Nasal Breathing vs Mouth Breathing

By Lidio Rainaldi, DDS

Way back in the 1830s, George Catlin, an author and traveler in the American West, wrote: “When I have seen a poor Indian woman in the wilderness, lowering her infant from the breast, and pressing its lips together as it falls asleep…I have said to myself, ‘Glorious education! Such a mother deserves to be the nurse of Emperors.’”

Catlin observed that the Native American mothers paid a lot of attention to their infants’ breathing. If at any time the baby opened its mouth to breathe, the mother would gently press the baby’s lips together to ensure continued nasal breathing. Catlin further described how the babies of the European settlers slept with their mouths open, gasping for breath in hot, stuffy, unventilated rooms, and noted that the rate of sickness and illness among the native Indian people was very low in comparison with European settlers.

These were serious observations at that time, suggesting that more illnesses arise in people who were slack jawed or do not routinely keep their mouths closed. This comes from his eccentric book, aptly titled, Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life.

Mouth Breathing: Dentists and orthodontists have documented that habitual mouth breathing is a result of narrow jaws, crooked teeth, sunken cheek bones, and smaller nasal cavities. The airways becomes so narrowed, the person needs to open their mouths for air.

When people breathe thru their mouth, their lungs get dry, unfiltered air. The air received is low-oxygen, which causes heart muscles to work overtime to deliver good oxygen to the brain and other organs. The dry air leads to enlarged tonsils, easily infected with germs, and the person’s immunity is lowered, leading to more colds and sore throats and swollen tonsils. Habitual mouth breathers often suffer from poor energy, a lack of concentration, and chronic illnesses. They are living life exhausted.

Nasal Breathing: You were born breathing through your nose, and it has been our primary conduit for breathing for hundreds of thousands of years. The nose and nasal passage is designed to slow down incoming air, and the nasal hairs filter out environmental toxins before they reach the body. As air passes thru the sinuses, it is warmed and humidified, mixed with nitric oxide (Google this), which increases the oxygen intake in the lungs.

Nasal breathing is an integral part of every animals’ survival. Ask any farmer, when an animal breathes through its mouth, it is a sure sign of sickness, injury, or

Our ancestors used only their noses to breathe, even during physical exercise. This is still evident in present-day members of indigenous tribes that run long distances, often to stay in shape for traditional hunting. Their heart rates operate at a very low 130 beats per minute even during rigorous exercise. The nasal breathing allows for a very calm and sustained breathing pattern while engaging in intense exercise. In contrast, the Western marathon runner lies between 160 an 180 beats per minute. These indigenous tribes are still able to run at a high intensity with their mouths closed over a relatively long duration of time, a feat that “modern man” seems to have lost.

The common practice of taking big, deep breaths thru your mouth, especially in exercise, is based on a misconception that taking in more air will oxygenate the body. The truth is, these deep breaths are decreasing your oxygen, as you’re exhaling all the carbon dioxide from the lungs, and carbon dioxide is needed for the body to absorb oxygen. Normal, healthy, nasal breathing will almost fully saturate your body with oxygen.

Authentic teachers of Indian yoga and traditional Chinese medicine know that when it comes to breathing, less is more. True health and inner peace occurs when breathing is quiet, soft, and thru the nose. This is how human beings naturally breathed until modern life changed everything.

If you or a loved one is breathing through the mouth, has a blocked nose, crowded teeth, snores, is a restless sleeper, wakes up tired—again, the same symptoms of ADD/ ADHD— these are signs the body is not getting the oxygen it needs. Psychiatric research in the 90s demonstrated that low oxygen results in depression and panic attacks. Get an appointment with your doctor, dentist, ENT, and say, “Open up my airway!” Be persistent!

The book, “The Oxygen Advantage,” is a great reference to learn to breath correctly. The author also teaches breathing exercises in opening a clogged nose, eliminating asthma, losing weight, and improving sleep. The author has trained over 5,000 people, including Olympic and professional athletes, in how to breathe for optimum oxygen intake and maximize their fitness. This is an invaluable reference for anyone to improve their stamina. It is an easy read and an overall great reference for good health. I have placed this book in the Octavia Fellin Public Library.

This holiday, let us all focus on getting our bodies in good shape for the coming years, learning from our ancestors, keeping life simple. Opening up our airways will ensure our bodies are getting good oxygen and we’re getting a good nights sleep! Learning how to breathe properly will improve everyone’s health and well being.

In his book, Shut your Mouth, George Catlin also writes that even too much talking is harmful, as the mouth has to be open for this purpose. “There is no person in society but who will find...improvement in health and enjoyment ... from keeping his or her mouth shut.” I’ll start working on this. Happy Holidays to everyone!

References: Wikipedia: George Catlin. Check out his beautiful paintings and writings. Websites: www.AirwayHealth.org www.patrickmckeown.net - has videos of Breathing Exercises Videos: Finding Connor Deegan -every parent &educator needs to watch this 5 min video Books: GASP, Airway Health, by Dr’s M.Gelb, and H. Hindin / Amazon $18 The Oxygen Advantage, by Patrick McKeown; O. Fellin Library / Amazon $10

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