Take a gentle breath in through your nose. A magical little molecule called nitric oxide (NO), has tagged along with warmed and filtered oxygen, for the ride to your lungs.

Now take another breath in, but this time through your mouth. You’ve just exposed your lungs to any lurking pollutants in the air and missed out on that NO hit. One of the places our body produces Nitric Oxide (not to be confused with its cousin, nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas) is in our sinuses. So when we breathe using our nose, it tags along. While other parts of the body produce NO, its concentration in the nose is 100 times higher than the lower airways.

What’s so great about Nitric Oxide?

In 1992 Science Magazine named Nitric “Molecule of the Year” (yes apparently that really is a thing), and in 1998 three researchers won a Nobel Prize for discovering how it works in the body.

The list of NO’s health benefits is long, but its ability to relax and open up blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow is the big one. The drug Sildenafil (marketed as Viagra) actually works by enhancing nitric oxide within the body. It was first created to counteract constriction of the blood vessels, but after discovering its happy side effect, the “potency pill” was born. And surprisingly (or maybe not so) research is drawing a link between the need for this kind of medication and breathing. One such study found nearly 68% of mouth breathers have some sort of difficulties in the bedroom. 

If you began reading this article with your mouth open, I imagine it’s now closed. But if you still need more convincing, NO is also antibacterial, and antiviral, improves oxygen uptake, can lower blood pressure and improve sports performance (and that’s not even an inclusive list).

Increasing Nitric Oxide in the body

So how can you increase nitric oxide in the body? Simple. Just close your mouth and breathe through your nose when you can.Of course, this isn’t always possible, like when you are talking, laughing, or doing bursts of intensity exercise. What’s most important is what we do consistently, not occasionally.

Another way is to hum. Thinks that sounds dubious? Well, thanks to the vibration it creates, humming can increase nasal NO by up to 15 times. So a long hum on an exhale followed by gently breathing back in through your nose can give you a nitric oxide boost. 

Nitric Oxide is constantly pooling in the nasal cavity. If you practise breathwork with breath holds, holding after the exhale, rather than the inhale, ensures you breathe in the pooled NO that builds up during your breath hold, rather than expelling it out of the body. There are also certain foods you can eat to boost NO in your body, including nitrate rich foods, like spinach and cabbage. 

Increased NO is just one benefit in a laundry list of reasons to breathe through your nose, which I’ll cover in an upcoming post. Until then, happy breathing…in through that nose when you can.

To learn more about the benefits of breathing through your nose, check out the Breathe Easy Handbook. Your guide to unlock the power of your everyday breathing. Learn more.