Baltimore City Wire

This year, many Americans are putting a new item on their New Year's resolution agenda: improve nasal breathing and relieve sinus pain.

Sinus pain is an issue that millions of Americans deal with on a daily basis, but new treatments are making it easier to access pain relief. This issue is coming to the forefront, especially with COVID-19 cases on the rise. 

"The nose is the entry point for all the pathogens that we're exposed to. Especially in this COVID era, we found that the epicenter of that virus is inoculation (through) the nose," Dr. Jamie Oberman, a doctor at Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, told Baltimore City Wire. "That's why we're all wearing masks. So it's super important anatomy, and it's the epicenter of how we're exposed to viral and bacterial pathogens."

Dr. Jamie Oberman | Frederick Breathe Free

The availability and ease of treatments for nasal and sinus pain are not the only thing that patients are waking up to. Many are realizing just how destructive poor nasal and sinus health can be for overall health. 

A recent study published in the International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science studied 10 runners, male and female, who implemented nasal-only breathing for six months while exercising. Their maximum rate of oxygen consumption did not change between nasal and mouth breathing. But the study found that the runners’ respiratory rate, which is breaths per minute, and ratio of oxygen intake to carbon dioxide output decreased during nasal breathing. In other words, their bodies didn’t have to work as hard to get the same amount of oxygen.

Oberman confirmed this, having worked with some of the best college athletes in the country. 

"I have a college athlete, Division 1 at Boston College, women's lacrosse, who are a nationally ranked team. She's the goalie. We did her surgery in 2017. She honestly said it was life-changing," Oberman said. "She became a better athlete; she became a better student. She wasn't missing school. She got into her top choice of school because of her improved performance at school from her surgery and was a nationally sought-after athlete with a Division 1 scholarship. So I like to use her as an example of how dramatic life changes can be."

Additionally, breathing through the nose while exercising promotes good form and good posture, and therefore prevents injuries. When breathing slowly through the nose, people allow their lungs to fill up and use the diaphragm more effectively.

Luckily, there are things that patients can do to improve their sinus and allergy situation. 

The way to get used to breathing through the nose while exercising is to push yourself until you feel the sensation of what researchers call “air hunger,” or breathlessness, and only challenge yourself as much as you can while maintaining nasal breathing. This means slowing down significantly at first and being patient. This process can take anywhere from six weeks to six months, depending on your fitness level and how much you are committed to it.

If you think you could benefit from a visit to an otolaryngologist, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.