Breathing
It’s something that you do occasionally, right?
Ironically, it’s probably because breathing is so essential to life that we don’t think much about it. However, if you don’t understand how the human body is designed to breathe - and based on my previous ignorance on the topic, I think that’s a big if - then you may be chronically undermining your health on all levels.
Fortunately, the advice is fairly straightforward: as often as possible, we want to breathe through the nose.
The benefits are myriad; as these experts will describe, breath is linked with everything from physical and emotional health to sleep quality.
One note before we jump into it - the topic of “breathwork” will come up in these books/conversations (I will delve into that in another round of experiments) - but you don’t need to go into these types of focused breath exercises to derive immense benefits.
So, ready to learn how you can increase your blood oxygen saturation levels, and why you would want to do that? Wondering how you can possibly nasal breathe if you have a chronically clogged nose?
Patrick McKeown and James Nestor are here to help you out! Scroll down for more!
Patrick McKeown, the creator, CEO and Director of Education and Training of Oxygen Advantage, comes at this work from a personal place; as he describes on Episode 99 of Feel Better, Live More, McKeown struggled with dreadful asthma from childhood until his mid-twenties. In one notable anecdote, McKeown describes how the first time he woke up feeling fully rested/energized was when he discovered overnight mouth-taping, which emphasizes nasal breathing*, in his mid-twenties.
The title of the Feel Better Live More podcast episode - How Breathing Through Your Nose Will Change Your Life - says it all. McKeown has also written a book, The Oxygen Advantage, which is mentioned in the discussion, and has further resources available at the Oxygen Advantage website, as well as the Buteyko Clinic Website, where he also serves as Director of Education and Training.
*I can personally attest to this; off-hand, I’d guess mouth-taping has increased my sleep “recovery rate” by at least 20%. For a few cents a day, it’s a must-have for me these days, and I seem to do more nasal breathing on nights I forget it.
