In Australia, one man thinks he has cracked the code and found the key to better health and wellness. Brandon Hasick is a personal trainer from Sydney, Australia. He thinks that he has found a way to train his breathing that allows him to unlock his greatest health potential.
It was attending a health retreat that flipped the switch for Hasick, who calls himself a sports scientist and personal trainer. He had always been concerned with breathing, but it wasn’t until this retreat that he learned that he was a “mouth breather.” The problem with excessive mouth breathing, he learned, is that it can lead to dry mouth and eventually decreased hydration. This can lead to drowsiness and overall sluggishness.
After learning about his mouth breathing habits, Hasick decided to take action. He shared an Instagram post of himself with a piece of tape over his mouth. The reason was simple: it would keep his mouth shut while he was asleep. He then claimed that the first time he tried it he woke up the next morning feeling energized and without the need to drink large quantities of water in order to rehydrate. Whatever you make of his method, there are solid reasons to think that training yourself to breathe through the nose will have positive health effects. Healthline notes that the body uses oxygen more efficiently when breathing is done through the nose. Breathing air in through the nose will also allow your body the chance to humidify that air.
He writes, “I’m a mouth breather or was. Until I went on the @wilbagee retreat, I never paid much attention to the way I breathed. I have done wim hof and other conscious breathing techniques but have never really paid attention to the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of my day.
“Turns out, I breathe through my mouth—a lot. Which explains why I always feel dehydrated, had dry skin and a runny nose. (The retreat leader) got me to tape my mouth one night before bed to see how I went. After panicking for about 90 seconds and thinking I wouldn’t wake up alive, it turns out, I had an epic sleep and woke up without having to skull a liter of water.”
“And my nose was clear. Since then, I’ve been taping my mouth each night, sleeping great, and my skin feels so much more moisturized. I’m sure it will take a while to unconsciously breathe through my nose 24/7, given that I’ve been in this motor pattern for so many years. However, during sleep is a solid 8 hours/day in the right direction.”
Your nose also filters out foreign particles that might enter your body while you breathe. The mouth, on the other hand, allows everything into your body. Breathing through your nose also helps humidify the inhaled air and can help improve oxygen circulation in your body because the process of nose breathing produces nitric oxide.
Will you try taping your mouth shut at night to do more nose breathing?
