A healthier way to breathe
👃 Today’s tip: Breathing through your nose, not your mouth, is one of the simplest things you can do for your health.
Not all inhales are created equal, as Allison Hirschlag explains in our sister publication Elemental. “Aside from filtering, warming, and humidifying the air you breathe, the nose is your first line of defense against allergens and pathogens,” she writes. “And NO [nitric oxide], which is what the sinuses release when you breathe through your nose, is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.”
Mouth breathing doesn’t offer the same benefits, and can contribute to sleep problems and high blood pressure, among other things. So make a point to pay attention to your breath. And if you discover you’ve gotten in the habit of breathing through your mouth, do what you need to do — setting reminders, blocking off a few minutes for breathing exercises — until nasal breathing feels automatic.
📚 More from Forge on taking care of yourself:
Alone Time Is Essential to a Healthy Social Life
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What Good Sleepers Don’t Do
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4 Things We All Need to Learn About Mental Health
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