You’re Killing Yourself Slowly If You Breathe Like This
Plus, Super-charge Each Breath with This Exercise…
I used to do it too. And I still do when I get nervous or tense. The sad part is, this bad habit only makes things worse.
So, what is it?
Mouth breathing. But it’s not that simple, as you’ll see below…
First, as a reformed “mouth-breather,” I laugh when I hear that’s a new slang term for “stupid.” The term got a boost recently from James Nestor’s best selling book, Breath.
So, why is mouth breathing so bad?
Let’s first focus on why your nose is so good.
“The nose is the silent warrior; the gate keeper of our bodies, pharmacist to our minds and weather vanes to our emotions.” — James Nestor
Get sick less and live longer breathing this way.
Your nose filters and moistens incoming air, preparing it air for your lungs. Your mouth doesn’t.
So breathing through the nose is the start, but it goes much deeper…
There’s a lot of focus on what we eat and drink, but one of the most overlooked aspects of health is how we breathe.
It matters … a ton! You breathe in around 2,000 gallons of air daily. If you’re breathing the wrong way, you’re exposing yourself to more illnesses and potentially shortening your lifespan.
The author details a humorous yet sad episode when his nostrils were literally taped shut and he his saw his health as a “mouth-breather” quickly deteriorate. Now, he’s a champion on how to breathe properly … through the nose.
Among the symptoms of mouth breathing are brain fog, lethargy, snoring, dry mouth, dental issues (bacteria flourishes from dry mouth), bad breath, hoarseness, irritability and one of the worst ones: greater susceptibility to illness because the mouth doesn’t filters pathogens (like viruses) as well as the nose.
So first, give your nose a huge thank you for all the ways it protects your health. These lovable little schnozes do a lot.
But nasal breathing is just the beginning…
There’s another big factor in your “breath health.”
Are you breathing into your chest or down into your stomach?
Guess which way is the right way?
If you have a pet or a baby around, then you have an advantage. Pets and babies breathe properly, pulling the air into their stomach.
So, we come out of the womb breathing right, then the stress of modern life switches us to shallow breathing in our chest, often through our mouths.
Note that when we’re breathe correctly, the air isn’t actually going into our stomachs, it’s entering the lower lungs which expand to make it seem like the stomach is also expanding.
That’s how to tell if your breathing properly, your stomach should expand and contract like a balloon with each breath.
An easy exercise to train for healthier breathing:
- Place with one hand on your chest and another on your belly, breathing through your nose.
- As you breathe, the hand on your belly should expand and contract while the hand on you chest remains mostly still.
- To relax, try 5-second inhales and 7-second exhales. Longer exhales stimulate the rest-and-digest response. On the other hand, if you want to wake up and become more alert, try longer inhales.
Tip: Don’t breathe in too much air. The object is to breathe slow and deep, not heavy. Too much air is just as bad for us as too much food.
In conclusion…
Breathing through the nose into the lower lungs gets more of the “good stuff” out of the air while filtering out more of the bad stuff. Nothing is fool-proof, and of course we can still get sick, but it helps significantly in both prevention and healing.
Is mouth breathing sometimes necessary? Yeah, like when working out we might need a big gulp of air, or when our noses are stuffed, the mouth gets the job done.
But when you’re nasal breathing, your body gets more pure oxygen out of less air. This helps your cells receive the oxygen better, which keeps your cells younger, which keeps you younger.
To top it off, one of the most relaxing meditations is to just watch your breath. So all this breath awareness may not only make you healthier, it could make you happier too, and maybe even awaken your intuition…
Cheers, to good air! ✨ ?
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None of the statements on this page should be construed as dispensing medical advice and/or making claims regarding the cure of diseases. You should consult a licensed health care professional before starting any supplement, dietary, or exercise program, especially if you are pregnant or have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions.These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Joe’s aim is to recommend tips he whole-heartedly trusts or that have benefited him personally through experience.
https://medium.com/the-mood/joes-lucky-finds-f06fd39968a4
Change Your Breath, Change Your Life! I had to mention the recent book I wrote about the secrets to healing and feeling younger using just your breath! Everyone from Olympic athletes to Navy SEALs uses the free air we breathe, as do monks and yogis (yeah we get deep).