How Breathing Through Your Nose Will Change Your Life with Patrick McKeown #99

1. Master Four Breathing Pillars

Focus on the four foundational pillars of functional breathing: nose breathing, slow breathing, light breathing, and diaphragmatic breathing, as these are key to overall well-being.

2. Measure Your BOLT Score

Take a normal nasal inhale, normal nasal exhale, pinch your nose, and time how long until the first definite desire to breathe; aim for a minimum of 25 seconds to indicate efficient breathing and better exercise tolerance.

3. Unblock Nose with Breath Holds

To decongest a stuffy nose (if healthy and not pregnant), take a normal nasal inhale/exhale, pinch your nose, and gently nod your head while holding your breath until strong air hunger; release, calm breathing, and repeat six times.

4. Adopt 6-Breaths-Per-Minute Cadence

Practice a breathing cadence of inhaling for 4 counts and exhaling for 6 counts, aiming for six breaths per minute, to influence the autonomic nervous system, increase heart rate variability, and enhance resilience.

5. Prioritize Nasal Breathing

Breathe through your nose, lightly and slowly, to actively target the diaphragm, promote slower breathing, and shift away from a fight-or-flight response, leading to better health and calmness.

6. Reverse Stress Breathing Patterns

When stressed, consciously do the opposite of typical stress breathing: achieve regular, slower, diaphragmatic breathing, always in and out through the nose, to negate the effects of stress.

7. Position Tongue in Mouth Roof

Ensure your tongue rests in the roof of your mouth, especially during sleep, to help maintain an open airway and prevent it from falling back into the throat, improving sleep and reducing snoring.

8. Use Mouth Tape for Sleep

Consider using mouth tape nightly to ensure consistent nasal breathing during sleep, which can become a beneficial ritual for improved concentration, calmness, and overall sleep quality.

9. Start Nasal Breathing Anytime

Begin practicing nasal breathing at any age, as it is never too late to experience significant life improvements in sleep, anxiety, and asthma control, regardless of past habits.

10. Cultivate Self-Awareness

Regularly observe your breathing and mental state, paying attention to habits like mouth breathing or fast upper chest breathing, and initiate changes when issues are noticed, as awareness is key to improvement.

11. Combine Slow Breathing & Breath Holds

Before a high-stakes event, first slow down your breathing to quiet the mind, then perform five strong breath holds (exhale holds) to increase blood flow to the brain, open airways, and achieve a state of focused preparedness.

12. Use Breath Holds for Mindfulness

If you struggle with meditation, try exhale breath holds to instantly shift your focus from your thoughts to your body, as the sensation of air hunger naturally induces a state of mindfulness.

13. Address Breathing for Panic

If prone to panic disorder, address your breathing patterns by gradually introducing small, controlled breath holds to increase carbon dioxide in the blood, deconditioning the body’s alarm response to suffocation.

14. Enhance Baroreceptor Sensitivity

Practice slow breathing (e.g., six breaths per minute) to stimulate and increase the sensitivity of baroreceptors, improving the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure and enhance overall resilience.

15. Use Exhale Holds to Delay Fatigue

Practice exhale breath holds (normal inhale, normal exhale, then hold) to increase carbon dioxide and slightly drop blood oxygen, which is thought to increase muscle buffering capacity and delay lactic acid and fatigue during physical activity.

16. Let Nose Dictate Exercise Pace

During physical exercise, allow your nasal breathing capacity to set your pace, prioritizing efficiency and avoiding overtraining, even if it means going slower initially, as this leads to better economics and less trauma.

17. Practice Fewer, Fuller Breaths

During activities like walking, consciously take fewer, fuller breaths rather than fast, shallow ones to improve breathing efficiency by minimizing wasted air in dead space and preventing breathlessness.

18. Use Slow, Deep Breathing for Oxygen

Practice slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing (lower two ribs moving outwards on inhale, inwards on exhale) to increase blood oxygen saturation, as demonstrated in patients with chronic heart failure.

19. Never Hold Breath Underwater

Absolutely avoid breath holding underwater or hyperventilating before swimming, as it can lead to dangerous underwater blackout without warning due to depleted carbon dioxide levels.

20. Address Dry Mouth for Sleep

If you wake up with a dry mouth, recognize that you are not getting deep, refreshing sleep, and investigate your breathing patterns, as this is a key indicator of poor sleep quality.

21. Eat Dinner Earlier

Finish dinner two to three hours before sleep and avoid snacking afterwards, as this may make it easier to keep your mouth closed at night and improve breathing by reducing diaphragmatic impairment.

22. Manage Belly Fat for Diaphragm

Be aware that excess weight on the belly can impair diaphragmatic movement, reducing lung volume and affecting upper airway maintenance during sleep.

23. Ensure Fresh Air for Sleep

Sleep with a window open or ensure adequate fresh air in your room, as the quality of air you breathe is vitally important for overall health and breathing.

24. Address Tongue-Tie in Children

If a child is tongue-tied, address it to ensure proper breastfeeding, which is crucial for the manipulation of facial muscles and healthy craniofacial growth.

25. Encourage Effortful Child Feeding

Avoid prolonged use of bottles and soft, mulched foods for babies, as lack of effort during feeding can negatively impact the development of the face and jaws.

26. Consider Functional Orthodontics

Explore functional orthodontics to ensure forward growth of the jaws and adequate room for the tongue, which is crucial for overall facial development and not just straight teeth.

27. Address Child Snoring/Mouth Breathing

If your child snores or mouth breathes, use gentle breath-hold exercises to open their nose and consistently encourage nasal breathing during daily activities like watching TV or walking.

28. Use Mouth Tape for Children

For children who mouth breathe, encourage them to wear mouth tape across their lips for about half an hour during wakeful activities to help their brain associate the nose with breathing and change the habit.

29. Ensure Nasal Breathing Post-Orthodontics

If a child undergoes orthodontics, ensure they also learn to breathe through their nose, as nasal breathing is paramount for long-term success and preventing teeth from shifting back.

30. Avoid ‘Deep Breath’ for Stress

Do not follow the common advice to ’take a deep breath’ when stressed, as it often leads to inefficient, fast, shallow, mouth breathing that does not promote calm and is based on nothing.

31. Avoid Hard Breathing in Gentle Yoga

During gentle practices like yoga, avoid intentionally breathing hard; instead, focus on light, subtle breathing, as excessive breathing is inefficient and unnatural.

32. Commit to 60-70 Day Habit Change

Understand that changing breathing habits requires consistent practice for 60 to 70 days to establish new neural connections and make nasal breathing involuntary through neuroplasticity.

33. Incorporate Breath Holding

To gain an edge in performance and resilience, integrate breath-holding exercises into your daily routine, exploring this often untapped hacking way to improve.

34. Recognize Childhood Mouth Breathing Impact

Be aware that childhood mouth breathing can negatively impact facial development, lead to conditions like asthma, stuffy nose, and sleep problems later in life, highlighting the importance of early intervention.

35. Cultivate Mental Solitude

Actively learn how to stop thinking and bring solitude to the mind, creating gaps between thoughts to gain choice and awareness over your mental state.