Why Being a "Mouth-Breather" Is Bad For You w/James Nestor | Joe Rogan

When I was a kid my dad told me "Stop breathing through your mouth, it makes you look stupid." Thanks, Dad.

Everyone breathing through their noses during this clip.

I recognized my son to be a mouth breather when he was 3. I pushed his pediatrician to take it seriously. He gave us a prescription for steroids. I didn't even get it filled. My son pronounced letter "M" like a "B". Hi Mom was Hi Bob. He could not breath through his nose. He sounded like a 2 ton walrus snoring. I grew impatient with the doc and went directly to an ENT doc. Insurance didn't approve but that's another story. Doc heard him speak and promply said he needs his adenoids out. Fast forward in the surgical waiting room one by one the docs would inform waiting parents that their kid was OK and the kid had 40%, 50%, 30% blockage. My guy came and said my son had 100% blockage. Looking back we determined that was why he couldn't breast feed. It wasn't for lack of trying but with his mouth engaged on the nipple he had no way to breath. All the "specialists" we saw for that, not one even considered that to be the cause. When we have told docs that they kind of roll their eyes and blow it off as nonsense.

"Breathing is so essential to recovery and performance" What a gem.

Anyone else been forcing themselves to breathe through their nose watching this

You could say mouth-breathers problem has been right under their noses.

Highly recommend James Nestor's book "breathe". In the span of 4 days of practicing some of his breathing exercises I gradually went from BP of 126/89 to 122/82 to 117/80. It was higher before starting these exercises which was reason I began tracking with home device after my dentist commented during a routine cleaning. Going to continue and hope to see progress. Thank you James!

I’ve been exclusively nose breathing for two weeks. NEVER GOING BACK. Wow. I’ve never been more calm and happy. I’m always ok now in the workplace. When others are angry, lost and frustrated, I’m sooooo comfy and just like, “it is what it is, let’s rock it out, I love you!” Lol Nose breathing is the easiest thing people can do to be and feel better. It’s honestly embarrassing that it’s not a fundamental in school. There’s a reason “mouth breather” is an insult.

Me: Yeah my daughter recently graduated Highschool Joe: Well I had some martial arts buddies that knew how to do that

Its crazy how joe can bring up martial arts in any topic

I’ve worked outdoors year round in northern Canada for 4 decades. Mouth breathing can freeze your lungs at -35. In summer mouth breathing will suck mosquitoes down your throat. When I boxed in the 80s my nose got messed up and I’ve struggled ever since. When I see people jogging with closed mouth I envy them.

Update: Breathing is bad for your health. It can lead to old age, coughing, choking and death.

Chuck Norris takes it a step further and breaths through his ears. Direct air to his brain

Me: I shat myself last week Joe: That actually happens to people in Jiu-Jitsu

I know it’s been a year since this post but I’m only watching this now. I was a mouth breather but once I started cycling now for 12 years I really noticed the importance of nose breathing. Not only have my nostrils dilated but what a difference it made on my mindset just by consistently practicing nose breathing while riding. Thank you for this video

I am a mouth breather and so was my father. It is worse now that I am older. I am a smoker, my father was not. There's crap in the water in Ocean Beach, and on the beach itself. I grew up in Fla......and we don't even remember how we learned to swim as kids, we just did, and always underwater holding our breath. One day I'll never forget, found myself "breathing" underwater. Scared the heck out of me when I realized I was hearing a "breath".

Takes a few breaths through his nose** Gets up out of his wheelchair and walks again**

For the mouth breathers, a training technique commonly used is breathing in DMT through your nose and just travel with it into the fourth dimension

As a coach I've pushed all my clients for years to breath in the through the nose and put through the moth - it changes athletes notably almost instantly while training

Growing up I raced very competitively in dirt go karts. It's actually pretty intense. I never really realized it but while competing on the track and being really in the zone, I strictly breathed through my nose. Somehow it just gives you a rhythm and keeps you calm to stay consistent and accurate. I was sick one time and went to a track somewhere and because my sinuses were inflamed I couldn't breathe through my nose. It was a mess. I was very noticibly just off and inconsistent. I attributed it to not being able to breathe correctly and keep up a rhythm. I suspect it works the same way with about any other sport. Interesting how such a seemingly small thing would have that kind of effect.

