Running and Functional Breathing
The importance of breathing through the nose rather than the mouth has an increasing amount of evidence to support both the health and performance of human beings (1,2,3,4). Functional breathing not only improves gas exchange and oxygen delivery to the cells but also encourages a larger activation of the diaphragm which supports improved movement efficiency and delays the onset of mechanical and physiological fatigue (6,7).
It is also important to remember that nasal breathing helps retain heat and moisture in the body. During exercise, this can make a big difference as to whether you experience a dry mouth and throat. It can protect your airways from trauma, including exercise-induced asthma. Interesting Despite its name, exercise-induced asthma is not caused by exercise. It is usually brought on by hard breathing of dry or cold air, so it is very. It affects an estimated 17 percent of Olympic-level long-distance runners who may or may not be exposed to cold weather (1).
When promoting functional breathing in elite runners the first area to discuss is the actual nose. A spacious nasal cavity and large nostrils are definitely useful for breathing during physical exercise. If your nasal airway is small, the resistance to breathing and the resulting air hunger may be too much during exercise. To help open the nasal passages, you can use the exercise-specific NasalDilator.
Nose breathing during physical exercise slows the breath and reduces breathing volume, which influences the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. A period of at least six to eight weeks is required to train Functional Breathing during Exercise to cope with the adjustment and tolerate air hunger caused by nose breathing (5).
Breathing through the nose is usually only comfortable during gentle exercise, when the total volume of air entering the lungs every minute known as minute ventilation (MV) is less than 35 litres. Once MV has reached levels between 35 and 41 litres, mouth breathing may occur and this is a natural process (2).
The range of the switching point from nose to mouth breathing is dependent on a number of variables including ones sensitivity to CO2, metabolism, movement efficiency, nutrition, recovery status and the size of the nasal cavity.
Breathing through the nose is actually more efficient because it allows the lungs to extract more oxygen from the air. The percentage of oxygen in expired air decreases when nasal breathing during exercise, indicating that more of the oxygen is being used (3).
Nasally restricted breathing (just using the nose to breath during exercise) during exercise can be used to improve performance. One research looking at recreational runners, trained and raced using only nasal breathing for six months. The researchers recorded comparative results when the participants breathed only through the nose and only through the mouth, wearing a swimming nose clip to close the nostrils (5).
Summary of the findings:
Respiratory rate was much slower in nasal breathing than in oral breathing (39.2 bpm vs 49.4 bpm).
End-tidal carbon dioxide was significantly higher in nose breathing than mouth breathing (44.7 mmHg vs 40.2 mmHg).
Ventilation (volume of breathing) was reduced by 22% in nasal breathing.
Nose breathing resulted in lower end-tidal oxygen pressure and a lower percentage of oxygen in expired air, indicating that more oxygen was removed from the air by the lungs during nasal breathing.
after six months’ training with only nasal breathing, the athletes achieved the same peak performance and oxygen consumption when nasal breathing as they did during oral breathing.
22% reduction in ventilation meant that breathing required less effort and the muscles of the respiratory system didn’t have to work as hard. Achieving the same intensity with 22% less breathing represents a significantly greater economy.
Researchers concluded that it is possible to maintain VO2 max and peak performance after a period of training using only nasal breathing. The body naturally adapts to nasal breathing by increasing its tolerance to changes in CO2, so air hunger decreases.
Competitive athletes will need to alternate between nasal and mouth breathing to cope with demands at higher intensities as professional athletes are required to work maximally during training and competition to avoid de-conditioning and promote adaptations.
During sub maximal intensity training, and at all other times, nasal breathing should be used. Research has shown that healthy adults are able to maintain nasal breathing to 85% of VO2 max (4) indicating that it is possible to breathe nasally at much higher intensities of exercise than the athlete might select.
Breathing Exercises For Runners
Breath Light Exercise
Do this exercise in the morning for a duration of 4 minutes . This can be down lying down, seated or even walking.
Observe your breath as it enters and leaves your nose. Begin to reduce the speed of each breath as it enters and leaves your nose. Breathing should be light, quiet, and calm.
Slow down your breathing so that you feel hardly any air entering and leaving your nostrils. Your breathing should be so quiet that the fine hairs in the nostrils do not move.
The goal is to create a feeling that you would like to take in more air. To create air hunger, your breathing now should be “less” than it was when you started.
If you feel stressed or lose control of your breathing, the air hunger is too strong. When this happens, take a rest for 20 or 30 seconds and start again. It is normal at the beginning to take a rest a few times during the exercise.
Continue practicing the exercise for around four minutes.
Cadence Breathing Exercise (BOLT score is less than 15 seconds, Use a pace of breathe in 1,2,3, breathe out, 1, 2, 3)
Do this exercise in the evening for a duration of 4 minutes . This can be down lying down, seated or even walking
Nasal breathing only for the inhale and the exhale
As you breathe in, feel your ribs moving outwards, and, as you breathe out, feel your ribs moving inwards.
To pace your breathing, inhale for a count of four seconds and exhale for a count of six seconds.
Breathe in, 1, 2, 3, 4, breathe out, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Continue the exercise for approximately four minutes.
Breath Hold Exercises
Do this exercise once per day for a duration of 10 minutes . This can be down lying down, seated or even walking
Exhale through your nose.
Pinch your nose with your fingers to hold your breath, and walk for 5 to 10 paces holding your breath. If not walking hold breath for 5-10 seconds.
Resume breath in through your nose, and continue controlled breathing with the nose for about 30 seconds.
Repeat up to 10 times.
Nasal. Breathing During Exercise
Any physical activity that is up to 85% of Vo2Max breath using the nose only. Tape mouth or hold water in the mouth to prevent switch to mouth breathing.
Nasal breathing during Sleep
Mouth tape using somnifix tape or 3M microspore tape during sleep at night
REFERENCES
Bussotti, M., Di Marco, S., & Marchese, G. (2014). Respiratory disorders in endurance athletes - how much do they really have to endure?. Open access journal of sports medicine, 5, 47–63. https://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S57828
Niinimaa, V. P. S. R. J., P. Cole, S. Mintz, and R. J. Shephard. “The switching point from nasal to oronasal breathing.” Respiration physiology 42, no. 1 (1980): 61-71.
Morton, A. R., K. King, S. Papalia, Carmel Goodman, K. R. Turley, and J. H. Wilmore. “Comparison of maximal oxygen consumption with oral and nasal breathing.” Australian journal of science and medicine in sport 27, no. 3 (1995): 51-55.
Thomas, S. A., V. Phillips, C. Mock, M. Lock, G. Cox, and J. Baxter. “The effects of nasal breathing on exercise tolerance.” (2009).
Dallam, George M., Steve R. McClaran, Daniel G. Cox, and Carol P. Foust. “Effect of Nasal Versus Oral Breathing on Vo2max and Physiological Economy in Recreational Runners Following an Extended Period Spent using Nasally Restricted Breathing.” International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science 6, no. 2 (2018): 22-29.
Morgan DW, Martin PE, Krahenbuhl GS. Factors affecting running economy. Sports Med. 1989 May;7(5):310-30. doi: 10.2165/00007256-198907050-00003. PMID: 2662320.
Rapoport BI (2010) Metabolic Factors Limiting Performance in Marathon Runners. PLoS Comput Biol 6(10): e1000960. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000960