Do nose breathing FIRST in the age of COVID-19

Breathing affects every cell of our body and should be the first intervention strategy to improve physical and mental well-being (Peper & Tibbetts, 1994). Breathing patterns are much more subtle than indicated by the respiratory function tests (spirometry, lung capacity, airway resistance, diffusing capacity and blood gas analysis) or commonly monitored in medicine and psychology (breathing rate, tidal volume, peak flow, oxygen saturation, end-tidal carbon dioxide) (Gibson, Loddenkemper, Sibille & Lundback, 2019).

When a person feels safe, healthy and peaceful, the breathing is effortless and the breath flows in and out of the nose without awareness. Functional and dysfunctional breathing patterns includes an assessment of the whole body pattern by which breathing occurs such as nose versus mouth breathing, alternation of nasal patency, the rate of  air flow rate during inhalation and exhalation, the length of time during inhalation and exhalation, the post exhalation pause time. the pattern of transition between inhaling and exhaling,  the location  and timing of expansion in the truck, the range of diaphragmatic movement, and the subjective quality of breathing effort (Gilbert, 2019; Peper, Gilbert,  Harvey & Lin, 2015; Nestor, 2020).

Breathing patterns affect sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (Levin & Swoap, 2019).  Inhaling tends to activate the sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight response) while exhaling activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and repair response) (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014). To observe how breathing affects your heart rate, monitor your pulse from either the radial artery in the wrist or the carotid artery in your neck as shown in Figure 1 and practice the following.

After sensing the baseline rate of your pulse, continue to feel your radial artery pulse in your wrist or at the carotid artery in your neck. Then inhale for the count of four hold for a moment and gently exhale for the count of 5 or 6. Repeat two or three times. 

Most people observe that during inhalation, their heart rate increased (sympathetic activation for action) and during exhalation, the heart rate decreases (restoration during safety).

Nearly everyone who is anxious tends to breathe rapidly and shallowly or when stressed, unknowingly gasp or holds their breath–they may even freeze up and blank out (Peper et al, 2016). In addition, many people habitually breathe through their mouth instead of their nose and wake up tired with a dry mouth with bad breath. Mouth breathing combined with chest breathing in the absence of slower diaphragmatic breathing (the lower ribs and abdomen expand during inhalation and constrict during exhalation) is a risk factor for disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome,  hypertension, tiredness, anxiety, panic attacks, asthma, dysmenorrhea, epilepsy, cold hands and feet, emphysema, and insomnia.  Many of our clients who aware of their dysfunctional breathing patterns and are able to implement effortless breathing report significant reduction in symptoms (Chaitow, Bradley, & Gilbert, 2013; Peper, Mason, Huey, 2017; Peper & Cohen, 2017; Peper, Martinez Aranda, & Moss, 2015).

Breathing is usually overlooked as a first treatment strategy-it is not as glamorous as drugs, surgery or psychotherapy. Teaching breathing takes skill since practitioners needs to be experienced. Namely, they need to be able to demonstrate in action how to breathe effortlessly before teaching it to others.  Although it seems unbelievable, a small change in our breathing pattern can have major physical, mental, and emotional effects as can be experienced in the following practice.

Begin by breathing normally and then exhale only 70% of the inhaled air, and inhale normally and again exhale only 70% of the inhaled air.  With each exhalation exhale on 70% of the inhaled air.  Continue this for 30 seconds. Stop and note how you feel.

Almost every reports that the 30 seconds feels like a minute and experience some of the following symptoms listed in table 1.

Table 1.  Symptoms experienced after 30-45 seconds of sequentially exhaling 70% percent of the inhales air (Peper & MacHose, 1993).

Even though many therapists have long pointed out that breathing is essential, it is usually the forgotten ingredient. It is now being rediscovered in the age of the COVID-19  as respiratory health may reduce the risk of COVID-19.

Simply having very sick patients lie on their side or stomach can improve gas exchange.  By lying on your side or prone, breathing is easier as the lung can expand more which appears to reduce the utilization of respirators and intubation (Long & Singh, 2020; Farkas, 2020).  This side or prone breathing approach is thousands of years old.

