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«The nose is a brilliant filter. This is the only physiological way of breathing at rest and with gentle exertion. Prepares the air properly before it reaches the lungs. It warms, moisturizes and, importantly, also disinfects them, ”explains the drug. med. Elżbieta Dudzińska, dealing with respiratory disorders and respiratory therapies. This is especially important in times of a pandemic.
By breathing through the nose, we protect ourselves much better against pathogens, we increase, among others, oxygen uptake, we disinfect the air that goes to the lungs and we increase the production of an active substance that makes the lungs more flexible – notes the drug. med. Elżbieta Dudzińska.
She pointed out one basic thing about breathing, especially physiologically important and when we want to pass infections more smoothly – it should be done through the nose.
- The doctor advises how to breathe with a mask
The nose is the best filter
“The benefits of nasal breathing cannot be overestimated. The nose is a brilliant filter. This is the only physiological way of breathing at rest and with gentle exertion. Prepares the air properly before it reaches the lungs. It warms them, moisturizes and, importantly, also disinfects them “- she explained in an interview with PAP.
The expert added that not only the structure of the nose itself – the turbinates, nasal mucosa, the presence of hairs, but also the production of mucus and chemical protective factors as well as the production of nitric oxide in the sinuses make this route of air transport to the lungs play such a key role.
Barrier to viruses and bacteria
“Nitric oxide is a disinfectant. It inhibits the replication of many viruses and the multiplication of bacteria, but it also affects the respiratory system. It widens our bronchi and blood vessels. It improves the blood supply to the lungs, especially in the lower lobes. Breathing through the nose, we activate the diaphragm, ”she explained.
She also encouraged us to do a certain test to see which parts of the body our breathing triggers. You only need to breathe for a while through your nose and then through your mouth. In the first case, we run the lower part of the chest, in the second, the upper part. Therefore, it is worth breathing consciously – through the nose, engaging the diaphragm. Thanks to this, we increase oxygen uptake by 10 to 20 percent, and in addition, as the expert further pointed out, nitric oxide produced in the sinuses increases the production of the surface factor, the so-called surfactant.
- Breathing exercises that can help COVID-19 patients
«It is a substance that makes the lungs more flexible, more” oiled “. One study found that the COVID-19 virus attacks cells in the lungs (type 2 pneumocytes) that produce the surfactant. Insufficient surfactant means that the lungs during infection – apart from, of course, huge inflammation – are in a very poor condition, ”she said.
On the other hand, she explained that breathing through the mouth is a greater gateway to infection, i.e. a larger surface of the mucosa in which the pathogen multiplies, its greater drying and the lack of positive effects of nitric oxide for the lungs.
The expert also referred to how to breathe properly in a mask. She admitted that some people may feel short of breath, but despite this, we should resist the urge to breathe faster through the mouth. Of course, we assume that the mask is made of a material that allows air to pass through properly. Much also depends on our attitude.
Mask breathing: a lot depends on our attitude
“Many of us feel short of breath, but we should resist it and try to keep our breathing calm, through our nose. The feeling of shortness of breath may be due to, inter alia, in psychological factors – we cover our mouth and nose. It is also important to convince us what we think about this order, ”she said.
She added that our skepticism about the need to wear a mask could translate into a dominance of the sympathetic nervous system, which is usually associated with mouth breathing and faster breathing. However, she further noted that if we can stop it, the body adapts. We should treat it as a good introduction to conscious breathing.
“It is normal for us to feel some discomfort when breathing in a mask. It seems to us that we have less air. However, you should not rush your breathing, but try to keep calm breathing through the nose and control the stress that arises in our head, ”said Dudzińska.
She added that in some patients with asthma, wearing masks reduced breathlessness attacks. Regardless of the mask, she further emphasized that most people with asthma breathe excessively and exhale more carbon dioxide than is required by their metabolism.
In the mask, we exhale and inhale the same air
“Breathing in a face mask increases your carbon dioxide exposure, which dilates the bronchi and blood vessels, and improves your carbon dioxide tolerance. While breathing in a mask, we inhale some of the air that we have just exhaled, ”she explained.
She noted that if someone, feeling that he lacks air, begins to breathe faster and through his mouth, not only does he not oxygenate the body, but it also works the opposite. Exhales carbon dioxide in excess, which contracts the bronchi and blood vessels and worsens the release of oxygen from hemoglobin, the so-called Bohr effect.
However, if we want to keep the mask comfortable, we should breathe slowly through the nose. An exercise that can help you become better adapted to wearing the mask, especially for people who are breathing excessively – regardless of the mask – is to hold your breath briefly.
“For 10-15 seconds we breathe calmly through the nose, after exhaling, we keep our nose closed and mentally count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Then we return to calm breathing through the nose for 10-15 seconds. Then we repeat it. We can practice this many times a day. It is even good for people with severe asthma. In the case of very poor respiratory condition, instead of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 we count 3,2,1. This exercise increases your carbon dioxide tolerance and widens your airways, ”she said.
On the other hand, an exercise that improves diaphragmatic breathing, as the expert pointed out, is putting your hands behind your head with your elbows in place and breathing calmly. You can do it while sitting at a desk or watching TV.
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