Do you breathe?
Are you nuts? What kind of question is “do I breathe?” Obviously, I am breathing otherwise I would not be reading this post, I would be dead. My autonomic nervous system takes care of breathing for me; breath in, breath out, about 20,000 times per day. I don’t have to think about breathing, I have other important things on my mind.
What if there is more to breathing than just breath?
You are standing at the top of the black diamond or double black diamond or the Cornice at Mammoth or Corbet's Couloir or Tuckerman’s or your pick of terrifying run that befuddles you, heart pounding, mind questioning, “do I really need to do this?” We open our mouths and take in a few huge breaths, feel our chest expand … more oxygen to calm our bodies. And a few minutes later a few more deep breaths to bolster our courage, “I’m going to do this no matter what!” Then we launch, breathing in mouth wide open gulps, until finally we either gain control or wipe out. In either case after a time our heart rate falls and we eventually slow our breathing from rapid gallons and gallons to pints. The rest of the run is a piece of cake, or so it seems.
What was your nose doing during this adventure?
Ever look at the skulls of prehistoric sapiens before they were homo sapiens? Why would you unless you are an anthropologist?
Prehistoric homo sapiens had enormous forward-facing jaws, broad mouths and huge sinus cavities. They also had large and pronounced nasal apertures leading to wide airways. (Interestingly, none of them ever saw a toothbrush or dentist but had straight teeth.) Furthermore, they had to work to eat, a raw diet meant a lot of chewing.
Over time man learned ways to make eating less work; crushing food with rocks made it easier to eat … less time, less energy, and consequently the brain grew. The advent of fire and grilling made life even better; less work, more calories and an even larger brain. The growing brain needed space to expand and took it from the front of our faces. Muscles in the center of the face loosened, bones in the jaw weakened, the face shortened and the mouth shrank. Eventually, all that we were left with was a bony protuberance called a nose, which was less efficient at filtering air and exposed us to more airborne pathogens and bacteria. And what a glorious schnoz it is!
The more we cooked and the more soft, calorie rich food we ate the larger our brains grew and the more restricted our airways became. Homo sapiens became the only human species that could choke on food and die.
Where are we today?
“Ninety percent of children have acquired some degree of deformity in their mouths and noses. Forty-five percent of adults snore occasionally, and a quarter of the population snores constantly. Twenty-five percent of American adults over 30 choke on themselves because of sleep apnea; and an estimated 80 percent of moderate or severe cases are undiagnosed. Meanwhile, the majority of the population suffers from some form of breathing difficulty or resistance.”
James Nestor, “Breath” (Penguin Life, 2020)
How do we breathe? As you read this, become aware of your breathing … shallow, deep, fast, slow, through your nose or mouthbreathing, using your diaphragm or upper chest? Have we devolved from prehistoric nose breathers to modern mouth breathers?
“Seven books of the Chinese Tao dating back to around 400 BCE focused entirely on breathing, how it could kill us or heal us, depending on how we used it. These manuscripts included detailed instructions on how to regulate the breath, slow it, hold it, and swallow it. Even earlier, Hindus considered breath and spirit the same thing, and described elaborate practices that were meant to balance breathing and preserve both physical and mental health. Then there were Buddhists, who used breathing not only to lengthen their lives but to reach higher planes of consciousness. Breathing, for all of these people, for all of these cultures, was powerful medicine.”
‘Therefore, the scholar who nourishes his life refines the form and nourishes his breath,’ says an ancient Tao text.
‘The breath inhaled through the mouth is called ‘Ni Ch’I, adverse breath,’ which is extremely harmful,’ says the Tao. ‘Be careful not to have the breath inhaled through the mouth.’” (Nestor)
This ancient Sanskrit symbol … breathe … is a beautiful reminder to do what comes naturally. It’s the first thing we do when we come into this world and the last thing we do when we leave it. “For breath is life, so if you breathe well you will live long on earth.” Sanskrit Proverb.
Here comes the shocker! Just as we have become a culture of overeaters, we have also become a culture of overbreathers. The key to health, long-life and endurance [and lots of skiing] is optimum breathing, fewer inhales and exhales in a smaller volume. Breathe, but breathe less and always through the nose.
What? Are you crazy? What are you saying?
Mouthbreathing changes the physical body and transforms airways, all for the worse. Mouthbreathing is destroying our health.
Is there evidence that we are a culture of overbreathing mouthbreathers? Start with no amount of snoring, mouthbreathing, is normal and no amount of sleep apnea, also mouthbreathing, comes without risks of serious health effects.
“Around 50 to 70 million adults in the United States have a sleep disorder and an estimated 22 million Americans are living with moderate to severe sleep apnea, so the percentage of people with sleep apnea in the United States around 18% of the adult population. Globally, over 100 million people suffer from sleep apnea. … sleep-disordered breathing and mortality showed ‘a significant, high mortality risk with untreated sleep-disordered breathing independent of age, sex, and BMI [which] underscore the need for treatment of sleep-disordered breathing indicated by frequent episodes of apnea and hypopnea.’ Sleep apnea can cause other health conditions that lead to premature death. … people with sleep apnea have been found to be at an increased risk for numerous cardiovascular diseases, including irregular heartbeats, hypertension, stroke, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and coronary heart disease. Forty-three percent of people with mild obstructive sleep apnea and 69% of people with severe obstructive sleep apnea have hypertension. Up to 70% of stroke patients in rehabilitation have significant sleep-disordered breathing. Overall, insufficient sleep has been linked to the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and depression.
