Have you remembered to breathe....?

We do it around 25,000 times a day but how many of us actual breathe properly? The majority of people are actually thought to breathe dysfunctionally. In fact, the more I looked into breathing, the more I realised I definitely DO NOT breathe very well.

Why breathe through our noses?

Many of us (myself included until recently) haven't put much thought into how much more beneficial nasal breathing is for our health, compared to mouth breathing.

The nose filters the air, trapping certain particles and reducing the risk of microbes and allergens reaching the lungs. This can decrease the chance of developing colds, allergic reactions or even flu. The nose warms the air, enhancing oxygen absorption and circulation while retaining moisture, preventing dryness in the lungs and bronchial tubes.

On the other hand, chronic mouth breathing can lead to detrimental health effects, including:

🍃tooth decay and gum disease🍃difficulty swallowing🍃change in jaw shape🍃

Lifestyle and breathing

These days, we spend 90% of our time indoors , mostly sitting in a way which is not conducive to health breathing. Maybe slouched on a sofa or comfy chair, looking down at our phones or laptop screens. Add to that pollutants, allergens, chemicals around the home, tight clothes...

The consequences

Poor breathing is contributing to soaring rates of sleep apnea, chronic nasal obstruction, anxiety, panic attacks. asthma, depression, headaches, hypertension and autoimmune diseases. (Are you suddenly breathing better while reading this?! As I am certainly very conscious while writing it!).

The good news is that we can improve this. Controlling breathing has been embedded in ancient practices across the world. It's just time more of us started to embrace at least a small fraction of these practices in our daily life.

The evidence

Let's look at an experiment carried out a few years back, at Stanford University's Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Centre, under Dr Jayakar Nayak, its chief of rhinology research. James Nestor (bestselling author of 'Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art) participated along with Anders Olsson (Swedish breathing expert, author and founder of Conscious Breathing (consciousbreathing.com)) in a comparison between nasal and mouth breathing.

For 10 days, both men blocked their noses with silicone plugs and breathed purely through their mouths. They monitored their breathing, heart rates, snoring and sleep, while going about normal life, eating, socialising and running.

For the following 10 days, they did their best to breathe almost exclusively through their mouths.

What happened when they switched to mouth breathing? Both began snoring, both developed sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is linked to various health issues, including heart disease, increased rate of cancer, depression and dementia, and the reduced oxygen intake can effect IQ and behaviour. Nestor described 'nagging fatigue, irritation, testiness and anxiety'. Both men's blood pressures soared as did their stress hormones. And Nestor developed a full blown sinus infection!

Don't worry, when they switched back, the snoring disappear, their blood pressure dropped and Nestor even said he experienced 'soaring feelings of vitality'.

We don't need to complicate it.

Absolutely, you could try taping your mouth at night. I'm actually curious to try this. I've heard people say it has changed their lives and that they have woken each day with higher energy, ready to go.

You could take 3 minutes each day to sit comfortable, or lie on the floor and do a breathing exercise. Breathe in slowly through your nose, filling your abdomen, then chest, then neck. Then slowly exhale while counting out to 10. Repeat for a minimum of 3 minutes. I'm reliably informed that benefits fully kick in after a few weeks of practice.

You could get an app, to practice focused breathing 2-3 times a day.

Or you could even just be more aware. Practice the above breathing exercise while waiting at traffic lights. While waiting for the kettle to boil. While the washing machine is doing the thing where it says it only has 1 minute left but actually takes 3...

Curious to try mouth taping? Get your tape here: https://amzn.to/3PMkhZQ

Happy Breathing,