The nose is an amazing structure and does far more than just smell and taste things. It is a vital sensory organ that is constantly monitoring the environment to help you adapt to your surroundings and stay healthy. One of the warning signs of inflammation in the brain is a loss of smell and is also one of the early signs of Alzheimer’s.
Each nostril has different functions and they are slightly more open and closed throughout the day. When your right nostril is more open and air is passing through it, the following bodily functions increase: circulation, body temperature, cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate. Breathing through your right nostril activates the fight or flight part of your Autonomic Nervous System. Inhaling through your left nostril does the opposite and activates the rest-digest-repair side of your nervous system which lowers blood pressure, body temperature and reduces anxiety.
The healthy function of all parts of your body and its ability to self-heal is controlled by the Autonomic nervous system. This part of your nervous system is located in your brainstem at the base of your skull and within the first bone in your neck, the Atlas! This is something that we analyse at each of your Chiropractic checkups because if that bone gets too far out of alignment it can have serious negative health consequences.
Just like you have the ability to control your muscles and get stronger through exercise, you can also exercise your Autonomic nervous system to get healthier and nose breathing is one way to do it!
When you breathe in through your nostrils, the air is warmed, cleaned and slowed down so the lungs can extract more oxygen with each breathe. Nose breathing also boosts nitric oxide which is important in circulation and getting oxygen to your cells. This is why nose breathing is far healthier than mouth breathing. Too many people these days are mouth breathers, snore and are diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Mouth breathing changes the way your body functions and transforms your airways for the worse. It weakens the muscles at the back of the mouth and causes there to be less space for the air to get in to your lungs, making breathing more difficult. Nose breathing has the opposite effect improving the tone of the muscles and soft tissues and widening the air ways to make breathing easier. Mouth breathing also causes the body to lose 40% more water!
The good news is that with practice, you can train your body to switch from unhealthy mouth breathing to nose breathing!
First off, most people breathe too fast. This reduces the oxygen available to your tissues and decreases blood flow to your brain. The faster you breathe the more CO2 you breathe out, which is a metabolic waste product, but you need to have enough CO2 in your blood to get oxygen to your tissues. Do an experiment and time yourself to see how many breathes you take in a minute. Research shows that an optimal level is 5.5 breathes per minute. Most people breathe way faster.
How To breathe healthier
Start by making a conscious effort to breathe with your mouth closed. Your tongue should sit at the roof of your mouth and you should breathe in slowly through your nose expanding your belly and chest and then without a pause slowly and fully exhale.
Time and repetition is important in the creation of any new habit. Set 5 minutes aside every day and practice nose breathing slowly. Inhale to a count of 5.5 seconds and exhale for 5.5 seconds. Breathing fully at this rate equals 5.5 breathes per minute!
Keep breathing!
Dr. Thom