An organ taking up so much space in our heads must be meant for more than only smelling flowers. The nose is one of the most underestimated body parts, and one of the most important ones when it comes to our everyday health.
Here I list some of the reasons why.
The air gets heated and humidified
When inhaling through the nose the air gets prepared for the lungs. The lungs like the air served warm and humid, then the gas exchange works better. When we exhale through the nose the nostrils gets reheated and moisturised, ready for the next inhalation.
And, if we exhale through the mouth we loose 42% more water than exhaling through the nose!
The air gets cleansed from bacteria, viruses and particles
If we always breath through our mouth we would get 10,000 to 15.000 litres of unfiltered air in our lungs each day. Our immune system needs to work hard to take care of all intruders.
Our nose is the first defence system against sicknesses, chemicals and other irritating particles.
The air reaches deeper into the lungs
When the air passes through the nose it slows down and becomes more streamlined. This makes it easier for the air to reach deep into the lungs than when we breathe through the mouth.
The airways and the blood vessels get dileted
There’s a certain gas being produced in our sinuses called nitric oxide (NO). It has a dilating effect on the smooth muscles, the airways and the blood vessels. This not only makes it easier to breathe but also allows oxygen to be transferred to the blood more easily.
The air only get spiked with this gas when we inhale through the nose.