Summary

James Newbery completed an Ironman race breathing solely through his nose, a technique with historical and health-related significance, as explored in the article.

Abstract

The article discusses James Newbery's extraordinary achievement of completing an Ironman race while only breathing through his nose, a practice that has historical precedents and modern scientific support. It highlights the benefits of nasal breathing, including improved waste removal, lymph fluid circulation, and nitric oxide production, as advocated by Dr. John Douillard. The article references the observations of George Catlin on indigenous tribes' health and breathing practices, suggesting a correlation between nasal breathing and better health. It also touches on the evolutionary changes in human facial structure and their impact on breathing and health, supported by a Harvard study on monkeys. The piece concludes with practical advice for readers to improve their own health through nasal breathing exercises and the potential benefits for those with respiratory issues or sleep disorders like snoring.

Opinions

The author admires James Newbery's athletic prowess and resilience, considering his past injuries.
The article suggests that nasal breathing is superior to mouth breathing, based on historical accounts and modern research.
There is an implication that contemporary diet and lifestyle changes have negatively affected our breathing patterns and overall health.
The author endorses the use of mouth taping as a method to encourage nasal breathing and improve health, including reducing snoring.
The piece promotes the idea that intentional nasal breathing can lead to significant health improvements, referencing resources from Johns Hopkins Medicine and other reputable sources.
The author finds the concept of "nose boners" amusing and informative, using it to illustrate the complex nature of the nasal passageways.
There is a personal touch as the author shares their own experience with mouth taping and invites readers to connect on social media and join a mailing list for further engagement.

This Ironman Ran 4 Hours Only Breathing Through His Nose

And cavemen had straight teeth and never snored.

In early 2020, James Newbery completed an Ironman race, including a 5-hour bike ride and a 4-hour run, only breathing through his nose. Newbery has a functional mouth; he just kept it shut during the entire competition. Oh yeah, did I mention he had broken his back, a few ribs, and punctured his lung a few months prior?

Who is James Newbery? Besides holding the title of Australia’s fittest man (four times over), he is also the 5th fittest man on earth. Judging from the pictures on his website, I think it would be wise if I didn’t question him.

Maximum endurance, centuries old

During the mid-1900’s Dr. John Douillard trained dozens of world-class athletes to use the same nasal-only breathing method Newbery used last year. Later in Douillard’s career, he had instructed such names as tennis great Billie Jean King.

Douillard reasons there are many benefits of nose-only breathing for exercise, including:

Increased ability for the body to clear waste (CO2).
Pulls lymph fluid from the lower parts of the body in the region of the hearts and lungs.
Stimulates the production of nitric oxide, which increases blood flow and protects internal organs.

One hundred years before Douillard, researcher and explorer George Catlin noticed the powerful effects of nasal-only breathing in indigenous North American tribes. They treated the breath as a sacred passage through the nose. Catlin noted that their religious rituals coincided with stronger, taller, and healthier individuals.

“The air which enters the lungs is as different from that which enters the nostrils as distilled water is different from the water in an ordinary cistern or a frog-pond.” — George Catlin

Catlin noticed this trend, not only in one tribe but every tribe he visited in North America. He then traveled to South America and saw the same thing. He noticed the indigenous people were hesitant to smile for fear of letting air into their mouths.

Cavemen didn’t snore

According to James Nester’s book Breath, cave dwellers didn’t snore. Also, their teeth were perfectly straight. The reason is that their faces are much different than ours: flatter noses, larger nasal passageways, and bigger mouths.

Evolution isn’t necessarily always advantageous. As humanity’s diet changed from plants to meat, and then later to meat cooked over a fire, so did the skull’s structure change. Softer food with more dense calories produced smaller mouths and crowded teeth.

This doesn’t make sense, does it? Lucky for us (not so fortunate for monkeys,) Harvard conducted a study on this. They plugged the monkeys’ noses. Not only did the monkeys’ faces change shape within days, but their health deteriorated, too. Blood pressure went up, and heart variance went down. When the plugs came out, their health returned, as did their facial shapes.

Put tape on your mouth

As the monkey study revealed, the benefits or determents of nose breathing are evident quickly. Cave people naturally knew this, and native indigenous tribes made it part of their religion. The more people breathe through their noses, the healthier they become. When they breathe through their mouths, their health deteriorates. As a kicker, mouth breathing equates to more nasal blockages; nasal breathing equates to less congestion.

What about snoring? Well, my fellow CPAP users, this is interesting, too. Because the cave people breathed through their noses, they didn’t snore. Today, people use tape on their mouths. By forcing air through the nasal passageway, the body gets deeper breaths, more oxygen, and less constriction. Try taking a nap with the tape and see if your partner hears you snore. For me, my wife suggested using our My Little Pony Band-Aids. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Exercising using nasal breathing

I wouldn’t suggest trying to replicate Mr. Newbery’s Ironman performance without first building up your nasal breathing tolerance. Johns Hopkins Medicine has some great nose-breathing exercises that will build your lung compacity and endurance. A lot of them involve sitting and lying on the floor — so don’t be intimidated!

These breathing exercises are also great for building up your lungs after having COVID or emphysema. You can’t heal damaged tissue, but you can increase your lungs’ function.

For more information on the science and benefits of nasal-only breathing, I suggest checking out these resources:

Bonus nose trivia

We have erectile tissue in our noses. Yes, we can get nose boners. As Dr. Garret Bennet describes:

“The turbinates are the bony structures on either side of the nose. The turbinates are covered with soft erectile tissue called ‘nasal mucosa.’ These turbinates warm, humidify and purify the air that we breathe. They can swell in response to allergies or sinus infections.”

Treat your body right: breath through your nose and prevent nose boners.

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