Buteyko workshop a few years ago, with the notion that it couldn't hurt, and could help. The workshop (which, if I recall correctly, met once a week with the instructor for a month) mostly consisted of people who have asthma.

The exercises focused a lot on stopping habitual mouth breathing, and always breathing through one's nose. I believe that the principle is that many people with asthma get into the habit of frequently hyperventilating as an understandable response to feelings of shortness of breath and suffocating. The exercises included practicing a "control pause" to hold one's breath for longer periods, but NOT mouth breathing afterward.

Other exercises included techniques to help reduce nasal congestion, again with the aim that one should always breath through one's nose and avoid mouth-breathing. The Buteyko instructor explained that mouth breathing that includes hyperventilating reduces carbon dioxide levels, which in turn reduces the respiratory drive to breath, leading to an over- and under-breathing pattern too often.

For me, as the only workshop attendee who was there for sleep apnea, the instructor (who was very nice) instructed me to tape my mouth shut at night until I was no longer mouth-breathing. Since I don't use full-face masks (I prefer nasal pillows), of course, that was decent advice, though perhaps not too different from using a chin strap.

The Buteyko exercises helped focus my attention on the value and importance of nasal breathing. As Blackspinner said, breathing exercises can be helpful, but breathing while asleep is normally not under our conscious control (and, of course, a goal of CPAP is to keep it that way!). Buteyko is certainly no silver bullet for treating sleep apnea in my experience. But it is conceivable that having apneas might lead, even unconsciously, to some of the same hyperventilating habits suffered by asthmatics, and it struck me that Buteyko could serve as a helpful practice for overall breathing habits. By the way, there is an interview on Dr. Steven Park's "Breath Better, Sleep Better" podcast on "Buteyko Breathing with Patrick Mckeown" (Apr. 27, 2013) that you may find interesting.

Thank you, freddyb, for that information. -Chuck-

I am not a mouth breather, but I tend to have a nasal congestion, particularly when lying down.

My yoga instructor explained something similar to Buteyko's: a lot of people develop a bad of habit of over-breathing (hyperventilation) mainly due to exposure to chronic psychological stress. She said many health issues could be fixed or alleviated with simple and regular breathing exercises: deep slow inhaling (NEVER through the mouth) with your stomach, a short pause, and loooong exhaling, from stomach first, then - lungs, until some mild degree of suffocation, some 20 mins daily. Relaxation is important, too. She said such a exercise aims to re-train brain to establish correct breathing pattern over time.

Similarly, here is a quote from a site selling Buteyko training material:
Your automatic breathing pattern is flexible and can change – which is why you weren't born with chronic loud snoring or with sleep apnea, but instead it developed over a period of time

There is a large number or previous threads about this matter.
search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&keywords=%2Bb ... &start=165
There will be a pop quiz next Tuesday.

Do you have any more details about what kind of myofunctional therapy you tried? I'm seeing a practitioner now (after speaking about it with my sleep apnea surgery doctor). I'd like to know what techniques you found helpful. Thanks

sleepy4466 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:24 pm

Do you have any more details about what kind of myofunctional therapy you tried? I'm seeing a practitioner now (after speaking about it with my sleep apnea surgery doctor). I'd like to know what techniques you found helpful. Thanks

pls note this is an old thread. but at least chuck has been here last in sept of this year, so who knows?

or maybe someone else will see this and respond.

if i had info for you, i'd share.

alas, i remain ignorant.

The whole Buteyko thing has been shown to be nonsense... don't waste your time.

sleepy4466 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:24 pm

Do you have any more details about what kind of myofunctional therapy you tried? I'm seeing a practitioner now (after speaking about it with my sleep apnea surgery doctor). I'd like to know what techniques you found helpful. Thanks

What are you trying to address?

zonker wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:03 pm

. . . at least chuck has been here last in sept of this year, so who knows?. . .

The one thing we DO know is that it hasn't killed him yet.
YET.

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 5:12 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:03 pm

. . . at least chuck has been here last in sept of this year, so who knows?. . .

The one thing we DO know is that it hasn't killed him yet.
YET.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 4:41 pm

sleepy4466 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:24 pm

Do you have any more details about what kind of myofunctional therapy you tried? I'm seeing a practitioner now (after speaking about it with my sleep apnea surgery doctor). I'd like to know what techniques you found helpful. Thanks

What are you trying to address?

I have early awakening insomnia. When i should get large chunks of interrupted REM in the morning, I instead just wake up early and can't get back to bed. It's realated to on-going apnea, but some days i get better REM than others