Could Nasal Breathing Improve Athletic Performance?

 Yes! This was an answer given by an article published by Washington Post this week. The author explains the endless benefits of nasal breathing, among them: Nasal breathing, as opposed to mouth breathing, has another important advantage, especially for effective and efficient exercise: It can allow for more oxygen to get to active tissues. That is because breathing through the nose releases nitric oxide, which is necessary to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, which, in turn, is what releases oxygen. Mouth breathing does not effectively release nitric oxide, which means the cells are not getting as much oxygen as through nasal breathing, which could lead to fatigue and stress.

At the end of the article, the author suggested: “Now consider practicing nasal breathing. Close the mouth and relax the tongue and jaw. Start by simply nasal breathing during warm-ups and cool-downs with workouts. Then try experiencing daily life while breathing through the nose. Some people who mouth breathe during sleep try mouth taping, putting specially designed tape over their lips to assist with nasal breathing.”

(Read the article)

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