The importance of nasal breathing

I have been reading a fascinating book that presents a fresh perspective on a very old topic…the importance to our health of breathing well. We have all heard it before, but he presents very compelling evidence in a riveting way, that has certainly had an impact on my awareness of the way I breathe. 

James Nestor, the author of Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art, did experiments on himself….such as making himself breathe through his mouth for 10 days (by blocking his nose) and measuring blood pressure, blood sugar, and many other details such as snoring and sleep apnea. Then he breathed through his nose for 10 days and measured all of that again. 

Wow, what a difference. 

We are meant to breathe through our noses, that’s for sure, but since the introduction of processed foods (and its relative lack of nutrition) and the lack of need for rigorous chewing, our faces, including our breathing channels, have shrunk considerably and measurably. Western Price did research on this as well, which this book quotes. 

So with narrower faces, jaws, crowded teeth and diminished breathing channels, many people are forced or habitually fall into mouth breathing, and hence their noses chronically block up, reinforcing the habit. There is huge benefit for those who are mouth breathers- which includes most snorers and the millions with sleep apnea….to relearn how to nose breathe. 

It’s a fascinating book that takes you on a journey and his story and the exploration he is sharing, has a lot of benefits for people with any sort of respiratory conditions, from asthma, COPD, a tendency to respiratory illness, to snoring and sleep apnea. It is also great for ordinary people who which to optimise their health via an often ignored pathway. I have really learned that breathing is such a neglected area of attention that deserves to be far more recognised for its contribution to our overall wellbeing.