Why Is Nitric Oxide Important to Health?

How to Generate Nitric Oxide 

Until a few decades ago, scientists and researchers paid little attention to the role of nitric oxide in the body. But that changed in the 1990s when nitric oxide was proclaimed as the molecule of the year. Scientists discovered that nitric oxide plays a significant role in our health and is essential for maintaining homeostasis or balance within the body. 

Nitric oxide, which is produced naturally in our bodies, has several important biological functions for the respiratory and cardiovascular systems including helping to regulate blood pressure. For anyone who suffers from various breathing difficulties, it is essential to know that nitric oxide acts as a bronchodilator making respiration less laborious.  Nitric oxide is also a vasodilator, which means that it relaxes the walls of the blood vessels, causing them to widen. This, in turn, allows increased blood circulation in the body. Moreover, it is a key player in strengthening our immune system.  In addition, it is an antibacterial agent that helps to neutralize germs and bacteria.

The production of nitric oxide is essential for our overall health because it allows oxygen and nutrients to efficiently and effectively travel to every part of the human body. In fact, the limited capacity of nitric oxygen is often associated with diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, and other health problems.

Knowing the benefits of nitric oxide (NO), the question is how do we increase its production in our bodies?

Fortunately, Dr. Buteyko offered us a solution by stating that breathing through the nose is the foundation for optimal health. Scientists discovered that nasal breathing is an ideal way of increasing the levels of nitric oxide in the body because our paranasal sinuses have a high concentration of nitric oxide, which travels through the rest of the body when we simply breathe through the nose.

Nasal breathing is truly the key to an optimal life. During the process of nasal breathing, not only pathogens and pollutants in the air get trapped in the nostril hair, but also the produced nitric oxide makes its way down our airways and into our vital organs, increasing overall oxygenation. On the other hand, when we breathe through our mouths, we bypass this entire process creating various imbalances in our bodies, which, according to Dr. Buteyko, can lead to many diseases.

To generate maximum nitric oxide, it is important not only to breathe through the nose but also maintain healthy breathing. What is healthy respiration? Of course, it is always through the nose but also passive, relaxed and effortless. If your respiration is noisy, most likely, you are still hyperventilating even though you are breathing through your nose. Over-breathing, whether through the nose or the mouth, causes the blood vessels to restrict, which is one of the reasons why most hyperventilators don’t feel well and are often tired. Moreover, over-breathing, primarily mouth-breathing, leads to a rapid reduction of CO2 in the body, which impacts the overall oxygenation. This creates mental fog, depression, and many other issues.

Are you able to breathe through your nose? Are you able to do it when you are asleep or when you exercise? Do you inhale through your nose when you talk? Are you able to breathe quietly and effortlessly? If the answer to these questions is no, then chances are that you are not healthy or, perhaps, even severely ill. Most likely, your body does not produce enough nitric oxide and your carbon dioxide levels are insufficient as well.

In this case, the Buteyko Breathing Method becomes vital for your health improvement. Step-by-step, it will help you to switch from mouth breathing to nasal breathing, to establish it 24/7 and then improve your breathing even further by making it silent, relaxed and enjoyable. When this type of respiration becomes second nature, adults and children start experiencing numerous improvements in their health and the quality of their lives improves. Breathing through the nose peacefully balances levels of nitric oxide, carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body, calms the nervous system, boosts immunity, clears the mind, improves focus and increases overall energy. Switching from a detrimental type of breathing to a wholesome type is an option available to all of us – whether a person is five or eighty-five years old. The Breathing Center offers many types of courses and products to help people to make this transformation.

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