One of the natural and health promoting breathing patterns to promote lung health is to breathe predominantly through the nose. The nose filters, warms, moisturizes and slows the airflow so that airway irritation is reduced. Nasal breathing also increases nitric oxide production that significantly increases oxygen absorption in the body. More importantly for dealing with COVID-19, nitric oxide,  produced and released inside the nasal cavities and the lining of the blood vessels, acts as an anti-viral and is a secondary strategy to protect  against viral infections (Mehta, Ashkar & Mossman, 2012).   During inspiration through the nose, the nitric oxide helps dilate the airways in your lungs and blood vessels (McKeown, 2016).

To increase your health, breathe through your nose, yes, even at night (McKeown, 2020).  As you practice this during the day be sure that the lower ribs and abdomen expand during inhalation and decrease in diameter during exhalation.  It is breathing without effort although many people will report that it initially feels unnatural. Exhale to the count of about 5 or 6 and inhale (allow the air to flow in) to the count of 4 or 5. Mastering nasal breathing takes practice, practice and practice. See the following for more information.

Watch the Youtube presentation by Patrick McKeown author of the Oxygen Advantage, Practical 40 minute free breathing session with Patrick McKeown to improve respiratory health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiwrtgWQeDc&t=680s

Listen to Terry Gross interviewing James Nestor on “How The ‘Lost Art’ Of Breathing Can Impact Sleep And Resilience” on May 27, 2020 on the NPR radio show, Fresh Air.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/27/862963172/how-the-lost-art-of-breathing-can-impact-sleep-and-resilience

Look at the Peperperspective blogs that focus on breathing in the age of Covid-19.

• Reduce initial dose of the virus and optimize your immune system

• Can changing your breathing pattern reduce coronavirus exposure?

Read science writer James Nestor’s book, Breath The new science of a lost art, Breath The new science of a lost art.

References

Allen, R. (2017).The health benefits of nose breathing. Nursing in General Practice.

Chaitow, L., Bradley, D., & Gilbert, C. (2013). Recognizing and treating breathing disorders: A multidisciplinary approach, 2^nd ed. London: Churchill Livingstone.

Christopher, G. (2019). A Guide to Monitoring Respiration. Biofeedback, 47(1), 6-11.

Farkas, J. (2020). PulmCrit – Awake Proning for COVID-19. May 5, 2020. 

Gibson, J., Loddenkemper, R., Sibille, Y., &Lundback, B. (eds).(2019) European Lung white book. Sheffield, United Kingdom:  European Respiratory Society.

Lehrer, P. M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work?. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 756. 

Levin, C.J. & Swoap, S.J. (2019). The impact of deep breathing and alternate nostril breathing on heart rate variability: a human physiology laboratory. Adv Physiol Educ, 43, 270–276.

Long, L. & Singh, S. (2020). COVID-19: Awake Repositioning / Proning. EmDocs

McKeown, P. (2016). Oxygen advantage. New York: William Morrow.

McKeown, P. (2020).  Practical 40 minute free breathing session with Patrick McKeown to improve respiratory health.

Mehta, D. R., Ashkar, A. A., & Mossman, K. L. (2012). The nitric oxide pathway provides innate antiviral protection in conjunction with the type I interferon pathway in fibroblasts. PloS one, 7(2), e31688. 

Nestor, James. (2020). Breath The new science of a lost art. New York: Riverhead Books

Peper, E. & Cohen, T. (2017). Inhale to breathe away pelvic floor pain and enjoy intercourse. Biofeedback.45(1), 21–24.

Peper, E., Gilbert, C.D., Harvey, R. & Lin, I-M. (2015). Did you ask about abdominal surgery or injury? A learned disuse risk factor for breathing dysfunction. Biofeedback. 34(4), 173-179. DOI: 10.5298/1081-5937-43.4.06

Peper, E., Lee, S., Harvey, R., & Lin, I-M. (2016). Breathing and math performance: Implication for performance and neurotherapy. NeuroRegulation, 3(4),142–149.

Peper, E. & MacHose, M. (1993).  Symptom prescription:  Induc­ing anxiety by 70% exhalation. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation. 18 (3), 133-139.

Peper, E., Martinez Aranda, P., & Moss, E. (2015). Vulvodynia treated successfully with breathing biofeedback and integrated stress reduction: A case report. Biofeedback. 43(2), 103-109.

Peper, E., Mason, L., Huey, C. (2017).  Healing irritable bowel syndrome with diaphragmatic breathing. Biofeedback. (45-4).

Peper, E. & Tibbetts, V. (1994). Effortless diaphragmatic breathing. Physical Therapy Products. 6(2), 67-71.  Also in:  Electromyography:  Applications in Physical Therapy. Montreal: Thought Technology Ltd