Who else was taking deep breathes through their nose while watching this video?

For the last few years I've been training myself to breathe using photosynthesis when exercising. Progress is slow since I never actually exercise, but the doctor says I am very close to achieving a vegetative state. That's gotta count for something.

This makes so much sense. Thank you. I was wondering why I got nose hairs.

“ we are treating all these separate problems and we are not looking at the core issues” YES I’ve been preaching this. It has always shocked me how doctors aren’t educated about oral function. Providers usually “put bandaids” on issues by prescribing medications or saying everything is normal instead of finding the root cause and fixing it. For example if a baby isn’t physically able to breastfeed despite good maternal anatomy and a lactation consultant sees a tongue tie restricting necessary movement it often gets brushed off by the MD. Like my daughter they ignored all her symptoms of oral dysfunction and brushed it off as normal (suck blisters on lips, horrible gas pain, damaging me, lots of spit up with every feed etc). But it was “fine” because she was growing well. Well what about long term affects of mouth breathing due to low tongue posture?! We know it detrimental to our body ( from frequent cavities to increased blood pressure to dementia/Alzheimers). Providers need to start being taught s/s of oral dysfunction and all dentist and ENT need to know how to do a functional oral assessment. I believe so many peoples life’s would be changed for the better and so many disorders/diseases may be prevented.

No lie, I've had asthma most of my life and usually used my inhaler 5-10 times per day. Ever since nose-breathing and taping my mouth shut at night, I'm averaging 1-2 times per day and it's only my 3rd day.

I'm going to breathe through my nose for the next five minutes and then forget all about it.

My dad said year's ago,mouth breather's are gonna bring us down...All the stuff he said is coming true.Much knowledge lost from just a short time ago.In with the good out with the bad

I’ve been breathing through my mouth for a few weeks unintentionally and my stress levels have been higher than normal, i needed this reminder

This guy nose what he’s talking about.

It’s been right in front of us and it’s so obvious” - Our nose

Totally on board Mr. Nestor, breathe is life and ground zero.

Brilliant Joe Thanks for getting us this I’m now fascinated PEACE

I once saw a comedian on tv and his skit mentioned how kids would bully him as a child because he would breath through his mouth and would call him Darth Vader. He mentioned how he was an underachiever and didn't do well at school and had learning problems and low self esteem. Long story short, he found out as an adult that he had a deviated septum that was causing it and his parents had never questioned it. It was the reason he sucked at school an would get teased. He eventually got surgery to correct it and realized alot of his life's problems were because of something that went undiagnosed until he was an adult. Because if you can't get enough oxygen when you sleep, you'll be very tired the next day and won't be able to focus. His story made me very sad for him. I don't remember who that comedian was and I would really like to know so that I could thank him because when my daughter was a toddler I began to notice that she would snore, which didn't seem normal because she was not overweight. Then I began to notice that she was breathing through her mouth and I immediately thought about that comedian and how kids would tease him by calling him Vader. I didn't want that for my daughter. Ikept telling her mother that it was not normal but the pediatrician kept telling her that it was and that she would grow out of it. We would argue about it alot and she would always tell me that I was not a doctor and that I was being paranoid. One day I finally had enough and we had a huge argument and I told her that I was gonna take my daughter to a different doctor and mom agreed to take her for a second opinion. The specialist ended up discovering that my daughter had abnormally large tonsils that were making it hard for her to breathe through her nose. Fortunately, enlarged tonsils are easy to correct and we had them removed. Afterwards, I was shocked at how much my daughter's breathing had improved. The difference was almost immediate. Within less than a week there was no more snoring, no more mouth breathing, and I noticed my daughter had so much more energy. Again, I was floored. I suspect that the reason it took a few days for her to start breathing normal again was because she was already used to breathing from her mouth instead of her nose. My daughter's mom felt guilty afterward for doubting me. And to think that I could have been unaware like many parents if I hadn't see that comedy skit and paid attention. Sorry for the long post but doctors don't always have all the answers, so trust your parental instinct and always get more that one opinion.

