Mouth Breathing vs Nasal Breathing: Does It Really Matter?
Understanding How the Way You Breathe Can Influence Your Health and Wellbeing
Breathing is automatic.
It happens around 20,000 times each day without us giving it much thought.
But while breathing itself is automatic, how we breathe can change over time.
Stress, illness, allergies, lifestyle habits and even the environment we live in can all influence whether we breathe primarily through our nose or our mouth.
Although both the nose and mouth allow air to reach the lungs, they are not designed to perform the same role.
For most everyday breathing, the nose is the body's preferred breathing route. It performs several important functions that support healthy respiration before air even reaches the lungs.
Understanding the difference between nasal and mouth breathing isn't about striving for perfection. It's about becoming more aware of your breathing habits and recognising when they may be influencing how you feel.
Let's explore why.
Why Is Your Nose Designed for Breathing?
Your nose is much more than a passage for air.
It plays an active role in preparing every breath before it reaches your lungs.
As air passes through the nasal passages, it is:
Filtered to help remove dust, pollen and other airborne particles.
Warmed to approximately body temperature.
Humidified to help protect the delicate tissues of the airways.
Directed in a way that creates gentle resistance, encouraging slower and more controlled airflow.
The cells lining the nasal passages also produce nitric oxide (NO), a naturally occurring gas that travels into the lungs during nasal breathing. Nitric oxide plays several important physiological roles, including supporting blood vessel function and helping regulate the matching of airflow and blood flow within the lungs.¹⁻³
These processes occur automatically every time you breathe through your nose.
What About Mouth Breathing?
Your mouth also has an important role.
There are times when mouth breathing is entirely appropriate.
For example:
During vigorous or high-intensity exercise.
If your nose is temporarily blocked by a cold or allergies.
During medical emergencies when rapid airflow is required.
Mouth breathing allows larger volumes of air to move quickly into the lungs when your body's demand increases.
The goal isn't to eliminate mouth breathing altogether.
Rather, for most healthy people, nasal breathing is generally considered the preferred breathing route during rest and light everyday activities.
Why Does Habitual Mouth Breathing Matter?
Many people are surprised to learn they spend much of the day breathing through their mouth.
Often it develops gradually and becomes so familiar that it simply feels normal.
Over time, habitual mouth breathing may be associated with symptoms such as:
Waking with a dry mouth or sore throat.
Noisy breathing during sleep.
Feeling like you can't quite get a satisfying breath.
Increased movement through the upper chest and shoulders while breathing.
Feeling breathless during relatively light activity.
Snoring or waking feeling unrefreshed.
It's important to remember that these symptoms can have many different causes.
Breathing habits are just one possible factor and should always be considered alongside your overall health and assessed appropriately if symptoms persist.
Why Do People Become Mouth Breathers?
There isn't one single cause.
Common contributing factors include:
Nasal congestion.
Seasonal allergies.
Structural changes within the nose.
Chronic sinus problems.
Childhood breathing habits.
Long-term stress.
Certain sleep disorders.
Recovery following illness.
Sometimes the original cause resolves, but the breathing habit remains.
Like any habit, breathing patterns can become automatic through repetition.
Mouth Breathing, Sleep and Morning Fatigue
One of the most common things I hear from clients is:
"I slept all night, but I still feel exhausted."
Sleep quality is influenced by many factors, including stress, hormones, medications, lifestyle, sleep disorders and overall health.
Breathing during sleep may also contribute for some people.
For example, waking with:
a dry mouth,
a sore throat,
morning headaches,
loud snoring, or
feeling unrefreshed despite adequate sleep,
may indicate that your breathing during sleep is worth discussing with your healthcare provider.
Persistent snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing or excessive daytime sleepiness should always be medically assessed, as they may indicate conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea.
Does Nasal Breathing Improve Exercise?
You'll often hear claims on social media that everyone should only breathe through their nose during exercise.
The evidence is more nuanced.
