This originally appeared in the July/August issue of Discover magazine as "What We're Reading." Support our science journalism by becoming a subscriber.
By James Nestor
If you were told to refrain from breathing through your nose, could you do it? Journalist Nestor managed it for about 10 days, plugging up his nose and breathing only through his mouth as part of an experiment at Stanford University. The effects were systemic — sleeping troubles, high blood pressure and, of course, perpetual discomfort.
Breathing is an activity so automatic that most of us never think about doing it. But, as Nestor shows through his own experiences and conversations with dozens of experts, the way we breathe makes a difference for the body’s overall health. He explores everything from the role our noses play in hormone regulation and digestion, to how some athletes build up the lung capacity to run marathons in extreme ...
