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    Breathing is our life force

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    Breathing is our life force, it's vital to our physical and mental well-being, and the way we do it is so important!


    The more I learn about the incredible functions of our breath, the more I need to share my knowledge, it can be life changing as it has been for me.


    The first thing to be aware of is that we are NOT designed to breathe through our mouth, it does nothing for our breathing and is simply there to use in emergency's. 


    Our brilliant NOSE however is designed to do everything for our breathing, we were perfectly created at birth to nose breathe at all times, during rest, sleep and exercise (aside from very high impact sports where you can only breathe mouth!) 


    Due to so many factors in life today, many of us have become 'dysfunctional' breathers, and the implications over time can hugely impact our physical and mental well-being.


    But it doesn't need to be this way, there's so much we can do, most people can breathe functionally through their nose with practise, they've just forgotten how to.


    So, here's the thing, “our mouth does nothing to support our breathing and well-being, it's simply a great big hole sending cold, fast, dry and dirty air directly into our lungs, and there's nothing in between to stop that”! 


    Our BRILLIANT NOSE however, due to it's design, creates a resistance and it slows down air as it comes in, softening the impact and calming our brain in the process.

    It warms (or cools) and humidifies our breath before it hits the lungs.

    Increases oxygen levels in the blood by 10%, this is incredible!!

    Can help reduce symptoms of asthma potentially leading to reduced emergency medication use (always speak with your health professional first!)

    Filter the air removing harmful particles and produces nasal nitric oxide destroying viruses and germs preventing them from entering our lungs.

    Reduces the symptoms of hay fever and other environmental allergens, (think filtration/cleaning)

    Nose breathing supports deeper, restorative sleep and can reduce or even stop snoring and other sleep disorders.

    Nose breathing during exercise will increase oxygen delivery to the working muscles for better performance and quicker recovery. 


    Unfortunately, these days many of us are not breathing properly,  we're breathing too much and using our mouth, this triggers a stress response, a fight/flight state in our brain.

    This leads to stress, anxiety, poor cognitive function, sleep disruption, chronic illness and more...  to make matters worse it then becomes a vicious cycle!


    When we're stressed, we breathe harder and faster often through our mouth, this triggers stress to our brain, then we can’t sleep properly and because we’re exhausted, we can't think straight, we're emotional, we become run down and get sick!!


    The question to ask, is it worth investing your time and effort to change breathing habits and promote good health now and into the future. I would say 100% yes! Plus the great thing is we all have our breath, it's available 24/7 for free so why not use it to it's full potential.


    If you have any serious illness, take medications or you're pregnant please consult your healthcare professional and speak to a qualified breathing practitioner like me for advice before you do anything. In most cases there is always something you can do with your breathing towards improving your health. 


    If you have any questions, please do get in touch or you can visit the Buteyko website here:


    Buteyko also have a free app with some wonderful guided audios that I would recommend, 


    If you'd like to find out about safe breathing support during sleep you can explore MyoTape  




    ‘The greatest medicine is to teach people how not to need it’’.

     
     
     

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