Why should you force yourself to breathe through your nose?

Breathing through the nose plays an essential role in preparing inhaled air before it reaches the lungs. Here's how this process works best:

• Filtration: The nose is equipped with hairs and a mucous lining that capture dust particles, pollen and other pathogens. This natural filtration mechanism prevents these particles from entering the lungs, where they can cause infections or allergic reactions.

• Humidification: Inhaled air passes through a nasal passage lined with mucous membrane that secretes mucus and fluids. These secretions add moisture to dry air, which is crucial in preventing dryness of the airways and lungs. Humidified air also helps preserve the elasticity and function of lung tissue.

• Warming: As air passes through the nasal cavities, it is warmed to close to body temperature before entering the lungs. This warming is vital to maintain internal body temperature and ensure that cold air does not irritate the airways and lungs.

Scientific studies have shown that these processes of filtering, humidifying and warming through the nose are not only essential to protect the lungs, but also to optimize gas exchange in the lungs, facilitating more efficient and healthier breathing. For example, research published in the journal "Medical Hypotheses" has suggested that nitric oxide produced in the sinuses during nasal breathing could improve the body's ability to absorb oxygen, indicating another benefit of breathing through the nose.

These physiological processes are therefore crucial to maintaining respiratory and general health, underlining the importance of encouraging nasal breathing wherever possible.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in respiratory health, being produced by the sinuses during nasal breathing. This molecule has several beneficial functions: it helps dilate blood vessels, which improves circulation and lowers blood pressure. In addition, nitric oxide improves oxygen uptake in the lungs by increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, facilitating better oxygenation of the body. This increase in nitric oxide may also play an antimicrobial role, helping to combat respiratory pathogens.

To explore these mechanisms further, research such as that published in "Nitric Oxide" and other specialist physiological journals explains how nitric oxide positively influences lung and cardiovascular function.

The nose's ability to filter allergens and microbes is essential to protect the airways and lungs from pathogens. The nose uses both physical and biological mechanisms for this filtration: nasal hairs and mucus capture larger particles and microbes, while the cilia of the nasal epithelium transport mucus and contaminants to the throat for removal. In addition, humidifying the air through the nose reduces the viability of viral particles.

Nasal breathing plays a crucial role in improving sleep quality and preventing respiratory disorders such as sleep apnea.

By breathing through the nose, inhaled air is better conditioned and humidified, facilitating more stable, continuous breathing during sleep. This stability helps maintain an adequate opening of the airways, reducing the risk of obstruction and sleep interruptions typical of sleep apnea.

What's more, nasal breathing promotes an optimal level of carbon dioxide in the blood, which improves the regulation of breathing rhythm and promotes deeper, more restful sleep. Research indicates that people who breathe through their nose rather than their mouth during sleep tend to have a better quality of sleep and show fewer signs of sleep disorders.

Nasal breathing plays a crucial role in reducing the risk of sleep apnea, not least thanks to its impact on tongue positioning. Here's how it works:

• Optimum tongue position: When breathing through the nose, the tongue naturally positions itself against the roof of the mouth. This position promotes mouth closure and helps maintain an open airway during sleep. By resting against the palate, the tongue blocks the upper airway less, reducing the risk of obstruction that can lead to sleep apnea.

• Airway stability: Nasal breathing helps stabilize upper airway structures. Keeping the mouth closed and the tongue in a high, forward position helps support the airway, preventing it from collapsing during sleep, a common problem for sleep apnea sufferers.

Nasal breathing plays a significant role in maintaining oral hygiene, primarily by preventing dry mouth, which in turn reduces the risk of developing cavities and gum disease. Here's how nasal breathing contributes to better oral health:

• Air humidification: When air is inhaled through the nose, it is humidified before reaching the lungs. This humidification is beneficial for the oral cavity, as it helps maintain an adequate quantity of saliva. Saliva is crucial for cleaning the mouth and eliminating food particles and bacteria. By breathing through the nose, the mouth remains moister and therefore less likely to become a breeding ground for bacteria.

• Protection against bacteria: Saliva contains enzymes that fight bacteria and help digest food. A dry mouth, often a consequence of mouth breathing, reduces saliva production, which can increase the risk of cavities and mouth infections. Nasal breathing therefore maintains a healthy saliva flow that protects against bacteria.

• Oral pH control: Saliva helps neutralize acids produced by bacteria in the mouth, which is vital for preventing tooth erosion and cavities. Nasal breathing supports constant saliva production, which maintains the mouth's pH at a level not conducive to tooth enamel degradation.

• Elimination of food waste: Keeping the mouth well hydrated facilitates the elimination of food particles and waste. This reduces plaque and lowers the risk of gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums that can develop into more severe periodontal disease if left untreated.

