At night, nasal breathing helps your body shift into a calm, restorative state by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest, recovery, and relaxation.

This natural response slows your heart rate, steadies your breathing, and signals your body that it’s safe to wind down. Consistent airflow through the nose keeps your airways comfortable and reduces dryness, snoring, and irritation that can disturb your sleep.

This makes it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling fresh and ready for the day.

Snoring often occurs when mouth breathing causes soft tissues in the throat to vibrate.

By keeping the mouth closed and encouraging nasal airflow, you create gentle positive pressure in the airways that helps them stay open and stable.

This can significantly reduce the likelihood of snoring and the disturbances it causes which improves sleep quality for you (and anyone nearby of course).

There’s a reason your yoga or Pilates instructor reminds you to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Ancient breathing practices like pranayama have long recognised the power of nasal breathing to calm the mind and regulate the body, something modern science now supports.

Nasal breathing naturally controls airflow, allowing for more efficient oxygen delivery during movement. Research in sports physiology shows that nasal breathing helps maintain lower breathing rates and improves carbon dioxide tolerance which are key to endurance, focus, and post-exercise recovery.

By keeping oxygen and carbon dioxide levels balanced, it reduces unnecessary strain on your respiratory system and supports a smoother connection between breath and body.

Nasal breathing can play a supportive role in easing menstrual discomfort and promoting hormonal balance.

Studies show that slow, steady nasal breathing activates the body’s relaxation response, helping lower stress hormones and calm the nervous system. This shift reduces muscle tension and improves blood flow, both of which can help relieve period pain. Breathing through our nose also enhances oxygen and nitric oxide levels, improving circulation to the pelvic area and supporting natural hormone function.

While it isn’t a medical treatment, nasal breathing helps create the calm, oxygen-rich conditions that can make menstrual cycles feel smoother, less painful, and more balanced overall.

Breathing through your nose helps guide natural facial growth and balance, especially during childhood.

When you breathe nasally, your tongue rests gently against the roof of your mouth, supporting the upper jaw and encouraging forward, well-aligned growth of the face. This positioning keeps the jawline defined and the bite properly aligned. In contrast, mouth breathing can cause the tongue to drop and the jaw to hang open, which over time may lead to a longer face, a narrower jaw, and changes in dental alignment.

Nasal breathing supports the connection between muscle tone, posture, and airflow that helps shape a strong, balanced facial structure.

Your nose is your body’s built-in air filter and first line of defence.

As you breathe in, tiny hairs and the mucous lining trap dust, allergens, and airborne microbes before they reach your lungs. This system also warms and humidifies the air, keeping your airways comfortable and protected. Inside the nasal passages, nitric oxide is produced, a natural compound that helps fight bacteria and supports your immune system.

Nasal breathing creates cleaner, healthier airflow and stronger protection against everyday irritants and pathogens.

Breathing through your nose helps keep your mouth healthy. When your mouth stays closed, saliva can do its job of washing away food particles, neutralising acid, and protecting teeth and gums.

Mouth breathing dries out the mouth, which lowers saliva levels and allows bacteria to grow more easily. Over time, this can lead to bad breath, tooth decay, and gum inflammation.

Nasal breathing supports brain function by helping your body use oxygen more efficiently.

Breathing through your nose balances oxygen and carbon dioxide levels which keeps blood flow to the brain consistent and stable. It also increases nitric oxide production, improving circulation and oxygen delivery to brain cells. This helps you stay alert, focused, and calm, especially during stress or demanding tasks.

Over time, nasal breathing promotes better mental clarity, concentration, and overall cognitive performance.

There’s a reason we’re often told to take a deep breath in through our nose and out through our mouth when we’re stressed.

Inhaling through the nose activates the body’s calming system, known as the parasympathetic nervous system. This response slows the heart rate, reduces stress hormones like cortisol, and helps our body move out of a “fight or flight” state. Exhaling slowly also helps by supporting healthy oxygen and carbon dioxide balance and promoting relaxation through the vagus nerve.

These effects clear the mind, ease tension, and help you stay calm and focused under pressure. With regular practice, nasal breathing can strengthen this natural relaxation response, making it easier to handle stress with clarity and control.

Nasal breathing promotes healthier skin and more efficient cell repair.

By drawing air through the nose, our bodies produces nitric oxide, a natural molecule that widens blood vessels and improves circulation. This boosts oxygen and nutrient delivery to cells, helping tissues regenerate and stay resilient.

Better oxygen balance also supports collagen production and reduces oxidative stress, two key factors in skin vitality. Combined with its calming effect on the nervous system, nasal breathing helps create oxygen-dense environment your body and skin need to function and glow naturally.