Nose Or Mouth? How You Breathe And How To Stop Mouth Breathing
How to stop mouth breathing: the short version
What would happen if you could only breathe through your mouth for ten days? Writer James Nestor found out, with his nose blocked by silicone plugs, and what he reported is a good reason to learn how to stop mouth breathing. In yoga, the nose is the way in for quiet, everyday breathing, and every pranayama (breath meditation) practice we teach is done through it. You stop mouth breathing by noticing it, then practising slow nose breathing lying down and sitting tall, with a longer out-breath. Nasal breathing is a skill, and it grows with practice.
This note in short form
- The experiment: a 10 day mouth-only experiment left James Nestor snoring more and with higher blood pressure.
- The catch: it was a self-experiment, not a trial, and Nestor says it proves nothing on its own.
- Our view: breathe in and out through the nose for everyday breathing, and in all pranayama.
- How to start: notice your breath, then practise slowly lying down, then sitting tall.
- The out-breath: making it long and slow is the key skill.
- Check first: a blocked nose, loud snoring or pauses in breathing at night need a doctor.
- Next step: learn it in class, in the studio or LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new.
Back to our Breath And Pranayama notes.
Breathing nose vs mouth: what did the experiment show?
James Nestor, the author of the 2020 book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, reports that his health declined quickly when he breathed only through his mouth. A Stanford ear, nose and throat doctor, Dr Jayakar Nayak, helped run the experiment. According to the book, a second volunteer, Swedish breathing therapist Anders Olsson, did the same.
By Nestor’s account, on the first night his snoring went up by 1,300 per cent and his sleep apnoea events (pauses in breathing during sleep) increased fourfold. Over the ten days his blood pressure and pulse rose, his sleep got worse, and he tired quickly when he exercised. When he went back to breathing through his nose, these changes eased, by his account.
Please hold this lightly. It was one man (and a second volunteer) measuring himself, with no control group. Nestor himself has said that his experiment is not conclusive evidence of anything. What it shows is how fast a change in breathing can change how you feel. You can read a longer summary at Sleep Review magazine.
Is it better to breathe through your nose or your mouth?
For everyday quiet breathing, the nose is what yoga teaches. The mouth has its place, for example when your nose is blocked, and we would never ask you to force it. In pranayama you breathe in and out through the nose, and that instruction is not decoration.
Lying down with a folded blanket along the spine, the chest open. This is where we begin slow nose breathing.
Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. Props matter in breath work too: a bolster, a chair, a wall or a pranayama stick keeps the back straight so the breath has room.
The yoga tradition also holds that the two nostrils do different jobs, with the right side linked to a more alert state and the left side to a calmer one. That comes from long practice, and it has not been firmly tested, which is not the same as wrong. We teach alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) for exactly this reason, and you can see where it fits in our article on what pranayama is.
How to stop mouth breathing: where to begin
To stop mouth breathing, notice it first, then practise slow breathing through the nose in a shape where it is easy. This is how we begin:
- Notice. A few times a day, check where your breath is going and whether your mouth is open. In Ujjayi 1 (the first stage of Ocean Breath) you simply watch your normal breath. Nothing is changed.
- Lie down, supported, with a bolster and blankets arranged to open the chest. Breathe in and out through your nose, slowly.
- Make the out-breath long and smooth. Do not strain. Trying too hard tightens the ribs and belly.
- When your back is stronger, sit tall on a chair, against a wall or with a stick across your back, so long as the spine is straight, and breathe the same way.
- Practise at home what you learn in class, a little and often.
Chris Lalor sitting on a chair with a belt across her back, a comfortable way to sit upright for breath work.
It takes time and conscious effort to become mindful of breathing, and most of us have breathed on autopilot for years. Do not be put off. We all start somewhere. Chris says it is like growing a tree: you plant the seed, water it regularly, care for it, and one day it matures into a beautiful tree.
Why does the out-breath matter so much?
The out-breath matters because it is where yoga teaches you to slow down. Nestor’s book describes Carl Stough, a choir conductor who worked with people with emphysema (a long-term lung condition), and who put the art of breathing out at the centre of his teaching. Yogis have emphasised the long exhalation for centuries. Research backs the slow part. A 2022 review of 223 studies (Laborde and colleagues, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews) found that slow breathing raises heart rate variability (a sign the calming side of the nervous system is working).
A humming practice is a pleasant way to lengthen the out-breath through the nose. Bhramari (Bumble Bee Breath) has its own page: Bhramari pranayama benefits.
Chris Lalor sitting tall beside a waterfall: the back is straight, and the breath can settle.
What if your nose is blocked or you snore?
Talk to your doctor if your nose is often blocked, because breathing through it comes first. If you snore loudly, stop breathing in your sleep, or feel sleepy every day, see your GP, as sleep apnoea (breathing stopping during sleep) needs medical care. Yoga is not a treatment for sleep apnoea or snoring, and we do not claim it is. Talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish.
Learn how to stop mouth breathing with a teacher
Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
See the half price pass or see the beginner timetable.
Already practising yoga? The same half price 10 class pass for new students, and for anyone away three months or more, is also available as the non-beginner half price pass.
Questions people ask about mouth breathing
Is it better to breathe through your nose or your mouth?
For everyday quiet breathing, yoga teaches the nose, and all pranayama is done through it. The mouth has its place, for example when your nose is blocked. James Nestor’s 10 day experiment is one man’s account, and he says it is not conclusive evidence of anything.
What is the first step to stop mouth breathing?
Notice it first, then practise slow nose breathing lying down with the chest supported, with a long, smooth out-breath. When your back is stronger, sit tall and breathe the same way. Practise a little and often, and see a doctor if your nose is often blocked.
How do you stop mouth breathing at night?
We cannot promise better sleep, but practising slow nose breathing lying down by day is where we start. If you snore loudly, stop breathing in your sleep or feel sleepy all day, see your GP, because sleep apnoea needs medical care.
Is mouth breathing bad?
In James Nestor’s 10 day self-experiment, mouth-only breathing went with more snoring, more sleep apnoea events and higher blood pressure, by his account. It is not a controlled trial. Breathing through the mouth for a short time, such as when your nose is blocked, is normal.
Why can’t I breathe through my nose?
A blocked nose has many possible causes, and we cannot sort them out. If your nose is often blocked, talk to your doctor. Do not force it in a yoga class. Breathe in a way that is comfortable, and tell your teacher.
Can you train yourself to breathe through your nose?
Start by watching your normal breath, without changing it. Then breathe slowly through the nose while lying supported, and lengthen the out-breath. It takes time to become mindful of breathing, and a little practice most days helps.
What is a pranayama stick?
A pranayama stick is a stick that tucks across your back and under your arms to keep the spine straight while you sit for breath work. It is one way to sit. A wall or a chair works too, as long as your back is straight.
Where can I learn pranayama in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches pranayama (breath meditation) in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT, teaching Iyengar yoga in the studio and LIVE online. This note is general information, not medical advice.
Sources
- Nestor J. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. Summary at Sleep Review magazine
- Laborde S and others. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711
- Flametree teaching notes by Chris Lalor, Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Studio.
