Why it’s good to breathe through your nose during exercise – 09/30/2023 – Balance

Breathing is an unconscious act. We don’t need to think about breathing – it just happens.

But when we exercise, many of us become more aware of our breathing than usual. And sometimes we even think about each of our breaths.

During low- and medium-intensity exercise (like walking and cycling), most of us breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth. But the more intense the exercise becomes, the greater our tendency to breathe exclusively through our mouths.

Most of us believe that breathing through our mouth is the best technique during intense exercise, as it allows more oxygen to reach our muscles. But evidence suggests otherwise – breathing through your nose may actually be better for high-intensity exercise (like running).

Several studies have shown that when we exercise at different intensities, our body consumes less oxygen when we breathe through our nose compared to breathing through our mouth. It may not seem like a benefit, but it basically indicates that the body can still perform the same amount of exercise while using less oxygen.

This can be a real advantage, especially for endurance athletes, as economy of movement is critical to success.

Think of oxygen like the fuel in an automobile. The more kilometers per liter the car gets, the better its “fuel economy”.

The same applies to oxygen. The less oxygen used for each step, the less energy the person consumes – and therefore the more economical they are.

This means you can run more without getting exhausted as quickly.

Breathing through the nose is also associated with a reduction in the volume of air inhaled – which makes sense, since the nostrils are much smaller than the mouth and we cannot inhale the same amount of oxygen at a time.

But the same study also concluded that people breathe less frequently through their noses when they exercise, which doesn’t seem so logical.

The main point here is to understand that air moves from high pressure to lower pressure, which helps it transit from the open environment into the lungs.

Although the volume of air is smaller in the nasal cavity compared to the mouth, the pressure is higher – meaning air moves more quickly into the respiratory system. As a result, oxygen can be delivered more quickly to working muscles.

And each breath also releases more oxygen, which explains why there is no difference in heart rate when we breathe through our mouth or nose during the same exercise.

Therefore, although smaller volumes of oxygen are entering the body, this indicates that the heart does not need to work harder to supply it to the muscles. In other words, the heart does not suffer additional stress when we breathe through the nose during exercise.

The researchers also indicate that breathing through the nose increases the production of nitric oxide, which makes oxygen reach the lungs and muscles more easily and can also prevent damage caused by airborne pathogens, such as viruses.

Nitric oxide provides this service by reducing blood pressure and helping blood flow more easily, allowing much-needed oxygen to reach working muscles.

Training and learning

Overall, it seems that breathing through your nose can actually be beneficial when running. Our movements become more economical, the amount of particles suspended in the air we breathe is lower, blood pressure from exercise is reduced and oxygen can reach working muscles more efficiently.

But the evidence is not as clear for other types of exercise, which require short, abrupt efforts, such as weight lifting. This type of exercise needs to draw energy from sources other than oxygen, such as sugar (glucose) stored in our muscles.

But these metabolic processes, which are depleted during exercise, still need oxygen for recovery. And taking deep breaths through your nose between exercises can help make this process happen optimally.

All of these points may seem incredibly positive and motivating, but you need to be careful with some negative points.

Breathing only through your nose during exercise is largely a learning process and should not be introduced instantly.

If you start this process without adequate training, it can generate “air hunger” – a small amount of carbon dioxide is retained at the end of each breath, which can cause discomfort and hyperventilation.

As with any process, practice makes perfect.

When learning to breathe through your nose, make sure you don’t force air in. Try to relax during the process. Make sure your tongue is at the top of your mouth, which relaxes your jaw and facial muscles, making it easier to breathe deeply through your nose.

You may prefer to alternate initially, breathing through your nose and mouth, until you get used to breathing only through your nose. The more you do this, the more the process will become unconscious.

Breathing through your nose during exercise can be very efficient. You just need to practice a lot and give your body the time it needs to adjust, avoiding damage.

This article was originally published on the academic news website The Conversation and republished under a Creative Commons license. Read the original English version here.

This text was published here

Dan Gordon is Professor of Cardiorespiratory Exercise Physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, in the United Kingdom. Chloe French and Jonathan Melville are PhD candidates in Exercise and Sport Science at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom