- Updated on November 1, 2020
By Dr. Artour Rakhimov, Alternative Health Educator and Author
- Medically Reviewed by Naziliya Rakhimova, MD
How to unblock the nose, eliminate constipation, and prevent high blood glucose (diabetes) with Buteyko breathing exercises
Edited by J diFeliciantonio on February 24, 2020
Buteyko reduced breathing techniques — an important element of the Buteyko Method — create a foundation for good health by improving automatic breathing and increasing total body oxygenation. In this sense, it is a positive intervention for prevention and treatment of a wide range of ailments.
That said, Buteyko breathing exercises can also be used to address particular issues if (and when) they arise, such as blocked nose, constipation, and high blood sugar. How to apply Buteyko to these issues, is explained below.
Unblocking the nose with simple Buteyko breathing exercises
A blocked nose is not just an annoyance. By forcing you to breath through the mouth, blocked nose lowers cell-level oxygen levels. This saps energy, clouds thinking, impairs immunity, and more. Humans are designed to nose breathe! (Go here for more about why nose breathing is so important.) Therefore, it’s important to keep the nose unblocked as much as possible.
Here is a simple process to unblock the nose. It is easiest to do with an empty stomach, but it’s possible to do it anytime.
– Close your mouth and pinch your nose.
– Â Start to walk briskly for as long as you can, while keeping your nose pinched. You are likely to make about 15 to 20 steps (more or less depending on your respiratory fitness) before you get strong air hunger.
– Sit down and unpinch your nose.
– Breathe less. Take small inhales and allow passive exhales while relaxing all body muscles, especially the breathing muscles.
– Continue this RB (reduced breathing) for about 2 to 3 minutes, maintaining the sensation of air hunger.
You should feel your nose beginning to open up. If it doesn’t, you may repeat this process. In very rare cases, some people cannot unblock their noses due to adenoid vegetation, polyps, and other severe causes. People in such situations can reduce and slow down breathing using the mouth, until receiving appropriate medical attention.
Stop and prevent constipation by changing breathing patterns
Straining to pass stools is unnecessary, and over time can stress organs of elimination. In addition to addressing posture (squatting is the most natural position for the body to pass waste with least amount of strain), improving breathing can help make time in the bathroom more pleasant. To do this:
– Relax all muscles. (Too much strain can lead to diverticulosis.) Such relaxation will produce a natural, spontaneous exhalation.
–Â At the end of this exhalation, hold your breath for as long as you comfortably can.
– Then inhale a small amount of air and, again, exhale with relaxation. Breathe during the next 1 to 2 min. in a slow, shallow, relaxed manner with constant air hunger.
– If there is no progress (rare, but possible), repeat the procedure.
For more information, see “Constipation Pain Relief,” on how to alleviate constipation pain through simple breath work.
Steps to normalize high blood sugar (diabetes mellitus) with Buteyko
Over time, high blood sugar can cause pancreas dysfunction (and a host of other complications), leading to diabetes. One of the major risk factors of diabetes, but little known in the mainstream medical establishment, is hyperventilation, or breathing too much. (You can read more about the relation between breathing and diabetes here.)
Hence, in addition to addressing other lifestyle factors (diet, exercise, stress, etc.), diabetics would also do well to focus on reducing their breathing. One exercise to do this goes as follows:
– Close your mouth and pinch your nose.
– Start to walk briskly for as long as you can, while keeping your nose pinched. You are likely to take about 15 to 20 steps, depending on your respiratory fitness, before you get strong air hunger.
– Then sit down and release your nose.
– Breathe less: Take small inhales and allow passive exhales while relaxing all body muscles, especially the breathing muscles.
– Continue this RB (reduced breathing, or Buteyko breathing exercise), maintaining air light air hunger for about 2 to 3 min.
Integrating Buteyko breathing into your lifestyle, can be a major assistance to lowering blood sugar and reducing the risks of diabetes in the long term.
