Asthma-Free Naturally: Everything you need to know about taking control of your asthma. Patrick McKeown

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      Frontal view of interior of the nose

      condition. The nose humidifies inhaled air by increasing moisture content. A sign of good health is a moist nose while a dry nose can be a sign of dehydration. Take a moment now to think about a dog. Why a dog? Well, it’s common knowledge that when Fido’s nose is cool and moist, he’s most likely to be healthy, but when his nose is dry and hot, his owner is probably facing a trip to the vet!

      It is just as important to breathe out through the nose as it is to breathe in through it, despite a common conviction, particularly among sporting professionals, to the contrary. By breathing out through the nose, part of the moisture contained in the exhaled air is retained, thus reducing moisture loss. Breathing out through the mouth results in a greater loss of carbon dioxide and may lead to dehydration. This can be observed by breathing onto a pane of glass and then checking the residue of moisture left.

      Nasal breathing helps to regulate volume. All mouth breathers overbreathe and as a result suffer some symptoms of hyperventilation. The nose is a smaller channel to breathe through, and therefore it helps to reduce the volume of air as there is about fifty per cent more resistance. It is possible to overbreathe through the nose but to a lesser extent.

      Western research has concluded that the volume of air passing through the lungs of a person with asthma is usually between two and four times the norm.¹,²,³ From this it is possible to deduct that the quantity of allergens inhaled by a person with asthma is far greater than that of a person with healthy breathing. By switching to nasal breathing and reducing the volume of air taken in, the quantity of the allergens inhaled will be dramatically reduced, resulting in less exposure to triggers.

      Some people will instinctively hold their breath whenever they come across a trigger, and this is a good idea. For example, if you are walking in the street and a bus emitting a large volume of fumes passes by, just breathe out, and try to hold your breath until you have walked away from the pollution. When you recommence breathing, reduce the volume so that the amount of polluted air entering the airways will be reduced.

      A partially blocked nose is common with nasal breathing, one nostril will be partially blocked while the other is free to work. Check to see which of your nostrils is blocked by placing your finger over one nostril and breathing through the other; then repeat using the other nostril.

      You will find that after three or four hours the blocked nostril will usually clear and the previously clear nostril will become blocked. This is a natural pattern which enables one nostril to rest at a time. During physical activity such as walking or light jogging, both nostrils will open up to allow more air into the body. When lying down at night, usually the lower nostril will be blocked and the upper nostril clear.

      Mouth breathing results in irregular and erratic breathing while switching to nasal breathing brings more rhythm to the process.

      The importance of breathing through the nose tends to receive very little attention from the medical profession. It seems to be accepted without question that some people will breathe through the mouth and others through the nose. However, breathing through the mouth is detrimental to your health and this is emphasised to all patients who learn breath retraining. Mouth breathers have generally poorer health and may go through life with an uncomfortable and permanently blocked nose. Furthermore, mouth breathers have a higher incidence of cavities and gum disease than those who breathe through their nose.⁴