𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬.

When the dentist mentioned that my daughter would 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, I honestly didn’t believe him. Infact my husband suggested I try it too, but I wasn't sure of his intentions.

𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈? 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚?

But the curious parent in me (and the psychologist) had to find out more and what I discovered completely changed how I think about learning and behaviour in the classroom.

𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈:

1. 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬.

It’s not just a physical habit - it can shift brain function. Children who habitually breathe through their mouths may struggle with concentration, memory, and even emotional regulation.

2. 𝐈𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

Fatigue, restlessness, lack of attention - these can sometimes be signs of poor oxygen intake from mouth breathing, not just behavioural issues or learning disorders.

3. 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 = 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲.

The nose filters, humidifies, and boosts oxygen intake. When kids skip that route, it can leave them drained and distracted.

Since we started encouraging nasal breathing at home, 𝑰 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒕, 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔.

She doesn’t tape her mouth anymore she wears braces now but I've started taping mine and I wake up feeling more rested and clear-headed.

𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 - 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Small changes in awareness can make a big difference in the classroom.