Professional athletes seeking performance should include nasal breathing training
Research has shown that the
nitric oxide
(TO THE)
it plays an important role in increasing blood oxygen and improving oxygen uptake by the lungs. OR
nitric oxide
(TO THE)
, as it is a powerful vasodilator, it increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure. Its vasodilation increases the surface area of the alveoli where oxygen is absorbed at the end of the bronchi. This means that more oxygen is absorbed more efficiently when you breathe through your nose. Nose breathing does not hold the
TO THE
which regulates the
*homeostasis
in many of the body’s functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and even breathing. Therefore, professional athletes looking to maximize performance should include nasal breathing training in their routine.
Breathing through the mouth causes the individual to inhale larger volumes of air than necessary, resulting in hyperventilation. Also, inhaling dry, unfiltered air reduces the efficiency of gas exchange and exposes the body to infection. Some researchers have identified that mouth breathing and associated hyperventilation cause and aggravate asthma, hypertension, heart disease, interfere with the oral apparatus, cause postural changes, increase the rate of snoring and apnea, among others problems. Mouth breathing lowers carbon dioxide levels, reduces blood circulation, slows down the brain and reflexes, and even causes fits of dizziness and sometimes loss of consciousness. Chronic mouth breathing also weakens the muscles that open the sides of the nose, causing the airways to narrow. When you breathe through your mouth, your lungs are overstimulated with oxygen, but your airways dry out and vasoconstriction occurs. Therefore, an inefficient amount of oxygen is actually absorbed by the alveoli. The body activates mouth breathing only in emergency situations. For example, when your body has less oxygen, you may be forced to breathe through your mouth. You know that uncontrollable yawn where your mouth helps draw in much more air than your nostrils? Does your brain want to slow down and do you want to keep working?
Nasal expiration in sports performance
Nasal exhalation contributes immensely to innate immunity i.e. mucus formation and ciliary movement. Furthermore, it is mainly during exhalation that our lungs extract oxygen from the air. When you exhale through the narrowed nostrils in relation to the mouth, back pressure (negative pressure) is created and the exhaled air is constricted and slowed down, which is precisely the time when the lungs absorb more oxygen. By delaying the release of air, the lungs buy more time to extract the oxygen. Our oxygen uptake occurs mainly during limited exhalation through the nose. If carbon dioxide is expelled too quickly, as with mouth breathing, oxygen uptake decreases. To improve exercise performance, it is necessary to retrain the way we breathe so that the respiratory cycle remains constant and is preferably nasal. Second
Cottle (1972) and Rohre
R
(1915)
nasal breathing imposes approximately 50% more resistance to airflow in normal individuals than mouth breathing, resulting in 10% to 20% more air absorption
O2
.
*Homeostasis, a term coined by Walter Cannon, can be defined as the ability to maintain the internal environment in an almost constant equilibrium, regardless of the changes that occur in the external environment. The internal environment, in turn, is defined as the fluids that circulate through our cells, the so-called interstitial fluid.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
