Mouth breathing and forward head posture: can it affect respiratory biomechanics & exercise capacity?
In clinical practice I meet generally healthy people, even athletes, that are mouth breathers. There are different reasons why these patients have adapted to this sort of breathing, yet almost invariably I see weaker immune systems, lengthened recovery times between trainings, chronic fatigue and disturbed sleeping patterns resulting in unrestful sleep (and we all know what less sleep leads to #hormonalimbalance)
Why is it important to #breathe through the nose? When we breathe through our nose our #sinuses produce #nitricoxide aka NO, which when carried into the body through breath, combats harmful #bacteria and #viruses in our bodies, regulates blood pressure and boosts the #immunesystem. In 1998 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad. The title of the Nobel Prize was “Nitric Oxide as a Unique Signaling Molecule in the Cardiovascular System.” Today, it is recognized that NO is a widespread signaling molecule in all organs of the body, not only the cardiovascular system.
So what does Nitric Oxide actually do? ALOT! It plays a role in every organ of our body.
1️⃣ As a vasodilator it decreases blood pressure and improves blood flow to the organs.
2️⃣Anti-inflammatory action in the arteries.
3️⃣Prevents blood clotting and obstructions in the arteries.
4️⃣Immune defense: destruction of viruses and parasitic organisms.
5️⃣Protects the skin from harmful ionizing radiation.
6️⃣Promotes a healthy digestive tract by regulating the secretion of digestive hormones and enzymes.
7️⃣Hormonal effects: influences secretion of hormones from several glands.
8️⃣Regulates bladder function.
9️⃣Acts as a signaling molecule to maintain normal bodily functions
Regulation of binding/ release of O2 to hemoglobin.
And as if that wasn’t enough, it has been found to enable erectile function and enhance memory and learning!
Lundberg, Weitzberg (1999)
#Oxygen #Breathwork #Prevention #Healing #Train #BreathOxygen #FunctionalMedicine #Cardiovascular
