Nose Breathing May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk: Study

Who would have thought that how you breathe makes a difference in your heart health? According to a new small study, breathing through just the nose is more beneficial than breathing through the mouth, affecting blood pressure and other factors that can predict heart disease. The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, notes that common markers for cardiovascular disease, including blood pressure, heart rate variability, blood pressure variability, and changes in arterial pressure, can be affected by the complex dynamics between the body’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems. In fact, according to the study, breathing through the nose rather than through the mouth can lower a person’s diastolic blood pressure and increase how effectively the parasympathetic nervous system controls the heart’s resting rate....