We were meant to breathe through our nose! It is our natural filtering system. It warms and moistens the air we breathe, and the mucus has it's own antimicrobial action. It helps make nitric oxide, a naturally occurring gas formed in the nose which acts as a natural bronchodilator, anti-microbial, contributes to the elasticity of the lungs. Breathing slowly through the nose encourages perfusion of gases all the way to the lower lobes of the lungs and helps keep us in our 'rest and digest' mode.
When you breathe through the mouth, you are essentially 'over breathing'. It contributes to staying in a more rapid, shallow breathing pattern, keeping yourself in 'fight or flight' mode. This in turn leads to muscle tension, anxiety, heightened pain sensitivity, and again, a more weakened immune system.
With mouth breathing, you dehydrate more easily, your lips get chapped, you get dry mouth, bad breath, and you literally open the door for the cold and flu virus to walk right in. Research suggests you're also more likely to snore, have jaw pain, chronic fatigue, anxiety, muscle aches, poor concentration and memory.
Research is also proposing that mouth breathing may contribute to the malformation of the oral palate, teeth, jaw, and even the skull itself. Yikes!
Studies are showing that if you have difficulty breathing through your nose, the more you try to breathe through your nose, the easier it will become. Nasal breathing, over time, can reduce symptoms of nasal congestion, rhinitis, snoring, nasal polyps, allergies, and asthma. And, bonus for this day and age, when you breathe through your nose, you actually breathe less and decrease the viral load on yourself and everyone else.
Better breathing leads to decreased blood pressure, better sleep, better concentration, better memory, better performance, and a more robust immune system, just to name a few! At Core Physio we believe this is the foundation to your path to wellness. Come see us to learn more!
#shutyourmouth#mouthbreather#strangerthings
留言