It may feel unnatural at first, but it’s the best thing for your body
Nasal Breathing
Jul 14 · 6 min read
reathing
easily has always been a vital part of well-being. Thanks to the
pandemic, however, this simple biological function has been compromised
for many infected people, and remains threatened for everyone else who’s
susceptible to getting Covid-19.
But
what if changing the way you breathe could potentially help protect you
from the very thing that threatens your ability to breathe? That’s one
theory some experts are suggesting. It has to do with the simple
physiology of the nose, and the chemical compound nitric oxide (NO).
Aside
from filtering, warming, and humidifying the air you breathe, the nose
is your first line of defense against allergens and pathogens. The mucus and cilia
inside are designed to block these outside invaders from going farther
down the respiratory tract and making you sick. And NO, which is what
the sinuses release when you breathe through your nose, is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
Doctors
have been giving NO gas to people long before Covid-19 to help improve
lung function in critically ill people suffering from adult respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS), according to Albert Rizzo, MD, Chief Medical
Officer for the American Lung Association. There are currently 11 clinical trials
in the U.S. and Canada testing whether administering NO can improve
recovery time of people with Covid-19 by boosting oxygen levels. The gas
may also help fight respiratory tract infections like Covid-19 by
inactivating viruses and inhibiting their replication.
Several studies, including one from 2004 that focused on the effects of inhaling NO on the SARS coronavirus, have shown that the compound has antiviral properties. A recent analysis of 45 relevant studies
supports this oxygenation boosting effect that North American
researchers are trying to demonstrate. It also notes that naturally
produced NO from nasal breathing seems to have similar antiviral
effects. For example, one discussed study
found that humans who exhale more NO have fewer common cold symptoms,
which suggests that nasally-produced NO may help protect humans from
other respiratory viruses like Covid-19.
“Your lungs do have to work harder at accessing the oxygen in the air that you’re breathing in through your mouth versus your nose.”
Conversely,
habitual mouth breathing may actually increase susceptibility to the
virus as well as its level of severity, according to the May analysis.
It states that mouth breathing during sleep may worsen the symptoms of
Covid-19, just as it worsens other respiratory illnesses like the common cold and the flu.
“You
do lose some of the benefit of the filtering mechanisms and potentially
some of the triggering of the immune system that might be triggered by
particles that go through the membranes of the nose,” says Rizzo.
People
tend to breathe more through their mouths when they’re stressed or
their body is working hard, because it feels like you’re getting more
air that way. However, according to Zara Patel, MD, a rhinologist and
otolaryngologist at Stanford Medicine, the lungs can’t utilize this air
as effectively, because it’s not warmed or humidified as it is when you
breathe through your nose.
“Your
lungs do have to work harder at accessing the oxygen in the air that
you’re breathing in through your mouth versus your nose,” says Patel.
We’re
all guilty of occasional mouth breathing, but a number of people are
habitual mouth breathers out of necessity, due to an obstruction,
abnormal sinuses, or chronic sinus congestion, to name a few potential
conditions. According to Patel, some individuals are relatively
uninhibited by habitual mouth breathing, but others end up developing
side effects that range from uncomfortable to potentially detrimental.
Some
of the milder effects include difficulty falling and staying asleep,
dry mouth and throat, gum disease, bad breath, and snoring. The more
long-term potential effects are changes in jaw shape and position and
chronic respiratory problems such as sleep apnea, which can lead to
pulmonary and cardiovascular complications down the road. “Your blood
pressure, specifically in your pulmonary arteries, tends to go up over
time if you have untreated sleep apnea, and that can lead to increased
stress on your cardiovascular and pulmonary systems,” says Patel.
Author
and journalist James Nestor became familiar with some of these effects
within days of voluntarily plugging his nose as part of experimental
research for his book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. With the help of Jayakar Nayak, MD, an otolaryngologist at the Sinus Center at Stanford University who also runs a sinus research lab,
Nestor conducted an informal study to find out what happens to the body
when you only breathe through your mouth for an extended period of
time.
“I
said, ‘that’s going to be absolute torture for you, but I’m happy to do
it,’” recalls Nayak. Aside from helping him block his nose comfortably
using clips, Nayak monitored Nestor’s vitals regularly. “He wanted to
make it as scientifically valid as possible,” says Nayak.
The experiment was initially supposed to last a month. Nestor could only make it 10 days.
Humans were designed to breathe through our noses, and Patel and Rizzo agree, nasal breathing is better than mouth breathing due to its filtration system and immune response.
“My
blood pressure went up 20 points in the first day or two,” recalls
Nestor. “I went from not snoring at all or snoring just a couple minutes
throughout the night to snoring four hours a night.” According to
Nestor, he eventually developed sleep apnea to the point where his
blood/O2 levels hit 90–91% (the normal range is 95–100%). He even
developed a nasal infection. A friend who did the experiment with him
experienced nearly identical effects.
What
was perhaps most interesting about the informal study was what happened
when Nestor and his friend resumed nasal breathing. According to
Nestor, almost immediately, their sleep apnea and snoring dissipated,
and was completely gone within four days.
Humans
were designed to breathe through our noses, and Patel and Rizzo agree,
nasal breathing is better than mouth breathing due to its filtration
system and immune response. However, over the centuries, perinasal
sinuses and noses have shrunk, leading to more and more nasal breathing problems. For example, over 25 million Americans suffer
from sleep apnea. That said, even though some nasal obstructions
require surgical intervention, for the majority of people, there are
steps to take to make nasal breathing easier.
These
steps depend on whether you’re dealing with a blocked nose or simply a
habit of mouth breathing. If the latter, start by becoming more aware of
your breath. “It’s a conscious effort that you have to make in order to
retrain what might have been a bad habit that you developed,” says
Rizzo.
If
you have chronic sinus congestion, Patel says to start by regularly
flushing your nose with saline spray, which can be found at most drug
stores. This helps moisten the nasal cavities and flushes out dust and
other allergens. You can pair it with an inhaled decongestant spray if
needed, but Patel cautions against just grabbing something over the
counter, as some sprays have proven to be harmful over time, and instead
advises consulting an ENT before buying. An ENT can also help you
identify the source of your congestion, like a particular allergy, so
the congestion can be treated more efficiently.
For people who think they have sleep apnea, Patel recommends participating in a sleep study (which you can do in the comfort of your own home),
and if the results indicate sleep apnea, investing in a CPAP
(Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, which helps normalize
breathing by opening up airways and even reducing inflammation in the
nose.
Once
the underlying cause of mouth breathing is rectified, you can try to
more consciously breathe through your nose until it becomes second
nature. “Mouth breathers should be encouraged to take a sip of water
every hour and challenged to close their mouth afterwards,” as a nasal
breathing practice says Joi Lucas, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at
Lakeland Regional Hospital in Florida. She also recommends setting an
alarm as a reminder, and practicing slow, deep nasal breathing exercises
periodically.
Nasal
breathing will not ward off viruses like Covid-19 on its own, but it is
one of your body’s built-in defense mechanisms against them. It should
also just make you feel better all around. Considering the state of
things, there’s no better time to make it a habit.
Elemental
Your life, sourced by science.
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