• Plaque reduction: By maintaining a moist oral environment, nasal breathing helps control the proliferation of dental plaque. Plaque is a bacterial biofilm that forms on teeth and is the main culprit behind tooth decay and gum disease.

Before nasal breathing can be improved, it is crucial to identify and treat any medical conditions that may be obstructing the nasal passages, such as :

• Allergies: Consult an allergist to diagnose and treat allergies that cause nasal congestion.
• Deviated septum: A visit to an otolaryngologist can determine whether a deviated septum is the cause of breathing difficulties and discuss treatment options.
• Nasal polyps: Medical or surgical treatment may be required to remove polyps and clear nasal passages.

Closing the mouth while breathing plays a crucial role in maintaining respiratory and oral health. This practice naturally encourages nasal breathing, simply because when the mouth is closed, we automatically breathe through the nose.

Closing the mouth can improve the positioning of the tongue and thus help the body:

• Natural tongue position: When the mouth is closed, the tongue tends to position itself optimally against the palate. This position is crucial not only for good articulation and elocution, but also plays an important role in maintaining the health of the upper respiratory tract.

• Airway stability: Holding the tongue against the roof of the mouth reduces the risk of it falling back towards the back of the throat, which can obstruct the airway during sleep. This positioning is particularly important in preventing problems such as snoring or sleep apnea.

• Growth of the palate: In young children, keeping the mouth closed and the tongue in a raised position can positively influence the growth of the palate, contributing to more harmonious dental and facial development.

Practice alternate breathing (Nadi Shodhana in yoga) to improve nasal clarity and balance breathing on both sides of the nose.

Without going through the whole cycle, close one nostril and breathe through it. Then repeat on the other side.

Nasal dilators are devices designed to help people breathe more easily through the nose. These devices can be particularly useful for those who have difficulty maintaining continuous nasal breathing due to restrictions or blockages in the nasal passages. Here's why and how using nasal dilators can make nasal breathing easier:

• Mechanism of action: Nasal dilators work by widening the nostrils and nasal passages. They generally come in two forms: external and internal. External dilators are adhesive strips placed on the nose that pull the nostrils outwards, while internal dilators are small devices inserted into the nostrils to spread them inwards.
• Increased air space: By spreading the nostrils apart, dilators reduce resistance to incoming air, allowing greater airflow. This increased air space makes breathing easier, and can help overcome physical obstacles such as nasal narrowing due to septal deviations or allergies.

• Reducing nasal congestion: dilators can be particularly beneficial for people suffering from chronic nasal congestion or allergic rhinitis. By improving airflow, these devices can reduce the sensation of congestion.

• Improved breathing during sleep: For people prone to snoring or sleep apnea, improving nasal breathing can contribute to better sleep quality. Nasal dilators can play an important role in keeping the nasal passages open during the night.

• Support for physical activity: Athletes, particularly those involved in endurance sports, can benefit from the use of nasal dilators to optimize their oxygen supply during exercise. Improved nasal breathing helps muscle oxygenation and can enhance sporting performance.

• Non-medicated alternative: Unlike decongestants or other medications, nasal dilators offer a non-medicated solution to improve breathing. This makes them suitable for regular, long-term use without the concerns associated with drug side effects.

Smelling scents to stimulate nasal breathing is a beneficial practice that engages the olfactory system in a significant way, promoting deeper, more conscious breathing through the nose.

Practicing nasal breathing by smelling odors can help develop a more conscious, controlled breathing habit.

The use of a labial interceptor, often called a "lip interceptor" or "labial shield", is an orthodontic approach designed to encourage nasal breathing, particularly in children. Here's how this appliance can help promote better nasal breathing:

Nasal breathing is essential for healthy facial and dental development. When children breathe through the mouth, this can lead to dental malocclusions, narrow palates and facial deformities. Using a labial interceptor to encourage nasal breathing can contribute to correct tooth alignment and better facial growth, avoiding more complex orthodontic treatment in the future.

Mouth breathing can put people at increased risk of respiratory disorders, such as pediatric sleep apnea and snoring. By closing the mouth, the labial interceptor helps maintain adequate airflow through the nose, which can improve sleep quality and reduce the symptoms of these disorders.

Mouth-breathing can also affect posture, as mouth-breathers tend to tilt their head forward to facilitate breathing. This can lead to neck and back pain. By promoting nasal breathing, the labial interceptor can help maintain a more neutral and healthy posture.

Maintaining good nasal hygiene is essential for efficient nasal breathing:

• Nasal cleansing: Use saline solution regularly to cleanse nasal passages and remove irritants.
• Hydration: Stay well hydrated to help keep nasal mucous membranes moist and more efficient at filtering air.