When you want to jack up performance, get that nose of yours in position for a photo finish.
Nasal breathing offers a number of benefits for athletes, from enhancing performance to reducing the risk of injury.
One reason why is because mouth breathing can dry out the airways, making it more difficult to breathe. On the other hand (or nostril), nasal breathing allows the air to be humidified and filtered before it reaches the lungs. This can help to reduce inflammation and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (also called exercised-induced asthma) – two common problems that can impede athletic performance.
Max your VO2 max
VO2 is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during exercise.
A blocked nose is always annoying. Even more annoying for athletes, a blocked nose can affect your VO2 max.
When you breathe through your mouth, you can take in more air than you through your nose. But the air is cooler and drier. So your lungs have to work harder to humidify and warm it up.
The extra work uses up more oxygen, which ultimately lowers your VO2 max.
Mouth breathing can also lead to dehydration, which further decreases your VO2 max.
Finding your nasal sweet spot
If breathing through your nose is a struggle it could negatively impact your fitness levels. Overall nasal breathing helps to improve airflow and reduce resistance in the airways. As a result, you can exercise longer and at a higher intensity when you breathe through your nose.
For everyone, nasal breathing is most appropriate for easy and medium intensity workouts. For high intensity training, forced nasal breathing when approaching maximal breathing might be counter productive as it requires more respiratory power.
Next time you gear up for a workout, take a moment to focus on your breath. Try to favour your nose for breathing as much as possible. You just might see an improvement in your performance.