Breath
At the risk of overstating things, I think I’m in the middle of reading one of the most mind-blowing books I’ve ever come across. It’s called Breath.
Some backstory:
I was having coffee after church a couple of weeks ago and talking to three members of my congregation. During the conversation it transpired that all three of them had read (completely independently of one another) a book called Breath by an American science writer called James Nestor and had begun taping their mouths shut whilst they were asleep.
I found this incredibly weird and my immediate reaction was that it didn’t sound like it was for me.
Nevertheless, through some impulse I decided to purchase this book to see for myself what it was all about.
On the first night after I’d received and read some of this book, I taped my mouth shut.
It turns out that breathing your nose is far healthier and bequeaths to your body far greater health and wellbeing benefits than breathing through your mouth. I had no idea about any of this.
The nose is crucial because it clears air, heats it, and moistens it for easier absorption.
James Nestor, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, p. 39
One of the many benefits is that the sinuses release a huge boost of nitric oxide, a molecule that plays an essential role in increasing circulation, and delivering oxygen into cells. Immune function, weight, circulation, mood, and sexual function can all be heavily influenced by the amount of nitric oxide in the body.
Ibid., p. 50
I could go on with this but there is simply too much to say. I’ve started taping my mouth shut during sleep and I have already experienced far better quality of sleep and far more vivid dreams than before. (I take the latter to be a good sign of the quality of the sleep.)
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