Nasal Breathing

Ashley Richmond -

Hello!

Welcome to Monday.

Today we’re talking about why you should be breathing through your nose and not your mouth.

Importance

“No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.” - James Nestor

Learning to breathe properly is crucial if we want to improve our health. And a great place to start is with nasal breathing.

Mouth breathing can lead to:

  • Increased feelings of anxiety
  • Increased blood pressure and heart rate
  • A chronically activated sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system
  • A cramped mouth and crooked teeth
  • Fatigue

Nasal breathing, on the other hand, has myriad benefits:

  • Increased efficiency of oxygen uptake: Breathing through your nose drives oxygen into the lower lobes of the lungs, meaning all 5 lobes are utilized rather than just the top 2, and the air stays in the lungs for longer, increasing the efficiency of oxygen uptake.
  • Increased parasympathetic activation: The lower lobes of the lungs have more parasympathetic nerve receptors that calm the body and mind, compared to the upper lobes of the lungs which trigger sympathetic symptoms such as our fight or flight reaction.
  • More carbon dioxide expelled: As air drives into the lower lobes of the lungs where there is more blood, carbon dioxide is taken out of the blood more effectively.
  • The lymph system flows more effectively: Nasal breathing leads to full activation of the ribcage which helps with lymph flow. This is important as unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymph system doesn’t have its own pump and relies on the action of our muscles to pump lymph around the body.
  • Decreased breathing and heart rate: Nasal breathing leads to a reduction in the number of breaths taken as well as a decrease in heart rate, which is crucial for good health.
  • Increased alpha brain waves: Breathing through the nose increases alpha brain waves. These are the brain waves that lead to increased concentration and focus.
  • More fat burned: Nasal breathing during exercise increases fat burning compared with breathing through the mouth. Turning fat into energy requires oxygen, and because nasal breathing increases the efficiency of oxygen uptake, we are able to burn more fat.

Implementation

  • Increase your awareness of how you are breathing throughout the day. Regularly check in and notice when you are mouth breathing, and try to switch to nasal breathing.
  • Use mouth tape at night to ensure you’re only breathing through your nose (or during the day too if no one is around!).
  • Try nasal breathing during exercise or any time when your heart rate is elevated. You need to start slow, and only work with what you can handle. It might take weeks to build up a tolerance, but it will be worth it.

Tip: Exercise at a pace that allows you to keep breathing through your nose. If you feel yourself wanting to take a breath through your mouth, slow down until you’re comfortable again. You can slowly increase your pace each week until you can nasal breathe at the full pace of whatever exercise it is you’re doing.