Breathing is more than just inhaling and exhaling air and the sooner you can realise that & recognise its impact on health, the more you’ll be able to achieve from your body. The way in which you breathe can affect how well your body functions and operates.\r\n\r\nIn order for you to understand the importance of this topic, first, you need to consider some of the health implications relating to poor breathing mechanics:\r\n• Reduced presence of carbon dioxide = Impaired release of oxygen to cells\r\n• Under-utilisation of Nitric Oxide (a key player in vasodilation increasing blood flow and lowering blood pressure)\r\n• Increased lactic acid and fatigue during exercise\r\n• Adverse effects on the acidity of the blood (pH levels) – this has been associated with weight gain stemming from poorer nutritional choices\r\n• Adverse effects on sleep\r\n• Implications toward stress management\r\n• Dehydration\r\n• Increase oxidative stress\r\n\r\nYour breathing mechanics and the way you breathe matter if your goal is to be healthier and fitter and could be discussed at great length. However, for the purpose of today’s article, the focus will be nasal breathing and how making a simple change and becoming more aware of how you breathe can have an incredibly positive effect.\r\n\r\n\r\nNasal Breathing\r\n\r\nPossibly, the simplest consideration/action that you can incorporate from reading this article is to breathe through your nose more often than not. Nasal breathing has been shown to promote diaphragmatic breathing, improve blood oxygenation & lower stress.\r\n\r\nFor many people, their high stress lifestyle & poor nutrition contributes to their sub-optimal breathing pattern. They become mouth-breathers. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly best for our health & a general rule to live by is…\r\n\r\n“Noses are for breathing & mouths are for eating.”\r\n\r\nMouth-breathing is synonymous with stress whereas nasal breathing promotes the exact opposite. Nasal breathing has been shown to promote activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (our nervous system associated with ‘rest & digest’). This is an important understanding because it is our ability to switch to this nervous system response that supports our body to work more optimally. Hence why many meditative practices are based on the concept of the ‘breath’.\r\n\r\nIn addition to this, nasal breathing causes more involvement from the diaphragm (the primary muscle used for inhalation). This is in contrast to mouth-breathing where muscles of the upper chest can contribute more so in a way of compensation. This is problematic since the body calls on muscles of the thorax to support breathing and in doing so, reduces the amount of oxygen uptake & decreases blood oxygenation. Not only that, but the overuse of these muscles can cause tightness which may lead to muscle discomfort, poor mobility & poor performance.\r\n\r\nThere is in no doubt from the supporting evidence that mouth-breathing does not support health; & although it serves a purpose for higher-intensity exercise & bouts of heightened stress, to breathe through the mouth chronically could result in some long-term health implications. Moreover, if the goal is fitness (whether that be to improve your body shape or achieve performance), you’ll want to consider how you breathe if you wish to reach your potential.\r\n\r\n\r\nSimple Strategy for Success\r\n\r\n1. Practise nasal breathing day and night. By ‘practise’, it refers to an acknowledgement and an awareness of how you are breathing. Of course, you might not know if you breathe through the nose or mouth at night, but symptoms such as a dry mouth and feelings of lethargy will suggest that you are breathing predominantly with your mouth.\r\n2. Incorporate nasal breathing into your exercise by promoting it during low-intensity exercise and rest periods first.\r\n3. Incorporate nasal breathing into your cool-down post exercise to ‘flick the switch’ from a stressed state to a ‘rest and digest’ state. Simply following a nasal breathing approach from 2-10 minutes will support that down-regulation of your body’s stress response.\r\n4. Incorporate nasal breathing to your evening routine. Again, as a strategy to promote lowered stress and preparation for sleep, nasal breathing & guided breathing practice can be invaluable for promoting a rested state.