That's just incredible. Totally breathed through my nose that entire 15 minutes lol!

My son got me doing this,incredible change in my health,I was going to give driving job up, terrible pain over my eyes, thought it must be something serious,never get that anymore, literally took about 3 weeks, amazing

My running coach for track and filled along with a completely separate coach that I had for soccer both always stressed in through your nose out to your mouth.... and tbh I think their wisdom went beyond understanding the details but now hearing it be explained why it was better is so awesome because you could definitely see improvement in running performance by using breathing techniques but we never knew the science behind it we just knew if we did it we performed better.

Me:I'm having a BBQ this weekend Joe, wanna join. Joe: I have a jiu jitsu buddy of mine named Gracie, he cooks the greatest steak ever.

this video made me start manually breathing i don’t like it

The worst thing about Joe being on Spotify (other than them deleting videos) is the lack of comments. I love the comments on his videos, you learn so much!

This literally change my life, I am truck driver and in the summer when I used ice I will get sick. Fatigue, headache, brain fog I almost quite my job. Saw this he mentioned about ice and try nose breathing and mouth tape. So many benefits thank joe.

This guy looks like Dave grohl’s nose breathing brother

My friend snorts a lot of coke. He’s a massive nose breather

This might be one of Joe's most important videos on health Mouth breathing is a chronic health condition 💯

The stuff I get introduced to by watching your videos is great! Stuff I wouldn’t think to think about

my nose is almost always stuffed. Not allergies not sick...just like one side is stuffed then the other and back and forth...ugh...

Tony Montana did a lot of breathing through his nose and it made him impervious to assault rifle bullets.

Growing up my mom and grandma had lots of cats and smoked. This made my sinuses stay congested, and I had to always breathe out of my mouth. This really messed up my jaws and the general look of my face. I did have surgery to get more airflow in my nose, and now I can breath out of it even when exercising. I have noticed that with my new nose breathing I do not get sick nearly as often as before.

I read James' book, have been wearing nose strips, & tape my mouth shut while I sleep. Months later I noticed recently my sense of smell is 100 times better. Thanks Joe & James!!!

My dad always yelled at me when I'd breath through my mouth. He said it makes you look dumb standing around with your mouth hanging open. R.I.P Dad. You always had good advice.

“Why the long face?” “Oh It’s because you’re a mouth breather

When I was young I was hit in the nose with a baseball deviating my septum. It was so bad that I couldn't breathe out my nostrils but barely on one side. I already had allergies but they became 10 times worse. I had an operation at 14 to fix my deviated septum and open up that nostril which barely works. I got this other doctor who started me doing these breathing exercises which consisted on breathing in and out of my nose the best that I could. 20 times 3 times a day. Promise to me that if I simply just tried 3 times a day that in two weeks I will definitely see an improvement. So in the beginning I maybe was doing it one time a day. Then I went and saw him and he asked if I was doing it three times a day. I told him yes but still it wasn't working. He basically told me that he didn't believe me that he guarantees success if I really committed to doing it 20 times 3 times a day. So I admitted I was lying and then started doing it three times a day. One night I realized I got some really good sleep. That morning I woke up and noticed that I was breathing through my nose very clearly. I counted the days since I started doing it three times a day. And realized it had been 15 days. I was so surprised. Not only could I breathe through my nose. But usually I had allergies so bad especially in the summer that I had to carry a handkerchief with me all day and was constantly blowing my nose. But that day I didn't blow my nose not one time. I had allergies so bad that I had to get shots 2 times a week. I continued to get my breathing exercises and eventually I have no problem with allergies. Also that was right when I started smoking pot heavily. I used to tell people it was the marijuana that cured my bad allergies but the truth was it was really those breathing exercises through my nostrils. So I totally believe in what this guy is saying

I took the deepest breaths through my nose during this video... felt great

Sucks that my nose is always stuffed because of my allergies

I had all sorts of problems as a child. I had hooping cough, bronchitis always getting colds. I stopped catching flies when I was 13, I've been a nose breather ever since. I haven't had a cold in over 10 years.

