At Intake, we like to start each morning by scrolling through the news and freaking ourselves out. For instance, listen to this timely piece of winter news: The CDC has estimated that this flu season (from October 2019 until the date of this post in January), there have already been between 9 and 14 million…
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Many studies, such as this one, that compare nasal to oral breathing deduce that, during exercise, oral breathing tends to be favorable because not enough air can be inhaled through the nose. Even for those of us with physiologically “perfect” noses, nasal breathing during exercise (especially without a nasal dilator) has to be practiced in…
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Our noses evolved to be our body’s air conditioners: our nasal passages humidify air and filter out particulates so that the air we inhale into our lungs is as non-irritating as possible. The internal nose alone provides 90% of the respiratory system’s air-conditioning requirement. This means that your lungs and throat have to nearly double…
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Blood circulation is a fundamental part of your body’s overall health and resilience. Your heart pumps blood through your circulatory system, where it delivers oxygen and vital nutrients to your muscles, organs, and extremities, and promotes healthy cell growth. Even your skin benefits from increased circulation, making it more resistant to external bacteria and infections. …
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Vasodilation is the widening of the blood vessels and occurs naturally in the body when an increase in blood flow to muscles and issues is needed. During exercise, vasodilation has several benefits: it helps your body cool itself down, it allows oxygen to travel more quickly to your muscles and organs, and it increases blood…
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We’ve all heard it’s better to breathe through your nose, but when push comes to shove and you’re hitting that sprint or pedaling up that hill, your nose suddenly doesn’t seem like a very viable breathing machine. And in fact, it’s not–studies have shown that most noses are physiologically incapable of inhaling adequate amounts of…
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When we think of our respiratory systems, we generally think of our noses, mouths, and most importantly, our lungs. However, our lungs don’t just move on their own – they are supported by a very important muscle, the diaphragm, that performs a critical function in our involuntary exchange of oxygen. This muscle deserves some tender…
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