There aren’t many topics that put people to sleep as well as talking about breathing, yet it's a topic that is far more important than most people realize. Over 50% of individuals diagnosed with ADHD are mouth breathers, and there is a reason why these are connected (Barakat, 2018). In my own experience, more than 95% of the students that I support are mouth breathers. Studies have shown that nasal breathing is significantly more effective than mouth breathing, improving oxygen exchange and boosting oxygen levels in the blood by up to 18%, thanks to nitric oxide produced in the nasal passages that helps the brain and body use oxygen more effectively (Lundberg et al., 1995; Eser et al., 2024). Could this be related to why those that display symptoms of ADHD have such challenges accessing their pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain where learning and much of problem solving take place (De La Fuente et al., 2013)? Access to the pre-frontal cortex is often related to blood flow in the brain. There is also ample research that mouth breathing during exertion actually increases fatigue (Dallam & Kies, 2020). It is no wonder then, that professional athletes focus on nose breathing to increase performance.  

I didn’t think much of breathing through my mouth or my nose until about 2 years ago when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I tried a couple of the C-Pap machines and would inevitably rip all the wires out at night, waking up snoring as usual. I then moved onto a mouth guard to hold my airway open. This was helpful, but my sleep quality didn’t improve and my jaw was often sore. I stumbled across a few articles on lip taping and decided to try that technique. I found that my quality of sleep drastically improved by more than 35%. I also tracked my gum/dental health and found that my gum health also improved. I found this interesting so I started to do some research.

I wondered if her learning to breathe through her nose could help her ADHD symptoms.  I started to collect more research. I stumbled across some interesting methods that included ways to correct the mouth alignment called mewing, techniques for alkalizing the body to increase healing with the Wim Hof Method, techniques to warm the body called Teemu, and even ways to access increased energy reserves and increase the release of growth hormones called the candelini. All of this, in just some varied breathing techniques. 

I thought back to my undergraduate days where I worked as a research assistant in a portable office on the University of Guam campus, where I was surrounded by human skulls and the loud whirring of the air conditioning unit. There was no sunlight piercing the thick blinds and the overhead lights would buzz away the hours. Not my favorite research post as I poured through journal articles and research documents looking up mandible size to enter into my graphs. I often wondered why the jaws of prehistoric man were so much larger than today. Today we know that prehistoric man did not suffer from crooked teeth, sleep apnea, or even the extreme dental issues we see nowadays.  Unfortunately, our evolution and lack of mandible use has actually created a breathing problem that has led to medical and behavioral challenges.

Further research showed that most humans don’t breathe efficiently or even correctly. I also found that humans are considered the only living thing to have crooked teeth.  Clearly those researchers have never met an English Bulldog. I actually had a bully that had a tooth growing in the roof of its mouth, the poor thing.

How can these varied breathing practices help to alleviate anxiety, depression and ADHD symptoms?

This is critical to the work I do as most of my students experience symptoms in at least one of these areas. Most of my students have a trauma history but they also experience anxiety, depression, or ADHD. When I look at how these individuals breathe it’s usually in the upper portion of their lungs through their mouth and they take short quick breaths. This amps up the nervous system and makes it more likely to push them into a state of flight/fight/freeze/feign. I have also noted over the past 20 years that many of those that I work with catch colds quite easily. Their attendance at school may be stellar but they don’t seem to feel well a large portion of the time.

I know I am much more aware of when I am breathing through my mouth and I often self correct as soon as I start to breath through my mouth. I even spend time each day stretching and taking deep breaths into my lower abdomen. Over the years, I’ve noticed that my posture has changed and I tend to slouch, which sometimes makes it feel like I can’t get enough air. That could be due to decreased space in my lung capacity. I know this is challenging for many, and a trick I use is to audibly breathe beside someone - this works because the individual will automatically pick up on my breathing rhythm and try to mirror it. Sometimes I even do back-to-back breathing to demonstrate a breathing rhythm that is more beneficial for their system. The breath can take you to so many places so experiment with it and let it take you to a better place!