Book Overview of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
My main takeaway from this book is of the utmost importance of nasal breathing over mouthbreathing. Modern man with his modern ailments has largely lost his ability to breathe properly from this nose: 40% of today’s population suffers from chronic nasal obstruction. Naturally, without a properly functioning nose, the body will instead breath through the mouth. However, it turns out that chronic mouthbreathing is incredibly detrimental to one’s health. Correspondingly, it turns out that nasal breathing is incredibly beneficial and has been severely overlooked by mainstream Western medicine as a pillar of good health. Luckily, if your nasal airway is chronically blocked, there are certain steps you can take to free it. But firstly, how the hell have we lost our collective ability to breathe through noses?! It appears the main reasons are: poor nutrition, a soft-food diet and bad breathing habits
Why Can’t We Breathe Through Our Noses Anymore?
If the human body doesn’t get adequate nutrition throughout growth, it leads to an underdeveloped skull. This means a narrowed face, a smaller nasal region, pinched nostrils, crooked noses, crooked teeth, overbite and a differently shaped skull. All of these factors lead to less overall space for nasal airflow (alongside other ailments). Weston A. Price researched remote indigenous tribes in the early 1900’s and discovered that aboriginal peoples who followed traditional diets had near-perfect teeth (despite not brushing) and health, alongside wider facial features and differently shaped skulls. This was in contrast to modernized man who had crooked teeth, a smaller skull size, rampant tuberculosis and constant health ailments.
The differences between these two groups was not simply genetic: indigenous peoples began to exhibit the same symptoms as the civilized people once they adopted the same foods and lifestyle. Price highlighted the importance of nutrition to account for these differences; in particular, the saturated fats, organ meats and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2 (primarily found in animal foods) which serve as catalysts for mineral absorption.
In addition to poor nutrition, a soft-food diet which doesn’t require chewing may also lead to stunted bone development in the dental arches and sinus cavities. In one study, a group of pigs was fed a diet of hard-pellet chow while another group was fed an identical chow softened with water. The pigs fed soft foods had narrower faces, crowded teeth and and jaws out of alignment (pg. 134). Breathing problems soon follow.
Finally, breathing problems are exacerbated by poor breathing habits:
Mouthbreathing, it turns out, changes the physical body and transforms airways, all for the worse. Inhaling air through the mouth decreases pressure, which causes the soft tissues in the back of the mouth to become loose and flex inward, creating less space and making breathing more difficult. Mouthbreathing begets more mouthbreathing. Inhaling from the nose has the opposite effect. It forces air against all those flabby tissues at the back of the throat, making the airways wider and breathing easier. After a while, these tissues and muscles get “toned” to stay in this opened and wide position. Nasal breathing begets more nasal breathing. (pg. 27).
Mouthbreathing Ruins your Health, Nasal-breathing for the Win
The author of the book voluntarily underwent an experiment in which he completely plugged his nasal airways for 10 days while being monitored for the duration. The consequences to his health were devastating: blood pressure spiked; stress levels increased substantially; he developed obstructive sleep apnea alongside a 1300% increase in snoring (his sleep was completely ruined); mental clarity hit rock-bottom, athletic performance declined and it was overall an immensely miserable experience. Have you ever woken up in the morning with a disgustingly parched mouth? Imagine that feeling, times 100 and with no escape. In addition to all these miseries, chronic mouthbreathing over a long duration can also cause facial deformities, bad breath, and gum disease. It also causes the body to lose more water.
It turns out that breathing through your nose is incredibly important. Nasal breathing heats, cleans, slows and pressurizes air so that the lungs can extract more oxygen with each breath making it healthier and more efficient than breathing through the mouth. When nasal airflow decreases, bacteria in the sinus flourish which lead to colds and infections. Congestion begets more congestion, which gives us no other option but to habitually breathe through the mouth. Nose breathing also causes the sinuses to release nitrous oxide into the bloodstream which plays an essential role in circulation and delivering oxygen. Immune function, weight, circulation, mood and sexual function can all be heavily influenced by the amount of nitric oxide in the body.
How to Fix Nasal Breathing Problems
When the nose is denied regular use, it will atrophy. The key to restoring proper nasal health is by breathing from it more regularly. One of the best ways to do this is to tape your mouth shut with a small piece of vertically-aligned tape before bed. Mouth-taping will force you to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth throughout the night and can have a profound impact on your health. Even if you are unable to last throughout the entire night, the nose’s function will gradually be restored through more use.
I have a deviated septum and have always found it difficult to breathe freely from my nose. Once I started consistently mouth-taping before bed I have been able to clear the airway and can now breathe comfortably from throughout the day. No intrusive surgery required. If there are particular evenings where your nose is clogged, try doing a saline nasal rinse (also known as a neti-pot) before bed to clear the passages before sleeping.
You can also practice breathing through your nose while exercising. In order to do this successfully, you will find that you need to practice fewer inhales and exhales in a smaller volume. Taking longer breaths allows our lungs to soak up more oxygen in fewer breaths. “Slower, longer exhales, of course, mean higher carbon dioxide levels.” (pg. 89) Contrary to popular belief, increased carbon dioxide may actually be beneficial: “With that bonus carbon dioxide, we gain a higher aerobic endurance. This measurement of highest oxygen consumption, called VO2 max, is the best gauge of cardio-respiratory fitness. Training the body to breathe less actually increases VO2 max, which can not only boost athletic stamina but also help us live longer and healthier lives.” (pg. 88).
Healthy nasal breathing starts at birth. Many indigenous cultures practice closing their baby’s lips while they sleep and after they feed to ensure they are breathing through the nose. Parents in the West should start doing the same. As a general guide, the optimum breathing rate is about 5.5 breaths per minute, which equates to 5.5 second inhales and 5.5 second exhales (and about 5.5 litres of air per minute).
Overall, I think this overview covers the most important points of the book without you having to read it, but if you have a particular breathing problem, want specific breathing exercises or are extra keen on optimizing your breath then the book may be worth purchasing.