According to the American Lung Association, we take around 23,000 breaths per day; but have you ever thought about how you breathe?
Most of us don’t. Breathing feels automatic, like blinking, scrolling on Instagram, or pretending to pay attention in meetings…but not all breathing is equal. And the way you breathe could be affecting your energy, sleep, mood, and even your long-term health.
Enter nasal breathing – the superhero of respiration.
Breathing through your nose (instead of your mouth) helps your body function the way it’s designed to. It boosts oxygen efficiency, calms your nervous system, supports immune health, and helps prevent sleep disorders caused by mouth breathing.
In this guide, we’ll explore what nasal breathing is, why it matters, and how making this one shift can have a big impact on every aspect of your life.
At its core, nasal breathing is exactly what it sounds like, inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Simple, right? But this basic habit plays a far more powerful role in your health than most people realise.
Your nose is designed specifically to filter and humidify the air before it enters your lungs – something mouth breathing simply can’t do.
Nasal breathing also encourages deeper, more efficient breaths by activating your diaphragm. This means better oxygen exchange, more balanced CO₂ levels, and a calmer, more regulated nervous system.
It’s the ‘natural’ way of breathing – our body’s default mode of respiration. But over time, due to modern habits, stress, and even physical obstructions, many people have shifted to mouth breathing without even realising the negative implications it can have on their health.
In most cases, nasal breathing is more beneficial than mouth breathing, with the exception being when nasal passages are blocked or obstructed and you simply cannot get enough air when breathing through your nose.
Here’s why breathing through your nose makes all the difference:
The nose acts as a natural filter, removing impurities and pathogens from the air, reducing the risk of respiratory infections. Nose hairs alone can filter out allergens and toxins such as dust, pollen and harmful bacteria.
As you inhale through your nose, the nasal passages naturally humidify the air, preventing dryness of the airways, protecting delicate lung tissues, and making it easier for your lungs to absorb.
Your nose regulates the temperature of incoming air, warming or cooling it to match your body’s internal environment, ultimately reducing stress on your respiratory system.
Nasal breathing stimulates the release of nitric oxide – a powerful molecule that relaxes blood vessels, enhances oxygen absorption in the lungs, and supports cardiovascular health. It also plays a vital role in key bodily functions, including circulation, immune defense, and communication between nerve cells.
In comparison, here’s what happens when you breathe through your mouth:
Inhaling through your mouth skips the air conditioning processes of the nose, potentially leading to drier, cooler and less filtered air entering the lungs. Breathing through your mouth also leads to your mouth losing moisture, contributing to a dry mouth.
Mouth breathing bypasses the nose’s natural filtration system, increasing the risk of pathogens entering the respiratory tract and leading to a higher chance of infection.
Mouth breathing often leads to shallower breaths, reduced oxygen intake, and less effective carbon dioxide removal, all of which can negatively impact overall health.
Chronic mouth breathing can contribute to orthodontic problems, including improper jaw development and overcrowding of teeth.
The differences between nasal and mouth breathing show up across nearly every system in your body from how well you sleep to how much energy you have during the day. These two differ significantly in their physiological and health-related implications, which we’ll explain in more detail below in the benefits section.
Nasal breathing doesn’t just support your physical health and train your body to function better on a daily basis, it can also impact your mental health. From oxygen efficiency and immune defense to stress and anxiety reduction, here are just some of the powerful benefits of breathing through your nose:
Nasal breathing delivers a steady stream of clean, oxygen-rich air to your lungs. This is like rocket fuel for your body, resulting in increased stamina, faster recovery, and a noticeable boost in overall physical performance.
Nasal breathing is like having an in-built immunity defense. Your nose filters out germs, allergens, and other airborne nasties before they reach your respiratory system, giving your immune system a serious head start in fighting off colds, flu, and infections.
Nasal breathing during sleep significantly improves the quality of your shut eye. Nasal breathing at night can help reduce, or even eliminate, snoring and sleep apnea, leading to deeper, more restorative sleep.
Your cardiovascular system thrives on nitric oxide, which nasal breathing provides. As mentioned above, this powerful molecule helps blood vessels relax and widen, improving circulation and supporting heart health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular issues.
Nasal breathing helps encourage diaphragmatic breathing which involves engaging the diaphragm, a key muscle responsible for deep, efficient breaths. Over time, this strengthens your respiratory system, enhances core stability, supports better posture, and contributes to overall strength.
Believe it or not, nasal breathing can boost your flexibility. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system, it helps your body relax, releases tension, and allows your muscles to lengthen more easily. The result? Less tightness, more mobility, and yes, a faster path to touching your toes!
