W WELLBEING
L
UNLESS YOU HAVE A PHYSICAL
OBSTRUCTION, YOUR NOSE
IS BLOCKED BECAUSE YOU
OVERBREATHE
by Joel Jelen
Well, the chilly temperatures have well
and truly kicked in and some people will
be cursing their luck with a blocked nose,
blaming the polar vortex for sounding
nasal and seemingly unable to breathe
through their nose.
Unfortunately, some people suffer from
a perennial blocked nose! I’ve lost count
of the amount of people I’ve met in
consultations and in Reset Breathing
workshops who say that they can’t nose
breathe because their nose is blocked. The
remarks usually continue unabated when
I mention “breathe as often through your
mouth as you eat through your nose!”
I used to mouth breathe, especially at
night during sleep and too much during
the day and often had a blocked nose...
which, let me tell you, didn't do much for
my intended career in broadcasting!
Growing up, my family GP couldn't fathom
why my nose was blocked, so just reached
for the antibiotics prescription. There are
now fat files around the country, belonging
to patients unable to find out from their GP
or Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons
why their nose is frequently blocked.
Let me explain why mouth breathing and
taking in too great a volume of air on an
inhalation (plus sighing and deep breaths)
is likely to give you a constantly blocked
nose.
Not only that, the cumulative effect can
end up in a patient commonly suffering
from rhinitis and sinusitis.
Your nose becomes blocked because your
overbreathing* doesn’t enable your blood
vessels to dilate. When this happens,
you reduce the flow of C02 and oxygen
to the smooth muscle linings, creating
the blockage. Asthmatics are classic
overbreathers. In many cases, it is their
overbreathing that causes asthma in the
first place!
Mouth breathing causes an increase in
respiratory infections, gum disease and
dental cavities and even alters your facial
structure causing elongated facial features
over time and you can also develop
obstructive sleep apnea as a result. There
are further negative health implications
associated with mouth breathing but i'm
guessing you're getting the gist!
A natural remedy to reduce and eliminate
symptoms associated with the above
conditions is Buteyko breathing techniques,
which unsurprisingly encourage the patient
to close their mouth! These take time to
master with patience and commitment
albeit under the expert guidance of a
breathing re-trainer.
For now, think about how a family member
or a friend lead their lives if they suffer
from a stuffy nose and constant colds. Try
and encourage them to nose breathe day
and night and they might just thank you
forever!
*Overbreathing is defined as breathing faster than
your metabolic rate requires. As human beings, we
were designed to breathe far less per minute than
we generally do and we only need take in very small
amounts of air on those inhalations.
Joel Jelen is a Fellow of Buteyko Professionals International. Reset Breathing hosts regular
workshops around the region, more details at www.resetbreathing.com
wirrallife.com 69