I recently read James Nestor’s “Breath.” I think it’s a phenomenal book that will only become increasingly relevant as our attention is getting more and more divided. We are becoming so distracted that I learned a term from the book called “email apnea.” Think about our time at work; emails, chat, our primary task, secondary tasks, phone calls, and I’m not touching upon all the non-work related distractions on our smartphones. The result is we forget to breathe.

I want to share my key takeaways so you can get a better impression of whether it’s something you would enjoy reading. Afterwards, I will show you the easiest thing you can do right now to fix your breahting, sleep and life. Big statement but if you aren’t breathing or sleeping properly, you are most likely used to living at 50% functionality.

Habitual Mouth Breathing is Harmful

Turns out it could be the difference between you being healthy or having most of the diseases we attribute to modern life.

Why do we Mouth Breathe?

• Polution

• The food we eat (unfortunately)

• Ignorance of how refined we are as an organism

Let’s start with the last one.

Never, Ever; Breathe from Your Mouth

But what about during exercise? It’s counter-obvious. I would think: ok, the mouth is a bigger hole… bigger hole, more air, right? Wrong, on two very important accounts. If you take anything from reading this, it’s what’s coming up.

Mouth Vs Nose

It is only when you breathe through the nose that you absorb nitric oxide (air = 78% nitrogen). This is essential for delivering oxygen to our cells, and also affects our immune function, weight, circulation, mood and sexual function.

What About Oxygen?

Breathing from the nose absorbs 18% more oxygen than mouth breathing. So you are actually getting LESS despite the mouth being bigger than the nose. Imagine going your whole life without knowing that, with getting 1/5th less oxygen. Even for a day, even for an hour it doesn’t make sense.

Fast Vs Slow

Turns out when we breathe fast, most of the oxygen we breathe in, is exhaled out. Longer, slower breaths; on the other hand, allow more time for the oxygen to get absorbed into the blood. I live on the 5th floor, it’s always a great reminder to breathe slowly and through the nose.

Breathing Slowly in Tradition

Nestor found that in every tradition imaginable: African, Hawaiian, Native American, Buddist, Taoist, Christian - each have a prayer (or equivalent) that when recited, it shows down the inhales to 5.5 seconds and the exhales to 5.5 seconds.

Researchers measured a group performing one such prayer (the original Latin version of Ave Maria, in this case) and the measurements showed co-ordination between the heart, circulation and the nervous system at peak efficiency. 

At the end of the article, I’ll show you how to easy it is to experience the benefit for yourself.

This is a New Problem

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the whole book was when Nastor went to the catacombs underneath Paris. There, he examines the hundred year old skeletons to discover that they all have great teeth! 

The main idea behind this is that food these days is so processed, it’s too soft. This makes our mouth muscles atrophy, making our mouth smaller. This doesn’t give our teeth enough space and diminishes the nasal passages, which is probably why we’re tempted to mouth breathe in the first place.

Nestor also found stories of similar teeth straightness from George Catlin, an explorer turned painter who studied Native Americans in the 1830s. Catlin was surprised to find they all had perfect, cavityless, regular, piano-like teeth. Meanwhile I had to wear braces and even after I’ve had them removed, my teeth are still not that straight. With regards to cavities, Nestor spoke to Dr Mark Burhenne who, having studied the link between mouth breathing and sleep for 30 years, states that mouth breathing is the number one cause of cavities.

I Want to Breathe Better, NOW

Easy. Ever since reading the book, I’ve been implementing these tactics in my life. Starting from least time consuming.

0% Snoring is Normal.

We’ve accepted snoring as a part of life when actually, it turns out it’s always the result of something not right with our breathing. Even if you aren’t loud or haven’t got anyone to bother - doesn’t it make sense to breathe through the nose for those eight hours you’re in bed; so that next day you can actually be well-rested and go do some good?

The solution is mouth tape. Ever since I read about it in the book (thanks Petar) my girlfriend and I tape out mouths most nights. It works best as a small strip in the middle, so there’s space on the sides.

Chew Each Bite 32 times, One for Each Tooth

Have you heard of this? My parent’s would say this to me to get me to slow down when I’m eating. The thing is, the daily rush is so prevalent that even when I sit on the table, it becomes one more to-do task. Give it a try yourself and let me know what number you get up to on average. Most of the food I eat is so soft that on average I can’t go past halfway before it’s all turned to mush and there is nothing more to chew.

Like mentioned above, our organism needs to exercise the mouth’s muscles to prevent the weakening of our mouth from blocking our nasal passages.

Side fact: Chewing is the mechanism our bodies use to conveyor-belt the ear wax, out of our ears.

Queue in… Sugar Free Gum

It seems it’s a popular thing in Turkey to just chew. At least that’s what I think of as most of these products are from Turkish brands. It’s also popular among models who want a strong-jaw outline, I’ve even seen the product marketed specifically for such use. Looking good is important but if you ask me, functioning as we’re designed to is even more important.

Breathing at Peak Efficiency

Remember the prayer I talked about earlier? That how breathing at that rate made the body happy? There is a way you can get those effects without knowing any hymns. It’s a free app called Paced Breathing. Set the inhales and exhales to 5.5 seconds with a 0 second hold on each side. Sit somewhere comfy, go for five minutes and let me know how great you feel.

How to Clean Your Nose

In everyday life, all kinds of junk is floating about in the air. If you feel that your nose is blocked or feels dry - try using a Neti Pot. I was surprised to see it wasn’t mentioned in the book.

I’ve been using a Neti Pot for close to 15 years. The practice is ancient and comes from India. It’s saved me countless of times when I’ve gone to a smokers bar the night before and feel all congested the day after. I recommend a model called Nosebuddy (affiliate). It’s the one I buy when making presents for friends and family (to date I’ve bought 4 of these) because it’s shape helps with the flow of water. It also comes with a book on breathing techniques to drain every last drop of water out. The one I do the most is called the “Blacksmith’s Bellows.” You can find how to do it online, too.

There you have it, that’s my take on it. Breath is a nonfiction but it's written like a novel. At times I would finish a chapter a day. It is that well written. James Nestor’s research is an adventure from underground graveyards in Paris to yoga studios in Brazil. From the present day to 5000 years ago in Nepal.

Thank you Mr. Nestor for the good sleep. Your book should be a school textbook.