Definition
Nasal breathing is the normal, i.e. physiological form of breathing. At rest, we breathe in and out about sixteen times in one minute, usually quite intuitively through the nose. The air flows through the nostrils into the nose, paranasal sinuses and finally through the throat into the windpipe, from where the fresh air reaches the lungs.
Nasal breathing is healthy and has several advantages over mouth breathing. Some people suffer from restricted nasal breathing. Often the reason is a bend in the septum, which makes it difficult to breathe through the nose.
What is the difference to mouth breathing?
Nasal breathing is opposed to mouth breathing with numerous advantages. For one thing, the nose acts as a kind of temperature regulator. The air that flows in during breathing is moistened in the nose through the mucous membranes.
This function is especially valuable in autumn and winter when the heating air is dry. Cold breathing air is warmed up and hot, dry breathing air is cooled and humidified. In contrast, mouth breathing quickly leads to dryness of the mouth and neck scratching.
Pathogens can settle and spread much more easily during mouth breathing. The nose in turn has small hairs that filter dust and dirt particles out of the air. It also has antibodies in its mucous membrane, certain proteins and enzymes that combat the spread of pathogens.
Last but not least, the oral and nasal respiration differ in terms of oxygen supply. Blood oxygen saturation is ten to fifteen percent higher when breathing through the nose than when breathing through the mouth. This is caused by nitric oxide, which is produced in the paranasal sinuses and transported to the lungs during breathing.
Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and promotes blood flow to the alveoli, the alveoli of the lungs. This ultimately leads to more oxygen entering the blood and being transported to the organs. Nasal breathing is clearly superior to oral breathing in many respects.
You can find more about oral respiration on our page Mouth breathingSignificant advantages of breathing through the nose are the filter function, i.e. the filtering out of potential pathogens, and the “air conditioning”. The nose warms inhaled air, humidifies it and is therefore especially healthy in cold, dry winter air. In addition, the air we breathe is dosed through the paranasal sinuses, so we cannot take too large breaths.
This reduces the breathing frequency (breaths per minute) and improves the overall lung volume. Nasal breathing provides a moist environment for the nasal mucous membranes. This has a beneficial effect on night snoring and promotes the defence against cold symptoms.
In contrast to mouth breathing, blood circulation is increased. Furthermore, during nasal breathing we absorb wonderful scents that we cannot perceive through the mouth. Nasal breathing is basically healthy and physiological.
The only disadvantage of breathing through the nose is when a large amount of oxygen is required during strenuous sporting activities. The amount of breathing air that can pass through the noses is limited due to the anatomical narrowness of the nose. If the oxygen requirement is greatly increased, an athlete automatically switches to mouth breathing. This increases the required oxygen demand during intensive ventilation.
All articles in this series:
