You're Probably Breathing Wrong: Here's How To Tell & How To Stop

There are many ancient and modern breathing practices that can improve our health and happiness by helping to foster healthier respiration patterns.

There is the kind of Tummo breathing that is utilized in the Wim Hof Method, there is pranayama (yogic breathing), Buteyko, box breathing, resonant breathing, basic breath holds, Sudarshan Kriya, Holotropic Breathwork, and Andrew Weil's technique. All are practiced across the world by hundreds of thousands of people to powerful effect, helping people control anxiety, improve blood chemistry, and tune up the immune system. These are all wonderful techniques to practice, and we're sure at least one of them could change your life. 

But here's the straight talk: We've tried just about every technique out there and have our favorites, but from what we've seen, tried, and learned, you can improve your breathing patterns and get to 80% of where you want to be by doing only one thing: breathing through your nose. 

This requires you to keep your mouth closed, of course. Consider this your small contribution to turning down the volume in a very, very noisy world. In fact, we want you to do it right now. See? So easy.

If you have allergies or asthma or chronic sinusitis, this will be an absolute game changer for you. If you have sleep apnea or insomnia—it's a must-try. And the beautiful part? It's free, it's easy, and breathing is something you have to do anyway. Of all the health-boosting practices we recommend, breathing through your nose is by far the most accessible—no external barriers to be found. 

There are three main underlying reasons breathing through your nose is the most important thing you can do right now to start breathing better. Each one feeds into a downstream benefit like better respiratory health, nervous system resilience, and hormonal balance.

First, if you're not breathing through your nose, you're missing out on the benefits of the world's most intricate and well-designed filtration system. Inside our sinus cavity is a seashell-like structure; the air entering our noses has to make its way through many twists and turns before it gets to the lungs.

The second reason to breathe through your nose is because it increases your CO₂ tolerance, which increases your oxygen absorption and your physiological resilience. We all know that oxygen is important, but the real invisible hero of functional breathing is carbon dioxide. And we all need more of it for optimal breathing.

Blood chemistry is all about balance. It's not as simple as oxygen = good and CO₂ = bad. Oxygen is what our cells use for fuel, but in order to make the best use of that fuel, we need the right amount of carbon dioxide in our bloodstream to make that oxygen bioavailable to our cells.

For most people, the solution isn't breathing more to get more oxygen; it's breathing less and more slowly to build up CO₂ in the bloodstream so you can make better use of the oxygen you've got. If your mouth is an oxygen superhighway, your nose is a two-lane scenic route. Breathing through your nose immediately slows you down and helps you build up a tolerance to CO₂, which helps your cells and body tissues better absorb the oxygen they so desperately want. 

The third reason breathing through your nose gives you the most bang for your buck is nitric oxide. This wonder molecule is a biological messenger that is created in the sinus tissues when you breathe through your nose—but not your mouth.

Nitric oxide increases vasodilation (circulation), helping to keep smooth muscles like your heart and arteries healthy, and it aids in the delivery and absorption of oxygen to your cells. It's a little like adding the world's best immune booster to your air smoothie. New studies show that nitric oxide may also help respiratory infections by "inactivating viruses and inhibiting their replication." There are even clinical trials underway to study the effects of nitric oxide in COVID‑19 patients1.

So now you're reading along, and you're breathing through your nose. Check in with yourself. How does it feel? Is it hard because you're stuffed up? Does it feel strange because you're used to breathing primarily through your mouth? Or is it easy? This is good information to have, and it's the first place to start.

Check in with your breath throughout the day, and notice how hard and fast you're breathing when at rest as opposed to when walking up the stairs. Because we're all about baby steps, challenge yourself to finish this article without breathing through your mouth even once.

By the way, did you make it this far breathing through your nose? If not, that's OK; just zip your lips and begin again.