Importance of Nasal Breathing
Nasal breathing is said to be the correct and healthy way of breathing. But, why is nasal breathing the correct way?
When fresh air enters your nose and travels to the lungs, it passes the sinus, hollow cavities located between your eyes and behind your forehead and nose. The newly introduced air ventilates the sinuses, and thus the sinuses function as cooler systems for the brain and eyes, creating an optimal body system.
When your computer overheats without an efficient cooling system, your computer will become slower and ultimately shut down. Our body works the same way. The body will suffer from anxiety, fogginess, poor concentration, poor sleep, and restlessness if the sinus does not function properly.
Through nasal breathing, we are able to send more air to lower lobes of the lungs where more parasympathetic (relaxing) receptors are located. Triggering more parasympathetic receptors helps you stay calm and healthy. However, when you breathe through your mouth, your breaths become shallow and that triggers more sympathetic (fight-or-flight) receptors. Long-term activation of sympathetic receptors cause tension, fatigue, and anxiety. Symptoms of a mouth breathing include headaches when waking up, dry lips and mouth, congested nose, and sleeping with an open mouth.
Moreover, nasal breathing maximizes diaphragm and rib cage movement. The movements create a massage-like effect for the nearby organs like stomach, liver, lung, and heart and improve lymphatic circulation as well.
Benefits of Nasal Breathing
- Restful sleep, wake up relaxed
- Reduce bad breath, dry mouth
- Clear mind and better focus from efficient brain cooling
- Alleviate snoring and sleep apnea
- Provides lungs with a greater amount of oxygen