Breathing is an automatic function that works hard to convert approximately 30 pounds of air into energy every single day. When you compare that to the amount of food and water your body needs to convert every day, and it’s easy to see why a person can survive for weeks without food, days without water, but only a few minutes without air.
Learning how to breathe properly through your nose can not only help regulate the amount of air going to your lungs, but it can also increase the amount of oxygen you give your body with each breath.
Health benefits of breathing through your nose
Slower breathing (e.g., fewer inhales and exhales per minute) through your nose has many health benefits in addition to being the body’s first line of immune defense. It allows your nasal cavities to:
- Filter dust, mold, and bacteria
- Reduce exposure to foreign objects
- Lower your risk of allergies and hay fever
- Humidify and warm inhaled air
- Increase air flow to arteries, veins, and nerves
- Increase oxygen intake and circulation
- Improve lung capacity
- Improve blood flow throughout the body
- Increase oxygen levels on the brain
- Improve memory function
- Strengthen the diaphragm
- Lower your risk of snoring and sleep apnea
- Physical benefits of breathing through your nose
Most people breathe too often because there’s no resistance when breathing through the mouth.
Breathing entirely through the nose allows your body to get the maximum amount of oxygen for the least amount of effort, which means your body doesn’t have to work as hard to get the oxygen it needs to function properly. As a result, nose breathing may improve athletic performance. It reduces needed ventilation by about 25% during heavy exercise, which means you only need to breath 75% as much as someone who breathes through their mouth.
Once you put nose breathing to practice and can do it consistently for at least one hour during the day, you can try to nose breathe at night. This breathing technique can help you sleep better, which can help you regulate your emotions. Poorly regulated breathing is associated with anxiety disorders and depression, but with a little practice and patience you can improve your breathing as well as your physical and mental health.
For more information about proper breathing techniques or to schedule an evaluation call Jason Ferine Physical Therapy at 424-365-2083. We focus our treatments on the whole person, not just certain ailments, to get to the root cause of your pain or discomfort. Our techniques include hands-on manual therapy, strength training, yoga, exercise and acupuncture.
Jason Ferine Physical Therapy
2300 Westwood Blvd, Ste. 100
Los Angeles, CA 90064
tel: 424-365-2083fax: 310-943-3532
office@jasonferinephysicaltherapy.com