As explained in the Buteyko DVD, Your nose gets blocked due to breathing too much. Blood vessels inflame and greater amounts of mucus are secreted thus making breathing through it more difficult.

A vicious circle ensues because, as your nose gets blocked, you switch to mouth breathing. This involves an even greater loss of CO2 resulting in even more congestion.

This Buteyko breathing exercise is very effective for decongesting your nose in just a few minutes:

Unblock the nose
How to unblock the nose naturally
  • Sit up straight.
  • Take a small breath in through your nose, if possible, and a small breath out. If your nose is quite blocked, take a tiny breath in through the corner of your mouth.
  • Calm your breathing as soon as possible.
Unblock the nose
Unblocking the nose

If your nose does not become totally free, wait about 30 seconds until your breathing has recovered before performing this buteyko breathing exercise again. You will need to do this a number of times before your nose is completely unblocked.

After doing this Buteyko DVD exercise many times your nose will be unblocked. You might also feel warm and more alert due to the dilatation of blood vessels. This buteyko breathing exercise is also useful for shifting mucus from the airways and for removing constipation. To remove constipation, perform this breath hold buteyko breathing exercise many times while sitting on the loo!

If you have a low CP, it indicates that you are big breathing and so your nose will become blocked again. It is only when the morning CP is over 20 seconds that your nose will stay clear.

Perform this Buteyko exercise each time that your nose becomes blocked. Even if you have a cold, make sure to breathe through your nose. You might think that you cannot clear your nose when you have a heavy cold, but you can. If you do have a head cold, close your mouth and reduce your breathing throughout the day. (Explained later) This will both shorten the duration of your cold and greatly reduce the likelihood of it going to your chest. I have observed hundreds of asthmatics dramatically reduce head colds and chest infections after they learned to nasal breathe and correct their breathing volume.

When the switch is first made from mouth to nasal breathing, the volume of air being inhaled will reduce. Your mouth is a bigger opening and thus you can breathe far more air through it. If you have had your mouth open for many years, it is certain that the body has become adjusted to this heavier breathing.

Your nostrils are a smaller space and thus will create more resistance than mouth breathing. As a result you may feel that you are not getting enough air. This will be for a short time only. In a few days, your respiratory centre will have become accustomed to the more correct volume.

Whatever you do, ensure that you keep your mouth closed. Your body may begin to play tricks and convince you to breathe more by inducing yawning, sighing, regular sniffing or the odd mouth breath. Try not to increase breathing at this point. According to the Buteyko Method, when the need to big breathe arises, for example during a sigh, swallow immediately. If the need to yawn also occurs, avoid taking the big breath that accompanies a yawn. Instead stifle the yawn by keeping the mouth closed, or by swallowing.

It takes just a few days for a habitual mouth breather to change to permanent nasal breathing. Increased observation of your breathing and practicing to breathe less are important elements to make this change.

Nasal breathing should be enshrined at all times and during every activity. Remember that when you mouth breathe for periods of time, you are feeding your asthma symptoms and reducing oxygenation of tissues and organs!

After the change to nasal breathing has been made, it will become uncomfortable to mouth breathe because the effects of cold dry air entering through the mouth will be felt. Often people begin to wonder how on earth they managed to go through life with a permanent, and very uncomfortable, blocked nose; a condition which is frequently, and usually unsuccessfully, addressed by the use of nasal sprays, decongestants or even an operation.

To be applied alongside the Buteyko DVD; Saline Solution for Rhinitis.

The following comes highly recommended for people with rhinitis and sinusitis. Use in addition to Buteyko DVD - the nose unblocking exercise.

  • Boil a glass of water and allow it to cool until it is lukewarm
  • Add a few grains of sea salt to dissolve in the water. (about 1/8 of a teaspoon. Too much can sting)
  • Pour some of the salt water into the palm of your hand and snort it up one nostril.
  • Wait a moment, then repeat with the other nostril.
  • Continue to snort the solution into each nostril.

When you are finished, dry your nose with a little tissue. Your nose will be internally cleaner and less congested. Bad breath, which often originates from postnasal drip, will reduce when the inside of the nose is kept clean. (I would encourage you to do this in private!)

The usual approach of blowing your nose repeatedly involves big volume breathing and can damage the internal lining of your nose and contribute to inflammation. Using the saline solution is far more effective.

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