The average person takes 20,000 breaths per day, yet most people don't think about how they breathe. Despite the unconscious nature of breathing, most people do this fundamental task incorrectly. The way you are currently breathing may be the cause of your dry mouth, sleep apnea, weak immune system, low energy, congestion, and so much more. In this article, I will take you through why you should be nose breathing and how you can start making it a habit.

Why You Should Be Nose Breathing

Nitric Oxide

Named the molecule of the year in 1992 by the journal Science, this simple molecule made up of one nitrogen and one oxygen atom has profound impacts on our health. This miracle molecule serves a host of functions in the body, however, its main function is as a smooth muscle relaxer.

When you breathe in nitric oxide, the smooth muscle of your trachea and bronchioles (the small sacs in the lungs that are responsible for blood oxygenation) relaxes resulting in their dilation. When the trachea and bronchioles dilate you get more oxygen.

While causing dilation of the bronchioles, nitric oxide also causes vasodilation of the pulmonary circuit. The pulmonary circuit functions to bring deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs where it is then oxygenated. From there it is sent to the left atrium where it gets pumped to the left ventricle, which then goes to the rest of the body. In short, nitric oxide results in more air getting into the lungs and more blood getting to the lungs resulting in a net increase in oxygen to the circulatory system.

On top of its benefits for blood oxygenation, nitric oxide is also antimicrobial. This means airborne bacteria, viruses, and other microbes are less likely to infect you in the presence of nitric oxide.

But what does nitric oxide have to do with nose breathing? Well, nasal mucosal cells produce nitric oxide, so when you breathe in through your nose you get nitric oxide along with the oxygen you are breathing in. When you breathe through your mouth, you get none of that precious nitric oxide.

Better Air

The air you breathe in through your nose and the air you breathe in through your mouth is not the same. When you breathe in through your mouth that air essentially goes straight to the lungs. On the other hand, when you breathe through the nose, which is intuitively designed for breathing, the air undergoes several modifications.

The first major modifications that the nose performs are pressurizing, humidifying, and warming air. Pressurizing allows the air to go deeper in the lungs, where there is a greater concentration of alveoli resulting in more oxygen taken in. Humidifying and warming keep your airways moist and allows for better airflow.

Secondly, unlike the mouth, the nose can filter allergens and pollutants. If you have ever done long bouts of strenuous exercise in the city you will have felt the difference if you were breathing through your mouth. For example, 80 miles into my 200-mile bike ride my lungs became too irritated to take a full breath. Had I been a nose breather at that time I likely wouldn't have had to deal with this problem as the air coming into my lungs from the nose would be much purer.

Improved Energy and Performance

Nitric oxide causes better blood flow, brain function, and immune function, but nose breathing adds even more benefit than just nitric oxide.

When we breathe through the mouth we tend to take quicker, shallower breaths. As a result, the lungs don't have as much time to absorb oxygen. This subsequently increases breathing rate even further.

This cycle causes you to release too much carbon dioxide for the amount of oxygen you take in which throws off our body's carbon dioxide-oxygen balance. This imbalance can cause lightheadedness, fatigue, and overall less efficient bodily function.

When you breathe through the nose these problems are mitigated due to the reasons mentioned above. Pressurizing and humidifying the air slows down the breathing process, while the production of nitric oxide allows for more oxygen to be taken in bringing the body to a balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Avoid Dry Mouth and Nasal Congestion

Do you sleep with a glass of water by your bed? Do you constantly wake up with a dry mouth and a sore throat? Are you always congested?

Well, all of these problems may be fixed simply by breathing through your nose. When we breathe through our mouths we end up over-breathing as we have already discussed. This over-breathing causes more evaporation of your salvia leading to dry mouth.

When it comes to nasal congestion, one might think that breathing through your nose would be the cause of it. However, that is not the case. When we over breathe, our bodies produce more mucous to try to slow the breath down. So, by breathing through the nose, we naturally slow down our breathing and you will produce less mucous.

How to Start Nose Breathing

Hopefully, you now see the importance of nose breathing over mouth breathing. So, let's run through how to become a nose breather.

Mouth Tape

We sleep for almost a third of our lives. Yet, when we sleep we don't have much control over how we breathe. This is where mouth taping comes in. If you tape your mouth at night it forces you to breathe through your nose.

This does not have to be a scary or restrictive thing. A few centimeters of surgical tape placed over your lips is plenty. This way, if you truly do need to breathe through your mouth you will still be able to. The tape may fall off the first few nights but eventually, it will start staying on as you become a more habitual nose breather.

Another tool that I have found helps facilitate nose breathing overnight are breathe right strips. These help open up your nose to allow for better airflow even when you are a little congested.

If you don't like breathe right strips, or your nose gets really dry, try a humidifier. This has been a lifesaver for me especially when I have been sick.

Many people report waking up with less grogginess and feeling more energized throughout the day after mouth taping. I can certainly attest to this as I have found that mouth taping has improved my sleep quality immensely.

If you want to learn more about sleep optimization check out my article here.

Deliberate Awareness

Nose breathing may not feel natural at first, especially if you have been a chronic mouth breather. However, when you are sitting at your desk, or walking somewhere, or relaxing to a show, try to think about your breathing. James Nestor, the author of "Breath", recommends that you breathe 5-6 times per minute. This translates to 5-6 seconds (with 5.5 seconds being the gold standard) for each inhale and exhale (totaling 10-12 seconds per full breath).

With this, for five to ten minutes every day, you should set a timer and just count your inhales and exhales to help set that breathing rhythm. Slow, deep breaths through the nose are the most efficient way of breathing, and getting in the habit of this requires deliberate practice.

Meditation and Yoga

While similar to deliberate awareness, these practices will also help facilitate nose breathing. Meditating is a great time to focus on the breath. For added benefit, meditations such as soul sync have a humming component that facilitates the release of nitric oxide which, as you now know, is very beneficial.

Yoga is a great way to become more mindful about the breath. Yoga is all about uniting the breath with the movement of the body. Focusing on doing your inhales through the nose while moving between poses will go a long way towards building this habit. Moreover, it will help you transition into nose breathing while exercising which can be very challenging at first.

Concluding Thoughts

Becoming a nose breather takes time and it is important to be patient. When talking to others, performing intense exercise, or eating you may find yourself mouth breathing and that's okay. We take 20,000 breaths a day, if 15,000 of those are through the nose you are still going to get the majority of the benefits.

As with all things, it is best to slowly phase in these practices. Try mouth taping tonight and a soul sync meditation tomorrow morning. Maybe you set an alarm every three hours during the day to practice deliberate nose breathing for two minutes.

Whatever you do, enjoy the process. Practicing nose breathing is something that you should take great pleasure in as you can feel its profound impacts on your health and wellbeing. Please let me know what works for you in the comments!