Fatigue and Oxygen

Obviously, humans need oxygen; that fact isn't lost on us, but often, the factors that get in the way of getting good oxygen are overlooked. A few well-known causes of fatigue, like anemia and iron deficiency, are oxygen problems, even though we don't think of them that way, but there are less common issues as well.

Iron Deficiency, Carbon Monoxide, and Fatigue

Iron deficiency makes people tired because iron is the part of your blood that carries oxygen to your brain and other cells. Iron is what the oxygen bonds to. So it isn't the lack of iron itself that causes symptoms; it's the inability to carry enough oxygen.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a similar problem, because it bonds to the iron in your blood, limiting the amount of oxygen that can be carried. So technically, these are both oxygenation problems. We've discussed both iron deficiency and carbon monoxide in other posts so I won't get into it again, but it's important to know that all of these oxygen related issues have a common core.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is the classic oxygen-related sleep problem. Sleep apnea happens when something interferes with your breathing during the night and causes you to wake up briefly, even if you're unaware, to get your breath. The most common early sleep apnea symptoms are snoring and waking up feeling unrested.

There are two types of apena, called central and peripheral. Central is harder to work with because, in this situation, the brain forgets to send breathing signals occasionally. It can still be treated with a CPAP machine, but other lifestyle modifications don't have much effect. Peripheral sleep apnea happens because swollen or saggy tissue in the throat or sinuses blocks the airways momentarily, or excess weight puts too much burden on the muscles you use to breathe. Peripheral apnea can be reversed with dental devices, weight loss, and occasionally surgery. Failing those, both types of apnea are treated with a CPAP machine, which enriches the air with extra oxygen.

Allergies, Sinuses, and Fatigue

As with sleep apnea, if your airways are inflamed, swollen, or mucusy, that also leads to a low-oxygen internal environment. Chronic sinus infections, allergies, and asthma are huge culprits in deficient fatigue, and working to treat these will boost your sleep quality and daytime energy outside of sleep as you get plenty of fresh oxygen to your brain.

Mouth Breathing, Night-Time Oxygenation and Fatigue

This is where we hit the meat of today's talk, because as we age, many of us mouth breathe at night, often unknowingly, but this causes a hit to our nighttime oxygenation and our daytime energy levels. All sorts of things can cause mouth breathing. Sinus issues, allergies, colds, deviated septum, enlarged adenoids, unusual sleep positions, asthma, and even habits. Most people who breathe predominantly through their mouth at night aren't aware of it. Some signs that it might be a thing you do include dry mouth or chapped lips when you wake up, bad breath, snoring, or drool on the pillow. Your partner might notice that you mouth breathe, but they might not. It is often unobtrusive and difficult to notice because you may switch back and forth between breathing through your mouth and your nose during the night.

Why, you might ask, is this such a big deal, because mouth breathing is still breathing, right? There is still airflow. That is true, but we are designed to breathe through our noses to help optimize air for maximum oxygen transfer in the lungs. When you breathe through your nose, three things happen to the air that don't happen when you breathe through your mouth. Those are:

1. Your nasal passages have tiny hairs called cilia that trap and filter allergens, pollution, and other particles, which helps reduce lower airway irritation and inflammation. Your mouth doesn't have such protection.

2. Your nose has bony structures called turbinates that moisten the air you breathe, making it friendlier to your lung tissue. Mouth breathing loses a lot of the moisture that helps your lungs to function optimally.

3. Your throat and lungs are designed for warm air. Your nose and sinuses are designed to allow air to warm up before it passes into the lungs, where it doesn't have as much of an opportunity to do that when you breathe through your mouth.

   
   

These differences add up to a significant reduction in oxygen transfer to the blood when you breathe through your mouth compared to when you breathe through your nose.

How To Fix Mouth Breathing At Night

The simplest option to fix nighttime mouth breathing is mouth taping. Taping your mouth shut at night sounds odd, but it forces you to breathe through your nose. Obviously, this only works out if your nose is clear enough to breathe through; otherwise it's just a really bizarre way to suffocate yourself. There are dozens of mouth tape strips available, but any sensitive-skin, gentle removal medical tape will work. Just a small piece in the center of your mouth from top to bottom is enough.

The medical tape isn't strong enough to stop you from opening your mouth if needed. If you need to open your mouth to breathe and there isn't any danger, but it does feel odd. The first few times I used mouth tape, I felt like a lunatic. Opportunities for hilarity aside, it can improve your sleep quality and help you feel rested.

Another alternative is a chin strap, chin bib, or chin hammock-type device that hooks over your ears and holds your mouth closed overnight. It's as silly looking as it sounds, but just like the tape, it helps you get a good night's sleep and wake feeling rested.

If there is a serious sinus blockage, sometimes surgery is the answer because it can help to clear a deviated septum, remove swollen, enlarged, or infected adenoids, and otherwise remove physical obstacles to airflow.

So yes, we all know we need oxygen to function, but when you go to your doctor's office and tell them you're tired, they might not think of mouth breathing. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen today, and if you try mouth taping, let me know how it goes in the comments!