[SkepticalDebunker (OP)]

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DIY+snoring+cure+killed+man+of+26%3B+Tampons+put+up+nose.-a061333426

The coroner, Michael Burgess, concluded that he suffocated in his sleep mainly because he was unable to breathe through his nose, which was blocked (by tampons).

Every medical website I can find says that people can breathe through their mouth, which contradicts the articles.

Which is true? These two things directly contradict the other.

[alancalverd]

Yes and no! Chronic sleep apnea  (signalled by persistent loud snoring) is associated with cardiovascular insufficiency and symptomatic heart disease, and mouth breathing can be obstructed when unconscious (hence the need to clear the tongue when starting artificial respiration) so it is quite possible that the guy may indeed have suffocated, particularly if he had taken any sedative medication (including alcohol) that suppressed his gag reflex. 

So it's quite likely to be an indirect effect of acute nasal restriction exacerbating a chronic condition. There are plenty of cases where chronic apnea is associated with sudden death when asleep, but the opinion varies as to precise causality.

 

[SkepticalDebunker (OP)]

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12117183.man-dies-in-bid-to-stop-his-snoring/

If you believe that humans can breathe through their mouth during sleep, then why do you think the coroner said the tampons in his nostrils contributed to him suffocating during sleep?

He went to bed after the tampons were put up his nose, so he would've been breathing through his mouth as he drifted off to sleep.

[paul cotter]

Yes indeed, man can breath through his/her mouth while asleep but problems can arise, particularly in an obese individual: the muscles of the neck, and the soft palate tend to flop in such a way to obstruct breathing. Normally the resulting anoxia will waken the individual and breathing is resumed. If however a sedative has been taken awakening may not occur and death ensues. PS you have already opened a similar thread and it would have been better to follow up on the existing thread rather than opening a new one. 

[Petrochemicals]

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/snoring/mouth-taping-for-sleep

[paul cotter]

Petro, that's utterly crazy and downright irresponsible. Block one's mouth and then if the nose becomes blocked, one dies.

[Petrochemicals]

Petro, that's utterly crazy and downright irresponsible. Block one's mouth and then if the nose becomes blocked, one dies.

Or wakes up. Many TV presenters are espousing its virtues.

[paul cotter]

Well Petro, if you want to take your advice from tv presenters and other so called "celebrities", influencers, etc, you are travelling down a cul-de -sac of error. Blocking your mouth at night is absolutely 100% a disastrous idea, ask any medic.

[alancalverd]

Blocking the mouths of TV presenters is a public service. It should be applied rigorously to priests and politicians.

[alancalverd]

why do you think the coroner said the tampons in his nostrils contributed to him suffocating during sleep?

Possibly because he is a qualified doctor who knows what he is talking about, or a solicitor who took the trouble to ask a pathologist or ENT surgeon.

[Origin]

If you believe that humans can breathe through their mouth during sleep, then why do you think the coroner said the tampons in his nostrils contributed to him suffocating during sleep?

Well I guess the safest thing to do, SkepticalDebunker, is to not take sleeping pills, then get drunk, then stuff tampons up your nose and then fall asleep.  If you avoid that series of actions you don't need to worry.  Now relax and take a deep breath...

[SkepticalDebunker (OP)]

why do you think the coroner said the tampons in his nostrils contributed to him suffocating during sleep?

Possibly because he is a qualified doctor who knows what he is talking about, or a solicitor who took the trouble to ask a pathologist or ENT surgeon.

Okay, but how could tampons in your nose contribute to you suffocating during sleep? So far nobody has been able to give an answer to that.

[Origin]

Okay, but how could tampons in your nose contribute to you suffocating during sleep? So far nobody has been able to give an answer to that.

Don't worry about it, just keep those darn tampons out of your nostrils and you'll be fine.  Now get out there and have a relaxing day.

[alancalverd]

Okay, but how could tampons in your nose contribute to you suffocating during sleep? So far nobody has been able to give an answer to that.

See reply #1 above.

[paul cotter]

Good points there, Alan, thank you. By the way, I always thought tampons were for , lets say, a different orifice?? Then again, what do I know!!

[SkepticalDebunker (OP)]

Turns out that scientists and doctors have proven that the Mark Gleeson story has been made up. Humans breathe through their mouths if they can't breathe through their nose. Nobody's died from a blocked nose. There's not a single case of it reported on NIH or in medical journals.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9498581/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9498537/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4593528/

https://www.kaplansinusrelief.com/blog/stuffy-nose-cant-breathe/

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/mouth-breathing

[Origin]

Turns out that scientists and doctors have proven that the Mark Gleeson story has been made up. Humans breathe through their mouths if they can't breathe through their nose. Nobody's died from a blocked nose. There's not a single case of it reported on NIH or in medical journals.

I'm glad you worked that out for yourself!   

[alancalverd]

From sleepfoundation.org

Although uncommon, it is possible to die during sleep from untreated obstructive sleep apnea. Observational research has found that OSA increases a person?s risk of sudden death. This risk is believed to be higher in people of older age, in people with a critical illness, and in people with severe OSA.

Most of the time pauses in breathing from obstructive sleep apnea are just temporary. When changes in respiration cause oxygen levels to drop, a person partially awakens in order to restore breathing. However, there are rare reports of people dying because of an inability to properly reinitiate breathing.

When OSA is not treated, it can also interfere with the normal functions of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. This may provoke abnormalities in a person?s heart rhythms and other problems that can cause sudden cardiac death.

[paul cotter]

Add in the reduction of respiratory drive caused by alcohol or a sedative and the grim reaper appears.