[HN Gopher] Why winter exercise can be especially hard on the lungs
___________________________________________________________________
Why winter exercise can be especially hard on the lungs
Author : curmudgeon22
Score : 122 points
Date : 2021-03-07 15:14 UTC (7 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.cbc.ca)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.cbc.ca)
| cadence- wrote:
| I get dry cough for prolonged times during winter, and I don't
| even exercise outside. Just from normal walking and outdoor
| activities. I even have it now. It started a month ago. I don't
| know what this is exactly. It's not too bad, just some dry
| coughing every few hours. I feel almost constant low-grade
| burning in my chest. I use humidifier at home, but it doesn't
| seem to help. My doctor has no idea what causes it. I never
| happens in warm weather. Only winter. So it has to have something
| to do with that.
| rubicon33 wrote:
| Do you breath predominantly through your mouth, or through your
| nose?
|
| If the former, this could be a factor in why your lungs are
| chronically bracioconstricted. The nose has both a filtering
| and humidifying effect on the air.
|
| I really suggest that anyone suffering from cough or sore
| throat take some time to watch this:
|
| https://youtu.be/r9brGbPGJeY
| cadence- wrote:
| I actually don't know. I don't pay enough attention. My nose
| tends to get stuffy in cold temperatures, so it's entirely
| possible that I automatically switch to breathing through
| mouth for that reason. I will try to pay more attention to
| that.
| [deleted]
| qbasic_forever wrote:
| I'd measure the humidity (log and track it over a few days to
| see trends) and check if your humidifier is enough to keep it
| up at a comfortable level.
| dennis_jeeves wrote:
| In a city the air can be worse or better depending on the
| season. I too had dry cough in winter in a city where smog
| would form during winter because the wind did not blow during
| that time of the year. When I moved to another city the dry-
| cough disappeared even though it was winter, in this city the
| wind was not stagnant in the winter, presumably carrying away
| polluted air form automobiles.
| crazygringo wrote:
| It's good to see people actually talking about this.
|
| I simply cannot run in the winter because of this. It ruins my
| respiratory system for the rest of the day.
|
| And I can't count the number of times I've had people insist it's
| all in my head because, they insist, it's only _relative
| humidity_ that matters, and the relative humidity in the freezing
| air is still 70%. And they don 't understand when I gently
| explain that the air gets heated by the time it makes it deep
| into your lungs, at which case the relative humidity has
| plummeted to something like 10%. And sure, your mucus membranes
| do their best to humidify that air a little, but when it's well
| below freezing they simply can't keep up at all. And it's not
| just your lungs but your throat and vocal cords too.
| dragontamer wrote:
| Run at 50F weather and get your lungs acclimated to slightly
| chilly temps. For me, it takes a week or two to get used to
| even 50F.
|
| Then, once your lungs are used to that, 40F and 30F are next.
|
| I never went below that this past winter. But lung cold weather
| training definitely exists. Your body really does adapt if you
| give it the few weeks it needs.
| guantanamo_bob wrote:
| When temperatures drop quickly I find that I need to do a few
| nose-only breathing workouts (low intensity, HR between
| 60-70% of max) in order to acclimate like this.
| MeinBlutIstBlau wrote:
| I run in -20 and sweat. That's because I wear face coverings
| and lots of clothing. I've never had any issues with
| breathing or pain in lungs.
| guantanamo_bob wrote:
| This may be more common with high volume workouts. I don't
| get it on short runs, but distance skiing for 2-3+ hours
| will take a toll. This isn't something that happens when I
| cycle or rollerski for an equivalent workout.
| beckingz wrote:
| I have this happen as well!
|
| Makes it hard to stay fit in the winter.
| andor wrote:
| Train breathing through your nose. It'll be uncomfortable at
| first but you'll get used to it. After some time I was able to
| do tempo runs with nose breathing only.
| crazygringo wrote:
| Maybe some people have larger nasal cavities or nostrils or
| something.
|
| But the idea that I could run -- whether in summer or winter
| -- with enough air exchange through my nostrils alone is
| simply impossible.
