A culprit of hormonal imbalances — right under our noses
Breathing is our number one priority in life. When our breath is taken away, all energy and effort go into finding our next breath. Our noses are complex structures with many functions (Link). Air taken in through the nose is warmed, moistened, and filtered. The nose is designed to avoid dehydration of the lungs by humidifying the air we inhale. Breathing through the nose improves carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange in the body. Mouths are not able to provide all these benefits to air inhalation.
In through the nose and out through the mouth? Water loss can be up to 42% higher when exhaling through the mouth than through the nose (Link). Our noses have a higher ability to recover water from exhaled air. Please reserve this breathing pattern for recreational practices, such as meditation and yoga.
How mouth-breathing lowers testosterone and oestrogen levels
Hormones are chemicals that impact our mood, behaviour and physiology. Maintaining optimal levels of oestrogen and testosterone is important because it affects every one of us every day, both in wakefulness and in sleep.
The pituitary releases growth hormone into the bloodstream, increasing metabolism and cellular repair (Link 1, Link 2). We have known for more than 30 years that most growth hormone is secreted during deep sleep. Poor quality breathing while you sleep can have adverse effects on growth hormone-release, thus impacting your overall hormone health.
One of the main behaviours associated with lower oestrogen levels for people with ovaries or lower testosterone levels for people with testes is apnea (Link). Poor efficiency of breathing and the buildup of too much carbon dioxide in the body negatively impact reproductive hormones. Breathing through the nose allows you to optimise your breathing and sleep deeply so that your sleep can support gonad function.
Do I breathe primarily out of my mouth?
Mouth-breathing can dry out the mouth. Some easy to observe symptoms that may signal mouth-breathing include:
- Dry lips
- Dry mouth
- Snoring
- Chronic bad breath — saliva neutralises acid in the mouth and helps wash away bacteria; dry mouth increases the chances of bad breath and tooth decay (Link).
Disclaimer: Some people who keep their mouths open continue to breathe through their noses.
What can we do to achieve better nasal breathing?
We can achieve better nasal breathing during wakefulness and sleep by practising three different things:
- Good oral posture — the ideal resting position for our mouth and face involves three things: closed lips, tongue on the roof of our mouth, and teeth touching gently.
- Unclogged nose — keeping our nose unclogged promotes nasal breathing during the day.
- Nasal breathing while exercising — start with walking and keeping the mouth closed. Try to keep this up for 5 minutes. Increase this amount with each time you practice. Once comfortable, try this while jogging. It may seem difficult at first, but it will improve with practice. The sinuses have the capacity to dilate over time.
Quality sleep is essential for all aspects of health. Here, we can see how patterns of breathing, especially patterns of breathing in sleep, can modulate hormones in ways that are immediately actionable and may offset reductions in testosterone and oestrogen as well as reductions in fertility that occur.
