For most of us, breathing is something that we pay little attention to – it’s an unconscious act that our bodies carry out, naturally. Yet, according to experts, the way in which we breathe has a significant impact on our fitness levels, athletic performance and overall health.
Studies I read recently show that nasal breathing during exercise, can improve your athletic performance by increasing the levels of CO2 in your body before you exhale. This results in a better tolerance of CO2 when you exercise, which allows you to perform longer with less breath.
When we inhale, oxygen is absorbed into our lungs and then it travels throughout the body, and is delivered to the muscles, organs and tissues that demand it during exercise. Carbon Dioxide plays a crucial role in oxygenation, allowing it to be received by our muscles, organs and tissues.
There is an equilibrium between the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide that circulates your body, with used carbon dioxide being exchanged for new fresh oxygen. When breathing out through your mouth, too much carbon dioxide is exhaled and this balance is broken. Carbon dioxide is needed for the exchange of oxygen in the blood but mouth breathing reduces the amount of oxygenation in your body. Breathing through your nose slows down the rate of carbon dioxide being exhaled so allowing for better exchange with oxygen and oxygenating the body better.
Whereas, if you breathe in through your mouth, it can actually lead to a drop in CO2. If you become CO2-deficient, you decrease your ability to oxygenate your cells. By breathing through our noses, our CO2 levels increase, oxygenation is improved and the knock-on effect is improved performance.
I was interested to read that Dr. George M. Dallam, former USA Triathlon National Team coach and current professor of exercise science and health promotion at CSU-Pueblo carried out some research(1)that demonstrates the performance benefits to nose breathing during exercise. Dallam found that found when subjects take the time to adapt to breathing nasally while running or exercising, they are able to perform just as well at anaerobic efforts than when breathing in oronasal fashion. In addition, Dallam’s study found that in steady-state efforts, the total oxygen needed to run at a given pace is reduced when breathing nasally, a concept known as physiological economy. “This suggests that breathing may offer some potential for performance improvement as well,” Dallam said.
Xlear Nasal Spray is a natural but very effective tool that can be used to clear the nasal passages before and during exercise. Xlear works quickly, in less than ten minutes and you find that nose breathing becomes a lot less straigned after using Xlear. I recommend it to my clients who are looking to push themselves to achieve better performance.
Using Xlear Sinus Care Saline Nasal Spray (£11.99 for 45ml. Available from independent health stores and from Amazon) daily will make sure your airway is healthy and clear.
Please visit https://www.xlear.com/