Is Nasal Breathing Magic???
If I offered you a magic pill that would:
- increase oxygen into your blood and lungs
- expand your sinuses
- increase metabolism
- accelerate fat-burning
- increase energy
- increase stamina
That could also:
- reduce infections
- cut brain fog
- lower stress
- decrease dehydration
- lower blood pressure
- decrease likelihood of orthodontia in kids
That could also:
- activate the vagus nerve
- give you better sleep
And…help control a common household pest???
What if I told you that this magic pill had no side effects, takes effect immediately, was FREE and didn’t even require a prescription???
Wouldn’t you say, “Sign me UP immediately!”
Good news: I actually have just such an offering for you! But it isn’t a pill, potion or lotion. It’s a simple lifestyle technique.
It’s so simple, it almost seems ridiculous!
Ready?
Breathe through your nose to capture all of the above benefits and more.
Nasal breathing is one of the simplest – yet most powerful – lifestyle changes you can make to up-level your health IMMEDIATELY. It’s been said, “Change your diet, feel better in 30 days. Change your hydration, feel better in 3 days. Change your breath, feel better in 30 seconds.”
Feel Better in 30 Seconds
Yep, that’s it!
Calm Your Nervous System
By breathing through your nose, you calm down your nervous system. This activates your vagus nerve, that big beautiful super highway that runs information between your gut and your brain, and all the organs in between. “Activate” is exactly the state you want your vagus nerve to be in; stress (and other things) DE-activates it. And a deactivated vagus nerve can lead to all kinds of ill health, including autoimmune conditions, lowered immunity, weight gain, irritable bowel, and insomnia, to name a few.
As your nervous system is converted via nasal breathing from “sympathethic-dominant” (otherwise known as “fight or flight”) to “parasympathetic-dominant” (otherwise known as “rest and digest” or “feed and breed”), blood pressure lowers. Cognition sharpens as brain fog dissipates.
Hydrate Your Air Before It Hits Your Lungs
Your body holds onto more of your hydration by expelling breath through your nose instead of your mouth because your nasal hair holds onto the breath’s moisture. And proper hydration brings its own cascade of wonderful effects, like fewer cravings for carbs, better brain power, less fatigue.
Live Longer
When you breathe through your nose, you expand your lungs and sinus cavity. Logical, isn’t it? Use it or lose it! Larger sinuses and lungs are more efficient at intaking that oxygen your body cannot survive without, so it’s a self-perpetuating loop. Stakes are high here, as a strong lung capacity is THE #1 determining factor for longevity! If it feels uncomfortable to breathe through your nose at first, keep at it – your sinuses and lungs will catch up!
Up Your Immune Factor
Breathing through your nose strengthens your immunity, by filtering the air through your nose to remove pathogens and dirt before it enters the inner cavity of your lungs. Air that comes through your nose first, rather than your mouth, is also properly moistened and warmed for ideal absorption as well.
Better Palate = Less Orthodontia
When kids consistently breath through their nose instead of their mouths, they create a space in the upper palate of their mouths for their tongue to reside, as it should. And since the tongue is THE strongest muscle in the body per volume, this serves to widen the palate naturally, which ensures room for all the baby and permanent teeth to grow in and find a place naturally. Great way to save on those future orthodontia bills!
Better Sleep
Breathing through your nose all night better allows you to sleep deeper, and spend more time in your deepest state of sleep, which is where a lot of magic healing happens. That’s when your brain orders itself, sifting through all the input from the day to offload what it doesn’t need, and organize what it wants to keep. Insufficient sleep is a major risk factor for dementia, as is oxygen and blood insufficiency to the brain. These all go hand in hand, and are greatly improved by nasal night breathing.
Do you experience any of the following: waking up during the night, dry mouth upon waking, snoring or sleep apnea? If so, you may be breathing through your mouth in your sleep. Try using a small piece of medical tape over your lips to train yourself to breathe through your nose, and get all the benefits of deep sleep. (I recommend the “sensitive skin” tape. Touch it to your shirt a couple of times if it’s too sticky for your lips.) I promise you will NOT suffocate!
Belly Breathing
If you really want to exponentially up-level your health via breath, learn to harness its power by belly breathing in with deep long slow breaths, using your diaphragm to fill your lung cavity bottom to top, instead of breathing in fast, deep and shallow into the upper lungs first.
That Household Pest
Lastly, how does nasal breathing help control a common household pest? Well…as Cervantes reportedly said, “A closed mouth catches no flies.” That’s a little doctor humor for you. Yuk yuk!
A Big Win, Quick and Easy
I love it when I can share a quick way to win big, and I can’t think of a better strategy than nasal breathing: easy, free, immediately accessible and NO SIDE EFFECTS! Give it a try for a month and let me know how it works out.
Share with someone you know who needs a quick health win, too.
Your partner in health,
Dr. Wade
1 thought on “Why I Breathe Through My Nose…And You Should, Too!”
Fantastic article Binzer! I have shared with my family and hopefully they will also follow this guidance and reap the benefits. Nicholas has started taking regular ice baths and asked me if you do these? He loves them and says it provides a brain/body high like nothing else he has experienced, naturally. Thoughts?