Comments on: breathe in, breathe out

Question: breathe in, breathe out

striker — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:55:11 -0800

So, one five hour surgery later, I can finally breathe properly out of my nose after 25 years of growing up, exercising, and playing sports taking breath mostly through my mouth. I want to learn to use this new function properly.

I'm afraid my body is well trained in mouth-breathing. Even though I've already noticed improvements in sleeping, I want to encourage proper breathing during sports (I play soccer) and even everyday life.

I'm looking for articles that teach techniques and methods for learning to breathe correctly through the nose, to train myself to do so.

I've googled - most of what I've found has been generic advice that it should be done - not procedures/techniques/ideas on how to do so. I once read an article in a magazine at a gym that described how a guy was teaching basketball players to breathe through their nose by doing various treadmill running-then-sprinting exercises with a covered mouth and proceded to tell step by step how it was done. That's sort of what I'm looking for. Thanks for your help. I love askme.

By: judith

judith — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:13:44 -0800

a good yoga class will have a pranayama (breath control) practice component, which can help you learn breathing techniques. you might try googling pranayama, but you're probably better off finding someone who can demonstrate techniques and watch you try them.

By: footnote

footnote — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:16:32 -0800

Hmmm...I'm not sure it's a good idea to try to change the way you breath during exercise -- the key is to get enough oxygen, right? I think that I usually breathe through my mouth when I'm working out, and I vaguely recall a gym teacher debunking the idea that breathing through your nose while exercising is better. I think that if you just relax, the right way of breathing will come to you.

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:18:27 -0800

When swimming, be sure to breathe out a tiny bit through your nose right as you dive down under the surface. This keeps the water from shooting up there.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:18:58 -0800

Tape your mouth shut. (and excersize somewhere private) You should get used to nose-breathing soon enough. Keep in mind that you can't get as much air through your nose as you can your mouth. Any kind of heavy excertion is going to require mouth breathing anyway.

By: oddman

oddman — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:25:48 -0800

I always try to maintain nose breathing while I run (it keeps me from swallowing air). About two to three miles in, I have to switch to mouth breathing.

As delmoi said, mouth breathing during exercise is not really a problem that needs fixing. (I assume that you aren't running around with you mouth fully opened or something weird like that.)

By: Sara Anne

Sara Anne — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:36:14 -0800

Andrew Weil has a nice set of audio disks dedicated to learning how to breathe restfully. If I were you, I would start by learning how to breathe while in repose and then work my way up to breathing while engaging in intense activity.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:45:48 -0800

yoga++

Hatha yoga is generally less intense, which will let you focus more on your pranayama (breath technique).

By: mkultra

mkultra — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:46:17 -0800

And congrats!

By: occhiblu

occhiblu — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 10:50:34 -0800

One common pranayama exercise is this: Take your right hand and fold over your middle two fingers. Place your extended index finger next to your right nostril, and lay the extended pinkie up against your left nostril. Press your pinkie against your left nostril so that it's shut, then inhale fully and slowly through your right nostril. Hold the breath for an instant, then switch nostrils -- use your index finger to shut your right nostril and breath out through your left nostril. LEAVE YOUR FINGERS WHERE THEY ARE and breathe in this time through your still-open left nostril, hold, switch fingers, exhale through right; inhale through still-open right, hold, switch fingers, exhale through left; etc. for as long as you want.

For me, it makes me very aware of both sides of my nose and breath pathways and such.

It was, however, often very difficult to do during cold season in cold climates....

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:05:41 -0800

out of curiosity, what was the surgery? Was it nasal polyps? I'm curious because I've always had trouble breathing through one side of my nose and when my wisdom teeth got removed, they pointed out nasal polyps on my Xrays and said I might think about having them removed. Is it worth it?

By: blueyellow

blueyellow — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:45:37 -0800

I guess you had a deviated septum operation. I suggest you learn buteyko breathing. You will learn to breath through your nose as well as learn to breath using your diaphragm, while moving towards making breathing comfortable and controleld even during exercise.

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 11:57:17 -0800

Congrats...I'm about to (this week) speak to my doctor about getting the same done. I've spent all my life breaking in and out through both at the same time, because my nasal passages as so small that it takes conscious effort to get enough air through them to not feel oxygen-starved.

Anything you can tell us about the surgery would be most helpful to me.

By: A189Nut

A189Nut — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:32:22 -0800

Duct-tape is the answer until you adapt

By: o2b

o2b — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:56:10 -0800

Hold water in your mouth?

More easily hidden than tape :)

By: striker

striker — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 14:25:28 -0800

For those that are curious, I was born with cleft lip and palette, and my nose formed slightly off. The surgery involved shaving down my turbinates, fixing a severly deviated septum, realigning the bones/cartilage of my nose, and realigning the muscles of my upper lip which were still a little off after my surgeries when born.

Thanks for your suggestions so far, I'm going through them and will surely find them very useful.

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 14:28:28 -0800

Off topic a bit, but make sure you're belly-breathing -- that is, expanding your belly (NOT your chest!!) when inhaling.

It feels weird at first, but you'll get more air and avoid side-cramps while exercising. It helps for singing, too.