Nasal breathing is like strength training for your lungs. It gradually boosts your lung capacity, helping you take in more air with each breath. Over time, this means greater endurance, easier movement, and a lower risk of respiratory issues.
Studies have shown that slow, deliberate breaths through the nose activate your body’s relaxation response, lowering stress levels, calming the mind, and helping you stay grounded under pressure.
Nasal breathing improves oxygen delivery to your brain, sharpening focus, enhancing clarity, and supporting better cognitive function. It does this by stimulating nitric oxide production, which widens blood vessels and improves circulation, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to reach your brain.
If you experience anxiety, nasal breathing can be a simple yet powerful tool. It activates the body’s relaxation response, helping to regulate your nervous system, ease anxious thoughts, and promote a greater sense of calm.
Breathing through your nostrils can act as a mood stabiliser. By maintaining a steady flow of oxygen, it helps balance neurotransmitters, reducing mood swings and fostering a more positive emotional state.
You can read more in our article on the benefits of nasal breathing.
Nasal breathing taps into powerful biology that helps your body function at its best. When you breathe through your nose, your body naturally produces nitric oxide, a molecule that helps open up your blood vessels (vasodilation), and improve circulation. This means more oxygen gets delivered to your brain, muscles, and organs. This increase in oxygen absorption can enhance focus, stamina, and even support your immune system. Nasal breathing, particularly during exercise, also helps your body build tolerance to carbon dioxide. It’s a simple shift you can make that has big impacts, rooted in science, and felt in everyday life.
Here are a few simple habits you can do to try train yourself to breathe through your nose.
Start with using mouth tape at night. It sounds strange, but lightly taping your lips shut while you sleep helps reinforce nasal breathing and can lead to deeper, more restorative rest. Always speak with a healthcare professional first however, especially if you have breathing or sinus concerns.
Forward head tilt, slouched shoulders, or a collapsed chest can restrict your diaphragm and lead to shallow, mouth-based breathing. A tall spine and open chest make nasal breathing easier and more natural.
Techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, humming, Nadishodhana, and gentle breath holds can improve your CO2 tolerance, boost nitric oxide production, and strengthen the muscles that support nasal breathing. Just as importantly, they help retrain your brain and body to feel comfortable breathing through your nose, especially if you’re an avid mouth-breather!
Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as deep breathing, abdominal breathing or “belly breathing”, involves engaging the diaphragm muscle to take slow, deep breaths. This technique promotes efficient air exchange and relaxation – and luckily is more difficult to practice when breathing through your mouth.
How to do it:
Nadishodhana is a pranayama (breath control) technique from yoga that balances the flow of energy in the body and calms the mind. It is a breathwork technique focused solely on breathing through your nose and is also known as “alternate nostril breathing”.
How to do it:
Kapalabhati (also known as “breath of fire” or “skull shining breath”) is a breathing exercise from yogic traditions that involves short, forceful exhalations through the nose. It is believed to clear the mind and invigorate the body.
How to do it:
If you’re new to this technique, you may feel lightheaded at first. The trick is to start slow, speeding it up over time as you become more comfortable.
Yes, nasal breathing is generally better for sleep. Breathing through your nose helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and deeper, more restorative rest. It also filters, warms, and humidifies the air, supporting better oxygen uptake and reducing the risk of snoring or sleep disruptions. On the other hand, mouth breathing during sleep is often linked to dry mouth, poor sleep quality, and even sleep apnea. Training your body to breathe through your nose at night can significantly improve your overall sleep health.
As a general rule, nasal breathing is healthier than mouth breathing. The main exception is when a nasal obstruction, caused by a deviated septum, enlarged adenoids or turbinates, or severe allergies, makes it difficult to get enough air through your nose. Some breathwork techniques also involve breathing through the mouth, but these are typically done for short periods and are intentional, controlled practices that don’t carry the same health risks as habitual mouth breathing over the long term.
To use mouth tape at night, start by making sure your nose is clear and you can comfortably breathe through it. Apply a medical-grade or specialised mouth tape designed for sleep to gently seal your lips. It should be secure enough to stay in place, but not so tight that you can’t open your mouth if needed. Laying on your side can also support nasal breathing during sleep. With consistent use, mouth taping can help train your body to breathe through your nose during sleep, leading to deeper, more restorative rest. If you have any concerns or underlying health conditions, be sure to consult a healthcare professional before starting.
Waking up tired, with a dry mouth or bad breath could indicate that you’ve been breathing through your mouth overnight. Snoring can also be a sign that you’re breathing through your mouth while you sleep.
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