#99 How Breathing Through Your Nose Will Change Your Life with Patrick McKeown
Feb 26, 2020
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In this episode, Patrick McKeown, a world-leading breathing expert and author of "The Oxygen Advantage," shares his insights on the transformative power of nasal breathing. He explains how proper breathing techniques can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and even lower asthma medication needs. Patrick emphasizes the connection between mouth breathing, jaw development, and overall health. He provides practical tips for enhancing breathing efficiency, making it clear that it's never too late to start improving your breathing for better well-being.
Nasal breathing has numerous benefits, including improved oxygen uptake, relaxation, and reduced stress levels.
Mouth breathing during childhood can lead to jaw development issues and crooked teeth, but it's never too late to address mouth breathing.
Correct breathing techniques can improve asthma control and reduce reliance on medication.
Nasal breathing during exercise enhances performance, minimizes airway issues, and optimizes breathing efficiency.
Monitoring breath holds and breathlessness provides insight into exercise tolerance and predicts sleep apnea phenotypes.
Deep dives
The Importance of Nasal Breathing
Nasal breathing is fundamental to our health and well-being. Breathing through the nose has numerous benefits, such as increasing oxygen uptake and delivery, improving relaxation and sleep quality, and reducing stress levels. It also helps to filter and sterilize the air we breathe, protecting us from pollutants and pathogens. Nasal breathing is especially important during physical exercise, as it promotes better oxygenation and reduces the risk of airway issues. It's never too late to start practicing nasal breathing and reap its many benefits.
The Impact of Mouth Breathing on Jaw Development
Breathing through the mouth, especially during childhood, can have detrimental effects on jaw development and overall facial structure. Mouth breathing can lead to narrow jaws, crooked teeth, and compromised airways. Proper tongue posture, breathing through the nose, and eating minimally processed foods can support the healthy growth and development of the jaws. Parents can encourage nasal breathing in their children and engage in exercises to improve nasal breathing. It's never too late to address mouth breathing and work towards better jaw development.
The Connection Between Breathing and Asthma
Correct breathing techniques, particularly nasal breathing, can have a profound impact on asthma management. Many asthmatics also have issues with mouth breathing, which can worsen symptoms and compromise sleep quality. By practicing nasal breathing, slowing down the breath, and engaging the diaphragm, asthmatics can experience improved control over their symptoms, reduced reliance on medication, and enhanced overall well-being. While medication is important, exploring alternatives like nasal breathing techniques can be empowering and help improve asthma control.
The Benefits of Nasal Breathing During Exercise
Nasal breathing during physical exercise offers numerous advantages, including enhanced oxygen uptake and delivery, optimal lung function, and reduced ventilation needs. Moreover, nasal breathing improves exercise efficiency, allowing individuals to sustain high-intensity workouts with less strain. Proper nasal breathing technique involves breathing through the nose, activating the diaphragm, and maintaining a regular breathing pattern. By adopting nasal breathing during exercise, individuals can improve their performance, minimize airway issues, and optimize their overall breathing efficiency.
Importance of Monitoring Breathing Patterns
Monitoring breath holds and breathlessness can provide objective measurements of breathlessness and exercise tolerance. A minimum breath hold score of 25 seconds indicates a low degree of breathlessness, and individuals with higher scores have a lower chance of experiencing dysfunctional breathing. Monitoring breathing patterns also helps predict sleep apnea phenotypes and improve breathing during wakefulness and sleep.
Benefits of Slow Breathing and Breath Holding Exercises
Slow breathing exercises, such as reducing respiratory rate to six breaths per minute, can enhance baroreceptor sensitivity and increase heart rate variability, leading to improved autonomic nervous system balance and stress reduction. Breath holding exercises, like the ones used in the Wim Hof technique, can lower blood oxygen saturation and increase hydrogen ion concentration, delaying lactic acidosis and fatigue during physical exercise. These exercises are highly valuable for athletes to enhance performance and recovery.
Returning to the Origins of Breathing in Yoga
Yoga traditions emphasize subtle and quiet breathing, with an emphasis on conserving breath and prana (vital energy). Modern yoga practices often deviate from these principles, promoting hard and forceful breathing. Restoring prana through proper breathing techniques can lead to improved breath control, reduced stress, and enhanced physical and mental well-being. An exploration of ancient texts and the teachings of experienced yoga practitioners can offer valuable insights into the importance of light and subtle breathing.
Breathing through the nose improves health and performance
One of the main insights from the podcast episode is the importance of breathing through the nose for improved health and performance. The speaker emphasizes that nasal breathing allows for easier airflow and can be achieved through exercises recommended in a book. Nasal breathing is especially beneficial during physical activities like running, as it helps improve efficiency and reduce breathlessness. The podcast also highlights the link between nasal breathing, oral health, and hydration, emphasizing the importance of breathing through the nose for overall well-being.
The power of breath awareness and breath holding
Another key point discussed in the podcast is the importance of breath awareness and breath holding as powerful techniques. Mindful observation of breathing patterns can help identify habits like mouth breathing or shallow chest breathing and allow for positive changes. Breath holding exercises, when done safely, can improve breath tolerance, reduce breathlessness, and provide a mental break from emotional turmoil. The speaker encourages listeners to observe their breathing, aim for slow and light breathing, and incorporate breath holding exercises into their daily routines for enhanced physical and mental well-being.
How do you breathe? It might not be something you’ve ever given much thought to, but my guest on this week’s episode is convinced you should. Patrick McKeown believes breathing correctly – that is, through your nose, lightly, and slowly – is the secret to better health, fitness and overall wellbeing. Yet many of us are breathing through our mouths, breathing fast and shallow, and our health is suffering as a result.
Patrick’s talks me through the science of exactly why it is that nasal breathing is so fundamental to health and he shares how learning it himself transformed his sleep, his anxiety levels and drastically reduced his need for asthma medication.
We talk about how our emotions, sleep and breathing are all interlinked. Patrick also shares some incredible insights on the connection between breast-feeding and diet, mouth breathing as a child, jaw development and malocclusion (crooked teeth).
The good news is it’s never too late to correct your breathing. Whether you suffer from breathlessness, nasal congestion, snoring, stress, or anxiety – or if you simply want to improve your performance in any area of life – this episode is packed with practical tips on doing just that. In fact, you can get started right away with some of his techniques as you listen.
CAUTION: Breath hold exercises are only suitable if you are in good health. If you have any concerns, consult your medical doctor before practicing any breathing exercises.
You should never practice breath holds if you are in or near water, if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or any other medical condition.
DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
