Do you breathe through your mouth? If yes, close your lips and read this

Breathing is the essence of life, and yet most of us hardly think about how we breathe. There are two air passageways to your lungs— the nose and mouth. Nasal breathing is considered normal, but there are some people who breathe through their mouths, especially at night or while sleeping. Do you also breathe through your mouth when you sleep? If yes, it means something is out of your control! 

Mouth breathing is simply a process, in which we open our mouths to inhale and exhale air. And when we inhale and exhale air through the nose, it is called nasal breathing. Most people end up breathing through their mouths, when the nasal passage is blocked. But what if we tell you that mouth breathing can be harmful? Yes, it can be!

Recently, celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija took to Instagram to share a post on how mouth breathing is not good for you. Her post focused on the causes of mouth breathing, especially during the night and how nasal breathing is beneficial for weight loss. 

Here’s what causes mouth breathing

Makhija explained, “Our autonomic nervous system has two main branches, sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic branch is responsible for our ‘fight or flight’ response, whereas the parasympathetic branch is responsible for the ‘rest and digest, tend and befriend’ response. Basically, the sympathetic branch gets you fired up and primed for movement, and the parasympathetic branch puts the brakes on and chills your body out.” 

She added, “Mouth breathing biases your body towards a sympathetic state, whereas nasal breathing activates the parasympathetic response. If the body is stuck in this state due to chronic stress and breathing dysfunction, it won’t effectively rebuild tissue from all of the HIIT workouts you are doing.”

Here’s how nasal breathing can be beneficial for weight loss

While explaining the causes of mouth breathing, Makhija said that nasal breathing can be beneficial for weight loss. She said, “Since a large portion of this recovery process happens while you sleep, it is especially important to breathe in a way that shifts your nervous system state into ‘rest and digest’ mode. This is why nasal breathing is so important for weight loss!” 

Here’s how you can improve your nasal breathing

At the end of her post, Makhija highlighted ways to improve nasal breathing, in order to maintain good health. She said, “Obviously, we switch to oral breathing, only when our nasal passage is blocked. Good quality vitamin C supplements (and foods), curcumin (opens up sinus blockages), zinc-rich foods, and supplements can really help improve nasal breathing (provided of course, that’s the prime reason and not a deviated septum). Speak with your nutritionist for exact doses and duration.”

Mouth breathing v/s nose breathing

Now we know, nasal breathing is beneficial for our health. When you breathe through your nose, it acts as a filter and retains small particles in the air, including pollen. Moreover, it helps in maintaining an ideal body temperature, prevents snoring and dental issues, and humidifies the air you inhale. On the other hand, mouth breathing can lead to dry mouth or sore throat. In fact, mouth breathing can lead to several other complications such as snoring, dental issues, chronic fatigue, waking up tired and irritable, and halitosis (bad breath). 

So ladies, follow Pooja Makhija’s advice and ditch breathing through your mouth.