Mouth Breathing vs Nasal Breathing: How Breathing Patterns Impact Sleep Quality

If you wake up feeling groggy, foggy, or like you’ve had a few drinks last night (when you actually didn’t) how you breathe during sleep could be causing this.

As part of our expert series we spoke with breathwork expert Níall Ó Murchú. Níall has practiced breathwork for over 23 years, is a best selling author and has trained 1,000’s of breathwork instructors in his community The Blissful Breathwork Academy.

We learned about the role breathing patterns play in sleep quality and ultimately how you feel on a day to day basis. If you’re waking up feeling tired, mouth breathing is very likely playing a role in disrupting your sleep.

Encouraging nasal breathing during sleep is key to improving sleep quality, ensuring that you wake up feeling refreshed.

Why Nasal Breathing Matters for Sleep Quality

Our noses were created for us to breathe through, so it’s important that we use them. When we breathe through our nose air is:

• Filtered to remove dust and allergens
• Humidified before reaching the lungs
• Warmed to support respiratory efficiency

Nasal breathing also supports nitric oxide production in the nasal passages, which helps improve oxygen delivery and circulation efficiency during sleep. When oxygen is delivered effectively to our bodies overnight, we can wake the next morning often feeling like a different person.

How Mouth Breathing Can Impact How You Feel In The Morning

As Níall explains,

“People don't realise, but from mouth breathing they were waking up feeling like they had a hangover.”

Mouth breathing at night is linked to snoring, dry mouth, and disrupted sleep all of which stop you from getting the deep, restorative rest your body needs. So even if you’re in bed for eight hours, you can still wake up feeling tired, foggy, and dehydrated. Many people think that’s just “normal sleep”, when in reality their breathing pattern is quietly working against them every single night.

Long-Term Adaptation: Can Breathing Patterns Change The Airway?

Níall also references one of our favourite books Breathe by James Nestor (which we highly recommend you read). Throughout the book Nestor discusses how breathing habits can influence airway development and structure over time. Nestor suggests that consistent nasal breathing may support healthier airway function and facial structure development, while chronic mouth breathing may be associated with narrower airways and reduced nasal capacity.

How Mouth Tape Helps Encourage Nasal Breathing During Sleep

As we sleep we can often subconsciously start mouth breathing. This is something that is out of our control, but that’s why we have mouth tape. Naze Tape gently closes the mouth and allows us to nasal breathe all night.

When you use Naze Tape expect to notice the following results:

• Decreased snoring
• Reduced dry mouth
• Improved sleep quality

We created comfortable, high quality, hypoallergenic tape to give you the night’s sleep you deserve.