How to Improve Nasal Breathing

Breathing through the nose offers many advantages. When people breathe through their noses, they receive nitric oxide, which the nose and sinus membranes make. Nitric oxide increases energy in the lungs. People who are unable to breathe through their noses do not taste food as well as they could, which can lead to weight issues. Finally, if the nose is stuffed up, mucous stays stagnant and can cause sinus or ear infections as well as bad breath. For these reasons, it is important to learn how to improve nasal breathing for optimal health.

Instructions

• 1

  Visit your local pharmacy for over-the-counter, non-invasive remedies to help improve nasal breathing. Vaporizers or humidifiers will increase the air's humidity, which will make it easier for you to breathe. Saline nasal sprays can help thin mucus in the nose and ease congestion, which will improve nasal breathing. Try to keep your head elevated when you sleep, as congestion can worsen when lying flat. You can affix adhesive strips to the bridge of the nose; this widens a person's nostrils, which can help to improve breathing.

• 2

  Use a nasal aspirator to remove mucus in infants or very young children who may experience nose-breathing problems. Gently press the air out of the aspirator and carefully insert the tip into the child's nostril. Release the bulb of the aspirator so that air comes back up into the aspirator and the congested mucous will come out along with the air. Release the mucous into a tissue and dispose.

• 3

  Sooth your stuffy nose and improve your nasal breathing the natural way by using heat. Hot liquids can relieve stuffy noses and sooth inflamed nasal membranes. Turn up the steam in the shower to moisturize inflamed and dry nasal passages, which can improve nasal breathing. Sooth congested sinuses by pressing hot packs or warm compresses to the affected area.

• 4

  Relieve congested nasal passages and improve breathing with over-the-counter decongestants, which will reduce the size of the blood vessels in the nose lining. Antihistamines can reduce the mucus that is causing congestion, making it hard for patients to breathe through their nose. You can use over-the-counter nasal sprays in lieu of pills; however, you should use these sparingly, as they can worsen the patient's condition if used improperly.

• 5

  Consider having surgery to help improve nasal breathing. Patients may opt to have surgery to repair a deviated septum, which can cause one nasal passage to be smaller than the other. When the problem is severe, airflow can be blocked and patients can experience difficulty breathing, nasal congestion and sinus infections. Discuss the rhinoplasty procedure with your doctor if your nasal breathing problem is extreme. While individuals may seek rhinoplasty to improve the shape or reduce the size of the nose, rhinoplasty improves breathing as well as the aesthetics of the nasal area. During rhinoplasty, doctors can remove obstructions that make nasal breathing difficult.