At least once in our lifetime during times of trouble each of us was told: “Take a deep breath in and relax.” Now, seriously – take a deep breathe in because it will help you be more emotionally aware, but only if you inhale and specifically through your nose (and not your mouth). Scientists have proven that there is a direct link between nasal breathing and our cognitive functions.
It’s well known that active breathing i.e. inhaling and exhaling controls our breathing rhythm. Scientists have proven that controlled breathing reduces stress, increases alertness and boosts our immune system. Yogis have used breath control for centuries to promote concentration and improve vitality.
However, recently a new study has found evidence to show that there is actually a direct link between nasal breathing and our cognitive functions.
Nasal Breathing Influences the Brain
Simply, imagine the system is a ship and nasal breathing is its captain who is charge of the sailing tempo.
Northwestern Medicine scientists were fascinated by the power of our nasal breathing and did a lot of research to understand in what way breathing affects the brain regions responsible for memory and emotional processing.
After a series of experiments, they came out with an explanation that nasal breathing has a crucial role in coordinating electrical brain signals in the olfactory cortex i.e. the brain regions that directly receive input from our nose (smell) —which then coordinates the amygdala (which processes emotions) and the hippocampus (responsible for both memory and emotions).
“Mmm…… smells like my Grandma’s cookies.” – been there, right? It happens sometimes a particular smell/fragrance to evoke very strong emotional memories. Scientists explain that our “smell” system is very closely linked to the limbic brain regions that affect emotion, memory and behavior.
However, even in the absence of smells, the act of breathing itself can impact our emotions and memory. Experts also claim that during nasal inhalation, fast electrical rhythms in the amygdala and hippocampus became stronger.
To understand better these synchronous effects that nasal breathing has on our brain regions, the scientists have conducted several distinct experiments. 60 healthy participants were part of the tests to prove the effects of nasal breathing on memory and emotional behavior.
Phase 1: Subjects were shown fearful or surprised faces
After being shown fearful or surprised faces they had to make an instant decision on the emotional expressions of the faces they saw. The results have shown that they were able to recognize fearful faces faster and easier than surprised faces in phases when the faces appeared specifically during an in-breath through the nose.
On the other hand, that didn’t happen during an out-breath or during phases of mouth breathing.
Phase 2: Memory test
The same participants were part of the testing and in this phase their memory was tested (associated with the hippocampus). Subjects were shown some images and later they were asked to recall them. The results have shown that the memory of images was much better if they first encountered and encoded these images during an in-breath through the nose.
These findings show a system in which nasal breathing is like a remote control for our brains. Breathing in through our nose directly affects the electrical signals in the ‘smell’ regions, which indirectly controls the electrical signals of our memory and emotional brain centers. This way we can control and enhance brain function using our in-breath, to have faster, more accurate emotional discrimination and recognition, as well as gain better memory.
As we said before – take a deep breath in through your nose and control your brain signals. That will improve your emotional and memory processing.
What about the exhale?
As we mentioned before, slow and steady breathing activates the calming part of our nervous system, slows our heart rate, and reduces feelings of anxiety and stress. Therefore, if inhale specifically alters our cognition, the act of slow, deep breathing (inhalation and exhalation), is valuable for our nervous system when we wish to tranquil ourselves. Mindful breathing also emphasizes the mental component and helps us to become more aware of mind, body and breath together. If our breath is powerful enough to regulate our emotions and help us gain clarity of mind, it’s definitely worth to put some effort in and make it a good practice we should keep working on.
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