Took me like 2 weeks to get in the habit of breathing through my nose but it's defo worth it. Improved my running pace too

"Why the long face friend?" -well I cant breathe out of my nose :(

Joe “I was a mouth breather for 40 years” Guy “Kids get long-face if they’re mouth breathers” Joe’s head 👀

Breathing is so important to running. I finally got my breathing to a good a pattern with breath in through the nose and out through the mouth is helped soooo much with my endurance

I've done the water in the mouth trick. Since I was a teenager. It helps breathing and lung capacity greatly.

This explains a lot. I’ve been breathing through my ears for years! I should have realized every time I passed out when wearing my headphones listening to this podcast.

Tried the deep breathing while watching this and passed out, literally, only to wake up to a video on the dangers of losing consciousness. I cant win.

Imagine: if more people filtered through their nose = less coronavirus cases

He is correct. I’m a Respiratory Therapist and had hundreds of post Covid patients I had to train on breathing and in observation of mouth breathers I wondered how they made it through all these years. Nose breathing is vital.

Not related, but the "hoo-h' ha-ha" at the start of these podcasts always makes me happy.

“Mouth breather” is probably the funniest insult I’ve heard

Dr Boogerpicker here, I can answer all your questions Joe Rogan. I have dedicated my life to improving people's nasal breathing. THANK YOU for talking about this vitally important topic. I hear comments like Joe's every single day about how their life changed from improved breathing. Thank you James Nestor for explaining theses concepts very well. Your external nose is wider because it was opened from a reconstructive rhinoplasty surgery. This width has allowed you to breathe better. The splints temporarily hold things open, wouldn't make a permanent change. Howevere the nostrils, bones and cartilages CAN change over time after surgery related to scar formation, but most likely, this was a planned consequence of surgery, not random. Only the various turbinate structures can change size actively.

wow! this was the most informative interview

from now on i'm gonna even smoke thru my nose

Joe “give me a second while I make an MMA analogy” Rogan

Thank you! I watch this clip little less than year ago. I have had breathing problems more than 10 years, before i was even adult, migrens, difficulty to sleep, constant nose issues, it has been horrible. I also had surgery to widen my "nose canals" (i dont know the correct word). But then i saw this video and it changed my life! My face was so muscleless due to years of mouth breathing and then my nose was so stuffed ALL the time that i had to breath through my mouth, it was sicle i think started my childhood home air problems. I started with keeping my teeth in line all the time (I had horrible underbite) then build up to "hold my cheecks up", this took months, but was totally worth it, i did not use any equipment, and now all the problems gone! I have seen many doctors because of my breathing problems and nobody ever told me it could be lack of muscle in face and mouth breathing! And i look so much better too, i dont have so long face anymore it is more round, this video is 100% true i have done this and it change my life so much. I was always ugly, getting pretty would not be motivating enough to control your face all the time, but when it comes to breathing, it is easy to remember to hold your cheecks up when it instantly helps you breath better, prettiness is just side effect for me. Again seriously thank you!

Anytime I see conversations about things we believe we know how to do you start to see the varying ways of doing things and why some people may struggle or have issues. Breathing, walking, bathing etc. A lot of people don't know fundamental aspects of doing these things correctly. Just look at any thread online about bathing habits or people who have issues with their feet or knees. People with weird gaits or people who don't wash their legs with actual friction because "the soap drips down their legs." Writing books about these things isn't as mad as it seems imo. Sometimes when you read about performers or athletes in the past, they learned everything from speaking properly, elocution, Standing, breathing. These fundamentals seemed to always be a part of a thespian or athletic education. They understood that these things need you to have great control and discipline with your body and it's fundamental processes. You don't always see that anymore. It's not always focused on these fundamentals as people assume "everybody knows" even though that is never the case .

Imagine you keep getting lung diseases and your doctor is like “hAvE yOu TrIeD bReAtHiNg?” Edit: thanks for the likes!

My 65 year old Mexican mom : "Ya vez que te dije." She's been telling me to breath through my nose while running since I was a kid.

