How nasal breathing influences your training success

Our breathing is autonomous and in most cases is something we do not think about. This is naturally different in strenuous training sessions. Even more: the right breathing technique plays a decisive role. Especially nasal breathing can have a positive influence on training success. A study shows this.

The general advantages of nasal breathing

It is the favorite condition of every sportsman. When you get into the flow, training or competition runs all by itself. And the right breathing technique can help you get into that flow. But most people don’t think about whether they breathe through their mouth or nose. This has enormous consequences:

• The mouth can absorb much more oxygen-rich air, but studies show that nasal breathing is more efficient.

• The process of breathing through the nose is slower because of the greater resistance, and the body has more time to process the oxygen. Therefore this breathing is considered more efficient.

• The slower process of nasal breathing also means that more carbon dioxide is converted into oxygen.

• In addition, the small ciliated hairs in the nose can fend off pathogens in the air.

Nasal breathing during workout

The already mentioned better oxygen utilization has another impressive positive effect: It can keep the stress level low even during strenuous training sessions. This lets you train harder and not tire so quickly. A study published in the International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science could prove this. Good news also for those who want to lose a few pounds: Breathing through your nose during a workout will increase fat burning more than breathing through your mouth.

A few practical tips

Those who are not used to breathing through the nose should approach slowly. It makes sense to first only breathe through the nose when warming up and down and then slowly more and more often during more strenuous workouts. Very important: During sprints or very strenuous power units it is not possible to breathe through the nose all the time. Here, everyone has to find out for themselves when to switch.

• It is also helpful to pay attention to nasal breathing in normal everyday situations.

• If you suffer from a deviated septum, it is not possible to breathe through the nose. Whether an operation is worthwhile or not is something that everyone has to decide for themselves. It is complicated and not always successful.