Breathing Through Your Nose is Essential
Table of Contents
Benefits of Nose Breathing & Nitric
Oxide
Mouth-Breathing
Sympathetic Nervous System Overload
Humming May Help Relieve Sinus Blockage
Breathing Exercises
Benefits of Nose Breathing & Nitric
Oxide
Did
you know that breathing through the nose creates an avenue of air that is:
-
moisturized,
-
humidified
-
and even somewhat
filtered?
Furthermore,
when we breathe through our nose, the air passing through the nasal airway and
contacting the turbinates — shelf-like bony structures — is slowed down. This allows the proper mixing of the air with
an amazing gas produced in the nasal sinuses called nitric oxide (NO).
Nitric
oxide is secreted into the nasal passages and is inhaled through the nose. It is a potent vasodilator (dilatation of the
blood vessels), and in the lungs it enhances the uptake of oxygen. NO is also produced in the walls of blood
vessels and is critical to all organs in the body.
Mouth-Breathing
Let's
evaluate the differences in mouth breathers and nose breathers. The consequences of mouth breathing can occur
from the moment of birth because all infants are obligate nose breathers. That is the mechanism by which breast feeding
and breathing can occur simultaneously.
If a baby has obstructed airways, he may turn away from the breast due
to lack of air and prefer a bottle, which allows him to consume his food more
quickly.
A
mouth breather will not be humidifying the air, or slowing it down to allow the
proper mixing of NO with it. The lungs
will have difficulty providing maximum oxygenation for the body with this dry,
unhumidified, unfiltered and, most importantly, NO-lacking air.
This constant and chronic condition affects
the cardiovascular system and the heart because the smooth muscles that line
all of the arteries react to this poorly oxygenated air with a kind of
tightness, a kind of permanent tension, which can be very stressful and
depleting to the body. Furthermore it
has been clinically shown that blocking NO product in health individuals
results in moderate hypertension and reduced heart output as well as shortened
bleeding times by activation of platelet blood-clotting factors.
Due
to the lack of proper oxygenation, the ability to deliver fully oxygenated
blood to the cells is also much reduced.
Thus mouth breathing has a negative effect on every cell in the body as
it deprives them of oxygen. Overall
wellness and health requires proper oxygen as every particle of our being
requires oxygen. Cancer cells, by the
way, are anaerobic (living in the absence of oxygen) by design.
Other
manifestations of mouth breathing include snoring and cessation of breathing
(also know as sleep apnea), some types of headaches, hypertension without other
known clinical causes, bed wetting, chronic ear or sinus infections, TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular
Joint pain — see definition*), sleep disorders and dark patches under the eyes.
Sympathetic Nervous System Overload
There
are two types of autonomic nerves, sympathetic and parasympathetic. The parasympathetic nervous system works to
calm us down and to heal. The
sympathetic nervous system is the part used when one needs to get out of a
dangerous situation. It operates when we
are under a lot of stress, and we are not meant to be under constant physical
stress. When the sympathetic nervous
system is activated it places the body and mind in an alert mode and this mode
and the constant stress depletes the bodily reserves and nutrients.
Sympathetic
nervous system overload also occurs when the airway is obstructed and the input
or sense to the nervous system is akin to a hand or choker around the
neck. What type of response do you think
the nervous system will have? It's on
high alert at all times. This is why
kids who are mouth breathers have a strong gag reflex, for example. For them, the mouth is the source of air as
well as the source of food, and the mouth was not designed to perform both of
these functions. So kids and adults who
are mouth breathers have strong gag reflexes.
Mouth-breathers
tend to have amped-up sympathetic nervous systems, always on alert, and they
have a hard time getting their physical or mental bodies to relax. Many have found an avenue of dealing with
this subconsciously, namely exercise and physical exertion. This is because during physical exertion
large volumes of air are inhaled, which may give the body the input it needs to
make up for the lack of proper oxygenation during rest periods.
*TMJ
(Temporo-Mandibular Joint pain) - The pain associated with TMJ is thought to be
caused by displacement of the cartilage where the lower jaw connects to the
skull causing pressure and stretching of the associated sensory nerves.
Humming May Help Relieve Sinus Blockage
If
you suffer from sinus problems, there may be something that you can do to
relieve your symptoms and prevent sinusitis absolutely free -- hum.