For lower-intensity exercise, many people can comfortably maintain nasal breathing.
As exercise intensity increases, however, it's completely normal for the body to recruit both the nose and mouth to meet the increased demand for air.
This isn't a sign that you've failed.
It's your body adapting to the work being asked of it.
Rather than trying to force nasal breathing in every situation, the goal is to develop breathing habits that are appropriate for the activity you're performing.
Can You Change the Way You Breathe?
In many cases, yes.
Breathing habits are learned over time, which means they can often be improved with awareness and appropriate guidance.
The first step isn't changing anything.
It's noticing.
Ask yourself:
Am I breathing through my nose while sitting quietly?
Do I often notice my mouth hanging open?
Do I wake with a dry mouth?
Do my shoulders lift each time I breathe?
Do I frequently feel like I need a deep breath?
These observations don't diagnose a breathing disorder.
They simply provide useful information about your current breathing habits.
Simple Ways to Encourage Nasal Breathing
If your nose feels clear and comfortable, you may wish to practise:
1. Become Aware
Notice how you're breathing throughout the day without trying to change it immediately.
Awareness is often the first step towards change.
2. Breathe Through Your Nose During Everyday Activities
Where comfortable, allow your nose to do the work while sitting, walking or working.
If your nose feels blocked, avoid forcing nasal breathing and consider addressing the underlying cause.
3. Slow Down Rather Than Breathe Bigger
Many people mistakenly think they need more air.
Instead, aim for breathing that is:
quiet,
relaxed,
gentle, and
comfortable.
Efficient breathing is rarely dramatic.
Healthy Breathing Isn't About Perfection
It's easy to become caught up in rules about how we "should" breathe.
In reality, healthy breathing is flexible.
Sometimes you'll breathe through your nose.
Sometimes your mouth.
Sometimes quickly.
Sometimes slowly.
The goal isn't perfect breathing.
It's understanding what your body needs in different situations and recognising when your breathing habits may no longer be serving you.
How The Guided Breath Can Help
At The Guided Breath, breathing education begins with understanding your current breathing patterns rather than assuming one technique suits everyone.
Together we'll explore how you're breathing at rest, during movement and in everyday life before introducing practical, evidence-informed strategies that are tailored to your individual needs.
Whether your goal is improving sleep, reducing stress, breathing more comfortably or simply understanding your breathing better, you'll leave with practical skills you can confidently apply beyond the session.
Because lasting change starts with awareness.
Key Takeaways
Nasal breathing is generally the preferred breathing route during rest and everyday activities.
Your nose filters, warms and humidifies the air before it reaches your lungs.
Nitric oxide produced within the nasal passages plays an important role in healthy respiratory function.
Mouth breathing has an important role during higher-intensity exercise and when airflow through the nose is limited.
Habitual mouth breathing may contribute to symptoms such as dry mouth, noisy sleep and feeling unrefreshed, although these symptoms can have many possible causes.
Becoming aware of your breathing habits is often the first step towards improving them.
References
Lundberg, J. O. N., & Weitzberg, E. (1999). Nasal nitric oxide in man. Thorax, 54(10), 947–952.
Lundberg, J. O. N., Weitzberg, E., Lundberg, J. M., & Alving, K. (1994). Nitric oxide in exhaled air. European Respiratory Journal, 7(8), 1501–1510.
Harkema, J. R., Carey, S. A., & Wagner, J. G. (2006). The nose revisited: A brief review of the comparative structure, function and toxicologic pathology of the nasal epithelium. Toxicologic Pathology, 34(3), 252–269.
Courtney, R. (2009). The functions of breathing and its dysfunctions and their relationship to breathing therapy. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 12(3), 78–85.
American Thoracic Society. (2020). Patient Information Series: Breathing Through Your Nose. American Thoracic Society.
Dellweg, D., Kerl, J., Hoehn, E., et al. (2022). Position paper on nasal breathing and respiratory health. Breathe, 18(4), 220123.
