You start life breathing through your nose, but at some point many of us begin using our mouth. According to Health Place, we're meant to breathe through our noses because the nasal hairs act as a filter for dust particles, bacteria and other foreign bodies. This filtering system is not available through the mouth. You will also get more from exercising if you practice correct breathing techniques.
Breathing Basics
The lungs expand when you take in a deep breath, which causes the diaphragm to drop and the stomach to rise. According to Optimal Breathing, there are nerves in your nasal passage that are meant to regulate breathing.
Oxygen
According to Yoga Health Benefits, inhaling through the nose makes the flow of oxygen more effective since it reaches all vital organs of the body. Since the nose has a smaller entrance and exit for air, the air is unable to exit the lungs as quickly as through the mouth so the lungs can use more of the oxygen received. Healthy Place says breathing through your nose helps balance the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood.
Misconceptions
It seems since more air is able to be inhaled through the mouth, this would give you the most amount of oxygen needed to complete your exercise routine. It actually causes you to breathe excess air in that your body does not need, which can cause hypertension or place your body into a fight-or-flight mode. Exercise is supposed to reduce stress and tension, but if you are breathing through your mouth, you can increase these problems.
Mouth Disadvantages
According to Optimal Breathing, exhaling through the mouth tells the brain that carbon dioxide is lost too rapidly, which causes goblet cells to produce mucous, slowing the breathing and causing constriction of the arteries and blood vessels. Constriction limits the amount of oxygen your body is able to use during your exercise. According to Healthy Place, breathing through your mouth reduces your energy. Once your energy is gone, it's very difficult to continue through the remainder of your workout routine.
Practice
Since breathing through your nose not only helps your exercise routine but also your overall vitality, practice breathing through your nose. According to Healthy Place, you should become aware of your breathing. If you catch yourself breathing through your mouth, switch. You do use your mouth to exhale during Pilates and yoga routines because the exhaling through the mouth contracts your abdominal muscles, which can help in core strengthening.
