Health
by James Nestor
Can you breathe the wrong way?
Breathing happens on its own, so we assume it looks after itself. James Nestor argues that most of us breathe badly, through the mouth and more than we need. He thinks it affects our sleep, our teeth, our blood pressure and our mood.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
Your nose filters, warms and moistens air before it reaches your lungs, and it slows each breath down. Nestor also describes how the sinuses release nitric oxide, a gas that helps blood vessels widen. Breathe through your mouth and you skip all of that.
It sounds backwards, but Nestor argues most of us overbreathe. Healthy blood is already nearly full of oxygen. Cells need carbon dioxide to release that oxygen, so breathing too much blows off the very gas that helps oxygen get where it's needed.
Nestor's perfect breath is slow. In for about five and a half seconds, out for about five and a half, which works out at roughly five and a half breaths a minute. He notes that saying the rosary, and some mantras, slows people to almost exactly this rhythm.
Old skulls have wide jaws and straight teeth. Nestor argues that soft, processed food means modern children chew far less, so their jaws grow smaller and their airways narrower. He sees crooked teeth, blocked noses and snoring as symptoms of the same change.
Mouth breathing
Nestor blocked his nose for ten days. His blood pressure rose and his snoring got much worse.
Nose
Breathe through your nose. It cleans and warms the air before it reaches your lungs.
Breathe out
Breathe all the way out. A full exhale makes room for a deeper breath in.
Slow down
Slow your breathing to about five and a half seconds in and five and a half out.
Less air
Most of us breathe more than we need. Breathing less lets the body use its oxygen better.
A story from the book
Nestor let Stanford nose surgeon Jayakar Nayak plug his nostrils for ten days, so he could only breathe through his mouth. His snoring soared, his blood pressure climbed and he developed sleep apnoea. Once the plugs came out and he went back to his nose, most of it faded.
Hot take · true or myth?
It makes little difference whether you breathe through your nose or mouth.
Myth. When Nestor was made to breathe only through his mouth for ten days, he began snoring heavily and his blood pressure rose. Going back to his nose reversed most of it.
One thing to try
On your next walk, keep your mouth closed and breathe only through your nose. If you find yourself needing to gasp, slow down until you don't. Then try a few minutes of Nestor's slow rhythm while you wait for the kettle.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. Breath comes with a Hot Take round to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appCan you breathe the wrong way? Breathing happens on its own, so we assume it looks after itself. James Nestor argues that most of us breathe badly, through the mouth and more than we need. He thinks it affects our sleep, our teeth, our blood pressure and our mood.
The nose does real work; Breathe less; Five and a half seconds; Our faces have shrunk.
On your next walk, keep your mouth closed and breathe only through your nose. If you find yourself needing to gasp, slow down until you don't. Then try a few minutes of Nestor's slow rhythm while you wait for the kettle.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from Breath in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Hot Take round to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
