Blocked Nose

Chronically blocked noses are common in those attending Buteyko Institute Method (BIM) courses either as their only symptom or in conjunction with other breathing disorders. One of the first aims of the program is to re-establish comfortable nasal breathing. Nearly all participants achieve this within the first week. The nose has a number of very important roles. It prepares the air for the lungs in ways that breathing through the mouth cannot. Functions of the nose include filtering, warming and humidifying the air we breathe in order that by the time the air reaches the lungs it is clean, at body temperature and has sufficient water vapour in it to avoid drying out of the airways. When we breathe through our mouth we breathe in too much, dirty, cold dry air. Breathing a larger volume of air than the body requires disrupts the normal gas balance within the body; unfiltered air carries with it airborne allergens and dust particles which irritate and inflame the airways; cold dry air dries out the mucosal tissue leading to inflammation, dehydration and greater volumes of thicker tackier mucous.