Dive deeper into the science behind nasal breathing and discover how using Sport/Sleep Comfort mouth tape during sleep can have a huge impact on your life.
The Science Behind Nasal Breathing
Anxiety
Nasal breathing exercises can stimulate the vagus nerve, which connects the brain with vital organs such as the heart and lungs. This nerve plays a critical role in managing stress and emotions. Since we can't consciously control our breathing during sleep, mouth taping to enable nasal breathing, can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a calm and relaxed state. Moreover, taking shallower breaths through the nose helps in building a tolerance to carbon dioxide, which can alleviate anxiety and panic by calming the amygdala and synchronizing the heartbeat and breathing rhythm.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395607001033?via%3Dihub
Performance & Endurance
Nasal breathing is particularly effective in enhancing endurance during physical activities. When we reach our limits during exercise, it is often due to the lungs’ inability to meet the oxygen demands. Nasal breathing is associated with higher oxygen uptake (VO2 max), which is crucial for endurance. It helps in better oxygen extraction and utilization during exercise. Intermittent hypoxic training through specific breath practices, including nasal breathing, can improve aerobic capacity and endurance performance.
https://hypoxico.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/intermittent-hypoxic-training-on-aerobic-capacity-and-endurance-performance-in-cyclists.pdfhttps://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1436477
Cardiovascular Health
Nasal breathing is essential for cardiovascular health due to its role in producing Nitric Oxide, a gas that dilates blood vessels. Breathing through the nose releases Nitric Oxide, which helps in opening blood vessels. Slow, controlled nasal breathing exercises have been suggested to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system by affecting autonomic variables such as blood pressure and heart rate.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-201X.1996.557321000.x
Relaxation
When under stress, nasal breathing exercises can promote relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This is achieved by sending signals through the vagus nerve. Conscious and unconscious nasal breathing can help in reducing the heart rate, slowing down the breathing rate, and lowering cortisol levels, leading to a state of relaxation.
Focus & ADHD
Nasal breathing exercises can be particularly beneficial for improving focus and attention. Research has shown that different breathing patterns, especially when focused through the nose, can activate regions in the brain associated with attention and awareness. High-frequency nasal breathing, in particular, has been linked to improved ability to sustain and direct attention by activating the sympathetic nervous system and reducing vagal activity.
Sleep Apnea
Nasal obstruction is strongly correlated with sleep apnea. Consistent nasal breathing can help in clearing the nasal pathways and reducing the volume of breathing, which can alleviate sleep apnea and snoring. One study showed that improved nasal breathing reduced snoring in a significant percentage of participants and increased daytime energy levels.
Enhanced Mood and Energy Levels
Nasal breathing patterns can positively affect one’s state of being through different physiological pathways. Studies have shown that engaging in high-frequency nasal breathing can enhance attention and alertness by activating the sympathetic nervous system and reducing vagal activity. This implies that nasal breathing can act as a catalyst in improving one’s energy levels and concentration.
Blood Pressure
Engaging in slow and balanced nasal breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Through conscious nasal breathing exercises, one can suppress the sympathetic nervous system, leading to a relaxation response. This can result in a decrease in heart rate, dilation of blood vessels, and reduction in blood pressure.
Pain Management
Nasal breathing exercises can serve as an intervention for managing pain perception. Holding the breath in after a deep inhalation through the nose can reduce pain perception. Slow and deep nasal breathing is effective in modulating the sympathetic nervous system and reducing anxiety and tension related to pain.
https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/16/9/1835/1877303
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01243.x
HRV
Nasal breathing can positively influence heart rate variability (HRV), which is the variation in time between heartbeats. Higher HRV is associated with better health and performance in various areas. Practicing slow nasal breathing, such as taking six breaths a minute, has been shown to improve HRV, which can have a range of benefits from improving sports performance to alleviating symptoms of asthma and IBS.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23029969/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29771730/
Mental Health
Mental Health and the effects of stress have been tightly linked to breath work and nasal breathing. The impact of breathwork on stress, anxiety, and depression, have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mouth taping and other breathing exercises are seen as potential natural intervention that can be offered at scale with limited resources.
Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials (Scientific Reports)
Oxygen Flow
Nasal breathing and breathing the right way delivers oxygen and carbon dioxide to the cells and tissues of the body. Increased oxygen flow throughout the body means better recovery, performance and so much more.
https://hubermanlab.com/how-to-breathe-correctly-for-optimal-health-mood-learning-and-performance/
Prevention of Dry Mouth and Bad Breath
Shutting your mouth when you sleep prevents the bacteria that causes bad breath to enter your mouth! If you wake up with morning breath, Sport / Sleep Comfort tape is the answer.
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/mouth-tape-for-bad-morning-breath
Reduced Snoring
The application of mouth tape, such as Sport / Sleep Tape, during sleep led to substantial reductions in key metrics associated with sleep-disordered breathing. The Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI), a measure of the severity of sleep apnea, showed a reduction of approximately 50%. Similarly, the Snoring Index (SI), a quantitative measure of snoring frequency, was also reduced by around 50%. Mouth taping drastically improves if not eliminates ones snoring!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9498537/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25450408/
Jawline / Facial Aesthetics
Mouth breathing tends to start in childhood and leads to improper jaw posture. A mouth-breathing face is easily defined by its poor posture balance. Nasal breathing had demonstrated the ability to properly align the jawline, correcting this, leading to more defined facial features.
https://www.mewing.app/blog/mouth-breathing-vs-nose-breathing
https://www.myofunctionaladvantage.com/mouth-breathing/
Vagus Nerve
The practice of nasal breathing has a profound impact on the vagus nerve, a critical nerve that forms the bridge between the brain and essential organs like the heart and lungs. This nerve is instrumental in regulating stress and emotional responses. However, maintaining conscious control over our breathing while we sleep is not possible. That's where mouth taping comes into play.
By facilitating nasal breathing during sleep, mouth taping can stimulate the vagus nerve, thereby activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This activation leads to a state of calm and relaxation, contributing to a more restful and restorative sleep.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189422/
REM Sleep
The potential role of Sport / Sleep Tape in enhancing REM sleep quality. REM sleep is a critical phase of the sleep cycle associated with memory consolidation and mood regulation. By improving the quality of REM sleep, Sport / Sleep Tape may contribute to overall cognitive function and emotional well-being.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9498537/