You have just explained perfectly why I feel middle headed and stupid when I have a blocked nose or cold. In my late teens and early 20s I did a lot of Tai Chi which taught me to breath correctly.

I was a runner my whole life & in tones of sports all of my youth starting in toddler years. I remember always keeping my mouth closed when having to go on long runs or anytime I was running. It was natural to me & I wouldn’t need water as much, no drying up my throat. I have a wide defined jaw, wide teeth with a wide smile & big cheek bones. When my bf first met me many years ago he didn’t think my cheek bones were real lol. Never slept with my mouth open, or snored. I did years of modeling & my facial shape was one of the main reasons I got the jobs I think. It really makes sense when I see the side by side face comparisons of nose & mouth breathers now.

I remember I said earlier in this year, “at this point idk if I’m even breathing correctly” in life as a joke. Well turns out I’m not in fact breathing correctly lmao.

I thought being called "mouth breather" was a bad enough insult but damn...

i needed this knowledge

Yeah I figured out I couldn't run unless I breathe through my nose and most of it had to do with drying out my throat and making it cold but eventually it becomes meditation when you're thinking about your breath

I've started breathing through my skin, next gen level, takes years to master.

11:28 This gets to the reasons behind nose breathing advantages vs. mouth breathing. (You're welcome.)

I can’t breathe through nose, it feels like I can’t get enough air everyone else can but me I’m ugly and I have sleep apnea

Wow!! I am so glad I stumbled on this episode! ❤️😳😁

"Your nose produces Nitrous Oxide" -- I play sports all the time and didn't know I had a BOOST option all along!

This wisdom has been under our nose the entire time.

I live in a place filled with pollution, dust mites etc. It affects my breathing, I wake up with both sides of my nose blocked, ears paining when I swallow.. it's horrible. When my nose is blocked, I have no other choice than to breathe through my mouth. Hope it clears 🤧

Joe's audience needed to hear this

Thank you for this. I’m 48 years old and have always been a mouth breather. I was never told this was bad for me. When I was a kid a few doctors told me (at regular dental or other checkups) that I had a deviated septum. I was like ok...they never said anything else other than that and then moved on. I didn’t even know what a septum was! Now I know. I have so many issues do to mouth breathing that I never knew: grinding teeth, clicking jaw, terrible sleep, v-shape teetht/jaw instead of u-shape. I’m so pissed off that my doctors never said anything like, “we need to fix that”. All they said was, to a ten year old kid who’s parents had no idea either, was “you have a deviated septum”. Nothing else. They just left it at that and moved on to other things. I’m contacting an ENT doctor this week to see about fixing my septum. I simply can’t get enough oxygen through my nose.

As a mouth breather I can attest to feeling exhausted with lots of anxiety attacks. I did some nose only breathing therapy and feel stronger and healthier than ever. Anxiety vanished as well.

As an asthmatic with allergies 🤓 my sinus has always been an issue. I mouth breathed as a kid but i learned a lot about breathing feom my personal situation. I still have asthma and allergies, not really a problem nowadays, but I truly believe the vast majority of people have little experience or knowledge with "breathing", it has tremendous benefits. I ran track, played football, wrestled and boxed for years. I likely wouldn't have been as capable without learning to breath better lol

The epitomy of: "Use it or Lose it".

There's a really good book called "the oxygen advantage" by Patrick McKeown that discusses nasal breathing and how to unblock your nose, really good book I would recommend it to anyone

Joe needs to interview the Mew doctor on orthodontics and how diet made us get crooked teeth and recessed jaws

As an ex-mouth breather I can attest to one thing....have the deviated septum operated on and corrected, it is invasive and it does work.

Wow! What a discovery breakthrough!

The fact that the doctor refused on ethical grounds, means he's a good doctor.

Just invite Dr. Mew already.

Post link to full episode, pls

I am having a septorhinoplasty and turbinate reduction surgery next month. I honestly can’t wait… hoping it changes my life too!

have been a singer for 45 years and was taught that breathing is everything, so I practiced until breathing thru my nose became my norm. breathing thru the mouth drys the throat out bad.