Some signs and symptoms to look for include: morning headaches; excessive daytime sleepiness; lack of energy; irregular breathing during sleep; snoring; nighttime gasping, choking, or coughing; frequent nocturnal urination; depression; gastroesophageal reflux; large neck size.”
This is a blog about food, so what should you expect to read? Modern diets based on industrial agriculture processed foods … white flour, white rice, canned vegetables, corn-fed and processed meats … lead to ten times more obstructed airways, cavities, crooked teeth, and overall poor health.
None of these conditions contribute to a long vital life on the slopes. Recent studies have shown that the greatest indicator of life span [and skiing] isn’t genetics, diet, or exercise, but rather lung capacity. Lungs loose about 12 percent of their capacity from age 30 to 50. They decline even faster as we get older. At 80 we take in 30 percent less air than we did in our 20s.
The health benefits of nose breathing are undeniable. One of the many benefits of nose breathing is the sinuses release nitric oxide, a molecule that plays an essential role in increasing blood circulation and delivering oxygen to cells. Nitric Oxide (NO) was the “Molecule of the Year” in 1992, and the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology 1998 was awarded to three American pharmacologists for their work on nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.
Immune function, weight, circulation, mood, and sexual function can be heavily influenced by the level of nitric oxide in the body. (Sildenafil, better known as Viagra, works by releasing nitric oxide into the body to open capillaries.) Nose breathing alone can boost nitric oxide allowing us to absorb 18 percent more oxygen than mouthbreathing.
You can learn more about the benefits of nitic oxide in the body at https://owlcation.com/stem/What-is-the-Function-of-Nitric-Oxide-in-the-Body
What are the best foods to eat to boost nitric oxide levels … organic beets; garlic; grass-fed meat and poultry, and wild caught seafood; dark chocolate; leafy greens like spinach, arugula, kale and cabbage; citrus fruits; pomegranate; nuts and seeds; watermelon; and red wine (always a favorite with skiers).
As you can well imagine, there are now hundreds of nitric oxide supplements on the market. Yes, they help! However, like any supplement, some are better than others; read the ingredient labels. We use N1O1 by Pneuma (www.n1o1.com). Drinking beetroot juice has been shown increase athletic performance in addition to reducing cramping by enhancing nitric oxide production. There are also dietary supplements to enhance nitric oxide production; try SuperBeets by Human Power (www.humann.com). As you should expect, the greatest benefits are secured by eating well and learning to nosebreathe.
Ok, I’m now paying attention to my breathing? What do I need to do to “breathe less?” The good news is moderate exercise like walking can boost lung size by 15 percent. Start by getting off the couch and go walk or skiing and try to breathe only through your nose. A simple start on retraining your body is to make your exhales longer than your inhales … two to three seconds in, four to six seconds out. As you get more comfortable you can extend both inhales and exhales.
The next activity is to watch the TEDxGalway presentation “Shut your Mouth and Change your Life” by Patrick McKeown
McKeown describes certain techniques; there are many systems and techniques for you to consider to change your breathing habits. The Buteyko Method consists of seven exercises with a number of variations. The foundation of the method is to breathe only through the nose both during day and sleep. The normal physiologically breathing mode of the human being is in and out through the nose. Mouth breathing is just a bad habit often caused by a stuffy nose (https://buteykoclinic.com/the-buteyko-method/); Tummo breathing, which translates to "inner fire," is an ancient breathwork technique originally practiced by Tibetan Buddhist monks (https://www.healthiknow.com/article/tummo-breathing); the Wim Hof Method, which is an extension of Tummo breathing (https://www.healthline.com/health/wim-hof-method); Sanskrit Sudarshan Kriya, an advanced form of rhythmic, cyclical breathing with slow, medium, and fast cycles (https://www.srisriravishankar.org/sudarshan-kriya). You can find instructional videos for these methods on YouTube.
The highest performance athletes of today have trained their bodies to breathe less and only through the nose. It takes three to six months or even up to a year of effort to change your breathing, depending upon your level of commitment. Learning to only nosebreathe will fundamentally change your life … you’ll be healthier and ski a lot longer and better.
You can enjoy instantaneous benefits. My nose was running; I had a personal Niagara Falls. I performed the nose unblocking exercise for about five minutes and my nose stopped running. The effect lasted half a day, and when my nose started to run again, I again performed the nose unblocking exercise. My nose stayed unblocked longer from the second nose unblocking exercise. See, https://www.anahana.com/en/breathing-exercise/buteyko-breathing or https://buteykoclinic.com/nose-unblocking-exercises/.
There is a lot of physiology and blood chemistry behind what is presented here. If you are interested in deeper understanding, look at Nestor’s book, “Breath,” or Patrick McKeown’s books “The Oxygen Advantage” and “The Breathing Cure.”
Good luck and happy nosebreathing down the slopes.