N O S E B R E A T H I N G

WHY IS BREATHING THROUGH YOUR NOSE SO MUCH BETTER FOR YOU THAN MOUTH BREATHING?

 “A medical chest specialist is long-winded about the short–winded”  -Kenneth T. Bird 

Our nose is not only a smelling but also a complex breathing organ. We can take in enough oxygen breathing through our nose to adequately supply O2 for all of our organs, especially our muscles and our brain to function properly. Nasal breathing make us use our diaphragm, expand the volume of our lungs and promotes better O2 exchange. Additionally, to smell, we must breathe through our nose to pick up odor producing molecules in the air and bring them to the odor receptors in our nasal passages. Unpleasant or putrid odors warn us about spoiled foods or danger in our environment so that we could react to it properly, sometimes by gagging or feeling nauseous. Yet pleasant odors increase our enjoyment of whatever we are doing.

Our nose and nasal passages contain many hair follicles that filter the air when we inhale through our nose. They also contain nasal secretions that add moisture to the air we inhale. Our nasal passages also warm the air before it reaches our lungs. Additionally, our nasal passages contain numerous friendly and beneficial bacteria, which are similar kinds that live in our bronchial trees. Our nose is also connected to our sinuses and middle ears to regulate atmospheric pressure in these organs for better hearing. Our nose adds resonance to our voice.

Now let’s summarize what happens when we breath in and out through our mouth, which promotes shallow breathing and uses chest muscles. It usually happens when we sleep. All of the above mentioned advantages of nasal breathing disappear, additionally our mouth dries out and we snore.  Different bacterial populations that live in our oral cavity reach our lungs with mouth breathing and in the long run could cause chronic bronchitis, asthma or sometimes even a lung abscess. Dry mouth promotes gum disease and dental cavities and bad breath.

It becomes very obvious that mouth breathing is not good for us. In the long run, it causes many health problems and even cognitive impairment. It is interesting to note that almost all autistic children have jawbone deformities and breathe with their mouths open.

In an interesting research study done by Japanese scientists, they obstructed the nostrils of a group of newborn rats for two weeks to see if it affected their brain development. They noticed that the nostril obstructed rodents needed twice as long time to navigate a maze, in comparison to control group. Autopsy studies later showed that the nostril obstructed rats’ brain development and neural synaptic connections were much less than the control group.

Therefore, if you are a mouth breather, you must train yourself to become a nose breather to improve and protect your lungs, your health and your mind. This can be achieved by doing the following:

1.    Be mindful of your breathing during the daytime. Close your lips and breathe slow and deep through your nose by using your diaphragm. Rapid and shallow mouth breathing uses neck and chest muscles and are not very good to supply O2 for the body.

2.    Train yourself to use your diaphragm for breathing. Lie on your back, breathe in slowly and deeply, through your nose as your diaphragm contracts and your belly raises but your chest remains quiet. Then let your diaphragm relax while exhaling through your pursed lips. Do this exercise for 5 minutes or so every day. This will make you to train yourself to use your diaphragm for breathing.

3.    Tape your mouth shut with a special adhesive strip (like somnifix) every night to force youself to use your nose to breathe. Of course you must make sure that your nose and nasal passages are normal, and wide open before doing this.

4.    If you snore, train yourself to sleep on your side, not on your back.  Sleeping on your back promotes snoring.

PS: Journal watch: How long should people with C severe OVID-19 infection be treated withRemdesivir?( N Engl  J Med )

 5 days is as good as 10 days. This is good to know, because Remdesivir is in short supply and very expensive.