Are You Struggling to Shed Some Kilos? Check your Breathing | Expert Claims

Not breathing correctly may be a key cause of why you are struggling to shed some kilos.

Using your nose – instead of your mouth – is scientifically proven to increase your metabolism and help you lose weight, argues a breathing expert.

Breathing Expert Patrick McKeown, who coaches Olympic athletes and NFL players on the secrets of good breathing, explains how inhaling and exhaling through your mouth is linked to poor sleep – which is associated with a host of health problems including obesity.

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He says making changes to your technique can improve your sleep and therefore reduce stress, help your waistline and even decrease your risk of heart disease and dementia.

“Training ourselves to breath through our noses increases oxygen and improves our sleep, which keeps our hunger-suppressing hormones in balance.”

Mr McKeown, the bestselling author of The Oxygen Advantage, told MailOnline:

‘Breathing through your mouth leads to lower quality sleep. Many studies have shown that poor sleep is linked to increased appetite and a higher chance of obesity.

Poor sleep, many studies show, leads to an increase in hunger and weight gain. That’s partly due to the connection between sleep and the peptides that regulate your appetite: ghrelin and leptin.

Ghrelin – the ‘hunger hormone’ – goes up when you don’t get enough sleep .At the same time, leptin – the ‘satiety hormone’ – which sends ‘full’ signals to the brain, decreases.

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Mr McKeown says that breathing through our mouths has become so commonplace it is now ‘endemic’.

“Nose breathing is harder work than mouth breathing, resulting in 10 to 20 per cent more oxygen uptake too.

This provides energy, lessens fatigue and creates better sleep patterns.”

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McKeown dropped these 4 tips for better breathing:

• Breathe through your nose, day and night

You can consciously avoid breathing thorough your mouth during the day. At night, you will need to use a device like a Mute which gently stents and dilates the nasal airways allowing snorers to breathe more easily through their nose.

• Stop sighing; instead, swallow or suppress the sigh

One sigh taken every few minutes is enough to maintain chronic over-breathing, so it is necessary to counteract the sigh by swallowing or holding the breath. If you notice your sighs only after they have taken place, then hold your breath for 10 to 15 seconds to help compensate for the loss of carbon dioxide.

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• Avoid taking big breaths when yawning or talking

Try not to take in a large breath during a yawn. Likewise, individuals who talk for a living need to be aware that their breathing should not be heard during talking. If you find that you can hear your breathing during talking, then it is better to slow down the speed of your talking, use shorter sentences, and take a gentle breath through your nose between each sentence.

• Observe your breathing throughout the day

Good breathing during rest should not be seen or heard.

We hope these tips can help you shed those stubborn pounds. Let us know if it works for you.