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Nose Breathing
I’m probably the last to learn that there are people selling books and creating videos about the merits of breathing through your nose and the evil of doing it by mouth. Don
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Care to provide an example? You come up with the greatest topics! And what do I do when my allergies stuff up my nose?
Sue
@thumperguy Don, Interestingly enough, if you read Daniel Pecaut's book Beating Bronchiectasis (which I have read twice now but it was a year or two ago) there was one of his "team" that told him it was very important to breathe through the nose and not the mouth even when exercising (that's a trick). I've always remembered that ever since I read that book. It, of course, has scientific reasoning behind it but I can't remember what it was. And there was also a Russian doctor back in the 20's or 30's that believed that people with chronic diseases (and I don't remember if it was lung specific or any chronic disease) had been mouth breathers all their life. I know I was and have been a mouth breather because of sinus issues but now I'm trying to breathe more through my nose. One day I will find that video about that doctor. He was obviously shunned by the medical community but I believe there's something to it. Nan
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1 ReactionJust Goggle “nose breathing” and you’ll find enough stuff to keep you reading‘till midnight.
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1 ReactionWell, breathing through the nose has some great advantages over mouth breathing for everyone: mucus in the nose along with our sinuses warm cold air (the air we breathe is not as warm as our lungs); mucus along with nose hair stops dirt from getting into our lungs (boogers!); the sense of smell warns us so we can avoid noxious gases like smoke and in my case perfume.
I'm sure there are more.
Fortunately, we can breathe through our mouths when our nose isn't working. Except when we are eating.
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1 ReactionI read Daniel Pecaut's book too. As I recall he crafted a very impressive, energetic self-care treatment program.
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2 ReactionsI think that the Buteyko method is used by a lot of people who do nose breathing. There’s a lot written about it and why it’s helpful. Pecaut may refer to it in his book but it’s been a while since I read it. I should read it again for some inspiration.
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2 ReactionsI have an opposite problem. When I went through Duke Pulmonary Rehab program—5 weeks, 5 days a week, 2 1/2 hours of walk, bike, strength, etc they taught and preached breathing all the time, I.e. using your diaphragm, push out your stomach to breathe in deeply through your nose BUT then purse lips to breathe out slowly and fully. Brochiectasis, they said, is less a problem of getting in enough air, more a problem of getting all of it out. My problem now? Although I do nose breathe most of the time, anytime I’m the least bit stressed I start doing the pursed lip. My husband and my daughter call me out on it. “You’re doing it again” when I’m not exercising. They tell me it looks really weird. It’s a habit I’m trying to break.
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1 ReactionNo. Pleae don't stop. It slows breathing and gets out the carbon dioxide. We should use pursed lip breathing whenever our lungs tell us to do it.. Tell your family that you are blowing kisses. (You might also want to remind them that you have a lung disease).
While this is an interesting topic, unless it was a matter of life and death I doubt I could do it. The reason is that such an overwhelming majority of my breaths occur entirely outside of focal awareness. I might start with good intentions, but soon I’ll be enrapt by Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal at the bird feeder and I’m breathing on autopilot. Don
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