The art of nasal breathing can be retraced back hundreds of years ago.
Researchers have studied various tribes and ancient communities, noting that the dentition and facial skeleton of these individuals were far different from those of the modern world. When searching for why these communities appeared so structurally different from others, two major lifestyle characteristics were found – these individuals were predominantly nasal breathers and they ate foods that challenged their dentition, daily.
Researchers have studied various tribes and ancient communities, noting that the dentition and facial skeleton of these individuals were far different from those of the modern world. When searching for why these communities appeared so structurally different from others, two major lifestyle characteristics were found – these individuals were predominantly nasal breathers and they ate foods that challenged their dentition, daily.
Nasal breathing, although seemingly low intensity, offers us thousands of opportunities throughout the day to strengthen our respiratory abilities. With each breath we force air against the tissues within the throat, widening the airways, and eventually training the surrounding muscles to remain wide open and allow airflow more easily.
Not only does nasal breathing strengthen our respiratory abilities, but it also can be protective against harmful bacteria. Alternatively, mouth breathing creates congestion within the nasal cavity, and with congestion comes decreased blood flow. When we have a decreased blood flow, bacteria can live and replicate more easily, potentially leading to infection.
Nostril hair serves as a very important and eminent reminder of how humans were intended to breathe. The nostril hair warms and purifies the air we breathe, unlike our mouths (which has no filter). It serves as our first barrier to the external environment and bypassing this natural barrier is a missed opportunity to protect ourselves from harmful pathogens.
Nasal breathing can:
- Calm the nervous system
- Prevent the growth of harmful oral bacteria
- Decrease heart rate and respiration rate
- Increase focus and decrease anxiety
- Increase blood flow
The mouth is the gateway to the rest of our body - and it is the gateway for most of the infections that affect the health of it.
Some additional ways we can support our oral and overall health:
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Tongue scraping which serves to remove excess particles from food and drinks to prevent harmful bacterial colonization.
We recommend using a tongue cleaner made from 100% surgical grade stainless steel.
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Chewing and exercising our mastication muscles to increase the bone density of the facial skeleton, positively influencing the bones that aid our respiratory system, potentially through the use of a probiotic gum.
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Mouth taping at night to ensure we are nasal breathing for several consecutive hours. Mouth taping works to prevent dry mouth and bacterial colonization in the oral cavity, as well as increases our nitric oxide levels that are responsible for providing the plethora of positive health benefits we see from nasal breathing.