Nose vs. Mouth breathing
Nose vs. Mouth breathing
We have a few combinations we can choose from when it comes to Nose vs. Mouth breathing.
- Inhale nose – exhale nose
B. Inhale mouth – exhale mouth
C. Inhale nose – exhale mouth
D. Inhale mouth – exhale nose
Let’s see what happens when we inhale through the nose?
1 Air is filtered while passing through the fine nasal hairs. Dust, pollen and other particles are filtered.
2 Mucus that coats the inner part of the nose, functions as a sticky filter for dust, pollen and other particles.
3 Temperature of the air is regulated so that it is closer to body temperature, 37 deg.
4 Air is humidified which facilitates better oxygen absorption in the lungs.
5 Nitric Oxide is added in the nasal chamber to the inhaled air. Nitric Oxide allows better absorption of oxygen in the lungs.
6 Nitric Oxide also has antimicrobial quality effective against: bacteria, viruses, and fungi
7 Inhaled air-flow is restricted by a narrow passage.
Let’s see what happens when we inhale through the mouth compared to the nose?
1 No hair filtering.
2 Moderate filtering by particles adherence to the saliva.
3 Worse performance in air temperature regulating.
4 Air is humidified by evaporating saliva, which dries the mouth and removes salvia protection from the teeth.
5 No nitric oxide added to the air for better oxygen absorption.
6 No nitric oxide added to the air for repelling microbes.
7 Inhaled air-flow not restricted by a narrow passage.
Let’s see what happens when we exhale through the nose?
1 The expelled air heats the nasal cavity, preparing it for temperature regulation in the next inhale (recycling).
2 The expelled air humidifies the nasal cavity, preparing it for the next inhale (recycling).
3 Exhaled air-flow is restricted by a narrow passage.
Let’s see what happens when we exhale through the mouth compared to the nose?
1 No heat recycling mechanism.
2 No humidity recycling mechanism.
3 Exhaled air-flow not restricted by a narrow passage
Generally speaking, nose breathing is more effective than mouth breathing. Nose breathing should be our default breathing choice with a few exceptions.
1 In case of emergency, when we need to compete, fight or escape, we may choose mouth breathing because it allows intensive pumping of air in and out of the lungs.
2 When we communicate by speaking, we need to exhale from the mouth in order to vibrate our vocal cord.
3 Singing and producing vocal sounds.
4 We may choose our mouth for exhaling, when we want to comfort ourselves with a sigh, ahhhhh.