You know, how you breathe can affect your health? It’s true. In can also affect the success of your exercise program, your mood, blood pressure, even the quality of your life. Consider this: As our nursing babies are born to inspire and expire through the nose. Prior to this, again in an aqueous environment comforting womb, mouth breathing is not an option (Douillard, 2001, p. 147). How do we learn then breathe through our mouths? Frankly, stress. When blood pressure rises, we unwittingly open our mouths to get big gulps of air. It stimulates the “fight or flight” and we started to panic. Is there a better way to breathe for perfect health, you ask? Read on to find the answer.

Two Forms of Breathing:

Before we discuss how you can learn to breathe more efficiently, it is best to note that there are two ways our bodies have been accustomed to breathe: in the chest / clavicle and from the diaphragm. It makes sense that chest breathing is shallow and requires more work to supply oxygen to the body. Chest breathing requires a higher heart rate and when used alone, is inefficient involve lower lobe of the lungs (where oxygen is taken into the blood). This is easily done. And, if we do not know better we may not pass beyond the shallow breathing.

What’s the alternative? Insert the diaphragm. Diaphragm flat “parachute” the muscle at the bottom of the lungs (Douillard, 2001, p. 148). This contract as we inspire draw air into the bottom of the lungs (more efficient to transfer oxygen to the blood). Too, it is also in the lower lungs where carbon dioxide and other gases are prepared for release. Try it: put your hand on your abdomen just below the rib cage. You should feel the diaphragm shrinks as you inhale, expand as you exhale. Now alternating between oral and nasal breathing – you can tell which one is more effectively involve the diaphragm?

While thinking about changing your habits: consider the nose is made to breath and your mouth to eat (except in extreme circumstances when the airway is blocked, of course). If nasal breathing efficient, involving both chest / clavicle and diaphragm involuntarily making them to work together in a seamless system. The key is to make this happen both during exercise and rest. Ever feel dizzy? Then you know what it feels like to not breathe effectively. Mouth breathing allows too much oxygen to enter the system. Abundance of oxygen can not be exchanged with carbon dioxide, which causes quite quickly build up in the blood. This can cause dizziness and even fainting.

Benefits of Nose Breathing:

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