Nose vs. Mouth Breathing: One May Lower Heart Disease Risk

Are you a nose or mouth breather? The answer may impact your heart health, according to a new study.

Your respiratory and cardiovascular systems talk to each other, and researchers found that conversation is sometimes more efficient in nose breathers.

The researchers had 20 young adults perform nasal-only and mouth-only breathing activities while sitting quietly and while riding a stationary bike.

The participants’ blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and heart rate were measured during each session and the results showed their diastolic blood pressure was lower when they breathed through their nose while resting.

Sitting quietly also shifted their nervous system into a “rest and digest” versus “flight or fight” state, improving their heart rate variability, or the time between heart beats.

But the researchers found no benefit to nose breathing during the biking sessions.

They say the data suggests “that nasal compared with oral breathing provides modest, but potentially clinically relevant, improvements in prognostic cardiovascular variables at rest, but not during exercise.”

While more, long-term research is needed on breathing style and heart health, experts point to other benefits of nasal breathing

Including filtering, warming and humidifying air as it enters the body.