Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Nose Knows

Ever since my Sledding accident I have had chronic sinus infections everytime the temperature drops or raises 10-15 degrees. I always thought that I was messed up because I only breathe out of one nostril at a time and it fluctuates between the different nostrils. Well I did some research today and found this interesting tid-bit:

Why is it we only breathe out of one Nostril?

"Because the brain cycles between hemispheres every 90 minutes or so, one becoming dominant over the other, when you breathe through your right nostril the left side of the brain is active and vice versa, it is believed that if you block one nostril you can engage the other hemisphere, logical hemisphere = right nostril (left hemisphere active), and creative hemisphere = left nostril (right hemisphere active). Research has found there really is such a thing as the nasal cycle (two to eight hours long) and that there is a connection between the predominant nostril and the opposite brain hemisphere.

A 1988 study found that right nostril breathing significantly increases blood glucose levels while left nostril breathing lowers it. Interestingly, yogis believe that diabetes is caused by a nasal cycle abnormality of predominantly breathing through the right nostril for many years. A 1993 study found that forced right nostril breathing (four times a day for one month) significantly increased oxygen consumption compared to breathing through the left nostril.A 1994 study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology found that alternate nostril breathing appears to have a balancing effect on the functional activity of the left and right hemisphere of the brain. Your left brain is the logical structured side while your right brain is the creative imaginative side. "

So I tested this and about every hour and a half I DO switch the nostrils I am breathing predominantly out of. HOW WEIRD IS THAT?!?!

1 comment:

zaner said...

Weird. How can you tell which side you're breathing out of? My nose is so short I breathe out of both equally all the time I think...which explains why my brain is mush.

Quit being a lump on a log and hang out with me sometime :)