[theatraine]

I've been experimenting with mouth taping recently. When I'm able to use it effectively it does result in a much more restful sleep and my blood pressure seems to be lower the next day. I believe that the lowered blood pressure is due to the enhanced nitric oxide absorbed (it's produced in the sinuses). Unfortunately I'm frequently congested so it's difficult to do this without the use of a decongestant.

[tempaccount472]

You're on the right track. To go further, I suggest reading "How to Breathe: The symptoms If You Get It Wrong, and How To Fix It" or "The Oxygen Advantage". Best wishes.

[rv-de]

After having read "The Oxygen Advantage" about a month ago I haven't slept a single night without taping my mouth. I definitely feel a positive influence.

[pstuart]

You may want to explore using a neti pot for that.

[agumonkey]

and don't forget to sterlize the device and liquids

[neodypsis]

Yes. Beware of using unsterilized liquids. Recently, there was a case of a woman who died of a brain-eating amoeba because of this [0]. I would prefer to use something akin to Stérimar [1].

[0] https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/07/health/seattle-brain-amoe... [1] http://www.sterimarnasal.co.uk/about-sterimar

[loceng]

Do you eat dairy, soy, and/or bananas? They're all very high mucous producing foods and can impact breathing significantly.

[vageli]

Dairy products do not cause an increase in mucus production but can cause a thickening of phlegm [0]

[0]: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/e...

(there are numerous studies supporting the lack of an increase in mucus due to dairy which can be found by searching "milk mucus increase")

[loceng]

This statement is a bit confusing; "Phlegm is a slightly different substance. It's a form of mucus produced by the lower airways — not by the nose and sinuses — in response to inflammation. You may not notice phlegm unless you cough it up as a symptom of bronchitis or pneumonia;" searched "mucus vs. phlegm" on Google.

Therefore isn't a thickening of phlegm (a form of mucus) an increase in quantity, therefore we can say it increases?

The doctor who wrote the response in your link is saying "Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold. Although drinking milk may make phlegm thicker and more irritating to your throat than it would normally be, milk doesn't cause your body to make more phlegm. In fact, frozen dairy products can soothe a sore throat and provide calories when you otherwise may not eat."

However as we just read: "Phlegm ... is a form of mucus produced by the lower airways — not by the nose and sinuses" - so it can't be a "Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold."

So is the doctor wrong? Is Google's top result wrong with its "mucus vs. phlegm" answer?

Also that link you provided links to no scientific research. The quick search I did on other scientific research, the methods don't seem too sound for controls - likewise if mucus production is caused by inflammation - if that person is only removing say dairy from their diet, however their body already has significant or "maximum" inflammation (leading to them producing their maximum amount of mucus they otherwise would) then they're not going to have an increase simply by adding another inflammatory factor, unless they reduce inflammation "completely" first.

[vageli]

After looking into it a little more, I'm inclined to agree with you just because I couldn't get any definitive definition on the distinction between phlegm and mucus.

> Therefore isn't a thickening of phlegm (a form of mucus) an increase in quantity, therefore we can say it increases?

I don't necessarily agree with this. You can change the viscosity of water by adding gelatin, but you didn't add more water to make it thicker.

But I am most certainly not a doctor and I realize I have no idea what exactly phlegm is!

[djtriptych]

Can you link to any supporting research on this?

I'm not sure it's true, at least not generally.