Breathing to Boost Natural Immunity

We are experiencing a sharp rise in respiratory infections this winter. Articles in the media and messages from our Ministry of Health include the usual recommendations to stay home if you are sick, get up to date with your vaccinations and wear a mask.

Sadly, missing from official guidelines and our media is advice on how you can boost your natural immunity.

This is an updated version of an article written by Nicky McLeod and me in March 2020. In reviewing the information, I am not surprised that it is as relevant now in August 2024 as it was when first written. After all, natural immunity has been with us since the dawn of our existence. It might be time for modern medicine to rethink our increasing dependence on pharmacology and get back to basics.

Functional Breathing to Boost Immunity

When ENT specialist Dr Maurice Cottle (founder of the American Rhinologic Society, 1954) identified 30 reasons to nose breathe he did not mention nitric oxide (NO).[1] That’s because the role of NO in regulating biological functions in humans was yet to be discovered. In 1998, researchers on the complex roles of NO within the body were awarded a Nobel Prize for their work.[2] It has since been referred to as the third respiratory gas along with oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Scientists have previously highlighted the importance of nasal breathing in preventing the spread of infections, indicating that where facemasks fail, the nose may provide a natural filter for dangerous pathogens. It is relatively obvious that the nose filters, warms and humidifies air on its way into the body, whereas mouth breathing does not, but there is more to the nose than you might realise.

An ideal breathing pattern:

• Nasal breathing at rest, when sleeping and up to moderate levels of physical exertion.
• Minute volume of 4-5 litres of air at rest (about 8-12 breaths/minute).
• Regular rhythmic breathing (very few sighs, yawns, coughs, catch-up breaths).
• Diaphragm breathing (80% at rest).

The above parameters help boost immunity and fight infection in the following ways:

• Nasal breathing warms, filters and humidifies inhaled air before it reaches the lower respiratory tract.
• An optimal minute volume (MV) combined with nasal breathing helps reduce the load of inhaled pathogens.
• Lower MV and nasal breathing help maintain the delicate balance of gases, O₂, CO₂ and NO, in airways and blood.
• Lower MV means increased levels of both NO and CO₂  which help soothe the nasal and lung mucosa and mediate cellular defence.
• Both NO and CO₂ are vasodilators and bronchodilators helping maintain airway and vascular tone and ensuring oxygenated blood is delivered throughout the body. 
• An optimal level of CO₂ in arterial blood is essential for the delivery of oxygen from haemoglobin to cells in the body. This is known as the Bohr Effect, first described by Christian Bohr in 1904.

By contrast, breathing through the mouth upsets the delicate balance of gases in airways and blood, lowering NO, CO₂ and O₂. Mouth breathing also engages the secondary respiratory muscles and the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode). When the SNS is dominant, the immune system is down-regulated. 

Below are two breathing exercises to help clear nasal passages and boost your natural immunity. 

Humming Exercise

Here is a simple humming exercise you can do if you feel you are coming down with a respiratory infection, sinusitis, or are unwell. You can do it any time as a preventative measure to help boost immunity. We associate humming with cheerfulness and you’ll notice that it’s difficult to hum and feel down at the same time.

Immune protective effects of nitric oxide and humming »

Nose-Clearing Exercise

Some people breathe through the mouth simply through lack of awareness. For others there could be a physical impediment such as nasal congestion. Many habitual mouth breathers do so simply because they get an unpleasant sensation that they just can’t get enough air through the nose. This is particularly true in children who habitually mouth breathe. Mouth breathing and over-breathing are characteristic responses in times of stress. As breathing educators we work with people to help them pull out of this cycle and establish a more functional breathing pattern.

Often the first step in this process is to relieve nasal congestion. There are many interventions that can improve nasal breathing including reducing dairy and consumption of refined carbohydrates. For quick relief we suggest you try this nose unblocking exercise:

Clear a blocked nose »

Breathing for Everyday Activities

As mentioned earlier in this article, less is more when it comes to breathing – in the same way that good nutrition is not about eating more. A good start is the ability to breathe through your nose at rest and up to moderate levels of physical exertion, like climbing stairs, or if you are fit, jogging. You should also breathe through your nose when sleeping and symptoms like bad breath, strong thirst, or dry mouth on waking are indications that you are probably breathing through your mouth when sleeping. Snoring, sleep apnoea, insomnia, restless sleep or blocked nose on waking are also signs that you are likely to be over-breathing through your mouth in your sleep. 

The breathing pattern in your sleep is a mirror of your daytime breathing. The implications of this are that you probably have a dysfunctional breathing pattern which is not only impacting on your sleep quality, but potentially impairing your health and immunity. 

What You Can Do

This article was first written in March 2020. At that time, it was emerging that the COVID-19 virus was spread as an airborne aerosol, like SARS.[3,4] Subsequent studies have confirmed this. It is therefore imperative to breathe in and out through your nose as gently as possible, not only for your protection, but also for those in your vicinity. If you are exercising, reduce the pace and intensity as necessary, to enable you to maintain comfortable nasal breathing. This will minimise the chance of inhaling and spreading germs and has the added benefit of generating the germicidal power of nitric oxide for your own protection. 

Masks are effective in helping to reduce hand-to-face contamination and may also help in reducing exposure to airborne particles, excluding aerosols. However, many common masks also expose the user to airborne microplastics.[5]  If wearing a mask, make sure you can still breathe through your nose. Nasal breathing still offers the best protection from airborne pathogens, for reasons outlined above.

Boosting Immunity – The Bigger Picture

The focus of this article is breathing and for optimal results should be accompanied by other immune-boosting measures, including productive sleep, good nutrition, adequate hydration, physical exercise, reducing stress and maintaining social contacts (virtually, if lockdown is in place). 

Home Treatment of Respiratory Infections, including Covid-19 The following guide is a home treatment plan for all respiratory infections, including Covid-19. You should try to hit it with as much as you can. Avoid medications to reduce fever like paracetamol, as heat is the body’s way of killing pathogens.

Home Treatment of Respiratory Infections including Covid-19 »

Note

Neither this post/blog nor any linked articles claim that these interventions alone can prevent or cure respiratory infections including COVID-19. However, it makes sense both for physical and psychological reasons to take any steps that may improve our natural immunity and wellbeing. Like the advice to wash our hands frequently, the advice to nasal breathe also gives us a sense that there is something we can do, a sense of control and anything that makes us feel less stressed is also good for our immune system. 

Booking a consultation or course 

You can book a consultation or course online. For more information on ways to boost your natural immunity, you can contact our clinic and speak with a practitioner.

Tel: 09-360 6291

Book online here 

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This is an updated version of an article written by Glenn White and Nicky McLeod in March 2020.

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