Scientists
in Sweden have discovered that humming -- producing a tune
without opening the lips or forming words -- is an extremely effective way to
increase ventilation in your sinuses. They found that humming increased the nitric oxide levels by
15-fold compared with quiet exhalation. Nitric oxide concentrations in
healthy sinuses are very high.
Jon
Lundberg, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care,
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, along with an associate, tested 10 healthy males, ages 34 to 48, who
had no history of allergy or airway disease.
"In
our study, we hypothesized that the oscillating (vibrating) airflow produced by
humming would speed up the exchange of air between the sinuses and the nasal
cavity and increase nasal nitric oxide output," wrote Dr.Lundberg.
Nitric
oxide was measured in the 10 subjects in oral and single breath exhalations
using a tight-fitting mask covering the nose for nasal measurements and a
mouthpiece for exhaling by mouth. The subjects exhaled at a fixed flow rate for
five seconds either quietly or with humming.
Not
only did nitric oxide increase 15-fold during humming, the researchers found
that in a mechanical two-compartment model of the nose and sinus, oscillating
airflow caused a dramatic increase in gas exchange between the cavities.
Lundberg
said proper ventilation is essential for the maintenance of sinus integrity,
and that blockage of the openings between the two cavities is a central event
in the development of sinusitis.
Lundberg
hopes to show with further studies, that the technique developed in this
research can offer an easy, non-invasive way of identifying persons who are at
risk of developing sinusitis. The method might be used to monitor the effects
of surgical or medical interventions aimed at the prevention of sinusitis, he
said.
Sinusitis
is the inflammation of nasal sinuses, usually as a result of upper respiratory
infection [or candida overgrowth]. About 14 percent of people in the U.S. suffer from chronic sinusitis.
Breathing Exercises
Full
Chest and Abdominal Breathing - This
method is simply a deepening of the breath.
-
Take slow, deep,
rhythmic breaths through the nose.
-
When the
diaphragm drops down, the abdomen is expanded allowing the air to rush into the
vacuum created in the lungs. Then the
chest cavity is expanded, allowing the lungs to fill completely.
-
This is followed
by a slow, even exhalation which empties the lungs completely.
This
simple breath practice done slowly and fully, with intention, concentration and
relaxation activates all of the primary benefits of therapeutic breath practice.
In Qigong and Pranayama the breath is retained for additional benefit.
Application Suggestions
Health
maintenance: 6 to 10 repetitions, 2 to 3 sessions per day.
Health
enhancement: 6 to 10 repetitions, 4 to 6 sessions per day.
Disease
intervention: Start slowly and build up to 15 to 20 repetitions, in 10 to 15
sessions per day. Getting started: 2 to 3 repetitions, once or twice per day.
Remember
to keep it easy and fun.
Alternate
Nostril Breathing
-
Using your thumb
on your right nostril and your pinky and third finger (the finger right next to
your pinky finger), hold your right nostril closed and inhale up your left
nostril.
-
Pause, and while
your lungs are full of air, switch your fingers so that your left nostril is
closed.
-
Then exhale out
your right nostril.
-
Then inhale up
your right nostril, pause, and again while your lungs are full of air, switch
your fingers so that your right nostril is closed. Exhale.
-
Repeat this
process about 12 times. This breath is often done in preparation for deep relaxation
or meditation.
You
will notice that usually one or the other of the nostrils is more open. If you breathe
on a small hand mirror, the patch of mist from one nostril will be larger than
from the other.
The
ancient practitioners of Yoga in India were aware of the significance of this and employed
this knowledge to enhance health and consciousness. Western science did not
notice this phenomena until the 1800's. It has been
found recently, through the application of current neuroscience,
that the practice of alternate nostril breathing helps to balance the
right and left hemispheres of the brain.
Applications Suggestions
Health
maintenance: 10 to 12 repetitions, 2 to 3 sessions per day.
Health
enhancement: 10 to 12 repetitions, 4 to 6 sessions per day.
Disease
intervention: Start slowly and build up to 15 to 20 repetitions, 8 to 10 sessions per day or up to even 100 repetitions in a
single session.
Getting
started: 10 to 12 repetitions, once or twice per day. Notice that this method
is very quieting.
References
-
Raymond Silkman, DDS, "Is it Mental or is it Dental?," Wise Traditions, Volume 7, Number One, Winter2005/Spring 2006, pg. 18 & 19.
-
Roger Jahnke, O.M.D, "Breathing Exercises and Self Healing"
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