|
| It's not merely uncomfortable. I mean I'd literally pass out
| from lack of air before five minutes were up. I've tried
| before and wound up gasping for air no different from if
| someone had been suffocating me.
|
| And my nose is unremarkable according to my ENT. Not
| congested with allergies or unusually inflamed or anything.
| I'm 6'1", healthy weight, athletic, average-sized facial
| features.
|
| I'm actually baffled by the idea that there are people out
| there who _can_ breathe through their noses while running.
| notesinthefield wrote:
| Ive been a daily ashtanga practitioner for years were
| nasal-only breathing is important. It took quite some time
| to make it through the entire practice only breathing
| through my nose during, same goes for running, at anything
| more than an easy pace I cant do it. Youd have to be
| incredibly fit to pull it off.
| OneLeggedCat wrote:
| That absolutely does not work for me when I try to exercise
| in cold weather. Fast breathing thru my nose in really cold
| air turns my head into a congealed block of cement within
| about ten minutes, with zero air flow, and with all that now
| less-hydrated snot dripping down the back of my throat makes
| me gag, sometimes violently. Once that is happening, I have
| to stop exercising and recover for maybe another 15 minutes.
| I can exercise much longer if I simply deal with the
| negatives of mouth breathing. I probably have poor quality
| sinuses, but I don't think my experience is all that unique
| either.
|
| I should add that I do nose breathe when exercising in warm
| weather, and that works fine.
| herodoturtle wrote:
| > It ruins my respiratory system for the rest of the day.
|
| Would you please share your symptoms?
|
| I have a similar result from (in my case) early morning
| kayaking during winter.
| [deleted]
| dragontamer wrote:
| For me at least: its a low-grade cough that persists for
| maybe 2 or 3 days after the workout. (And again: if I'm not
| used to cold air yet, this can happen as high as 50F)
|
| Not like "I'm sick" coughing, but "My lungs are definitely
| tired from that cold air" coughing. I wouldn't say its a big
| deal or anything, but its enough to make me take my
| temperature in these COVID19 times, lol.
| softwaredoug wrote:
| I'd be curious about a similar article in summer running, esp in
| high humidity. I find this far more exhausting than winter
| running, where my greatest obstacle is layering well.
| jasonpeacock wrote:
| Huh. I grew up racing XC skiing in Alaska, and usually during the
| first week of practice in the winter you'd "burn" your lungs from
| the cold (or apparently, the dryness). You'd cough if you
| breathed deeply, and it took a few days to recover.
|
| But then the rest of the season you were totally OK - no issues
| at all, with a weekly racing schedule and lots of very cold
| temps. I don't recall any teammates having any chronic or
| recurring issues either.
|
| It was accepted as the annual acclimation to winter aerobics,
| just like that first sunburn of summer let you enjoy the rest of
| the summer sun without burning.
| joe_the_user wrote:
| I strong suspect that only a certain percentage of people can
| easily follow the "just suffer and you will adapt" advice. I
| mean believe some can do but I wouldn't take this as universal
| advise. Edit: Extreme reactions to cold even have a name,
| Raynard's syndrome[1]. But as someone who suffers occasionally
| from this, I think it's more useful to say people's cold
| reactions vary.
|
| _...just like that first sunburn of summer let you enjoy the
| rest of the summer sun without burning._
|
| Advise that even more clearly applies to only some people and
| some locations.
|
| [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud_syndrome
| paulryanrogers wrote:
| May be some survivor bias there. In summer I burn ever single
| time I don't wear sunscreen or extra clothing. In fact I burn
| on sunny days in winter.
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| Yeah, some people are able to establish a "base" which
| protects them over summer but many people can't. It varies.
| TimD1 wrote:
| Yeah, I've had similar experiences to yours, nordic ski racing
| on a team all throughout college. We'd all get coughs the first
| few cold days, but that was it. We would avoid doing interval
| workouts if it was below 0deg F though.
| jasonpeacock wrote:
| Yeah, when it was really cold (<= 0F) were were required to
| wear facemasks (those neoprene masks with the nose fold,
| paper-punch holes at the mouth, and velcro in the back[1]) to
| prevent frostbite on the face, and they definitely helped
| with breathing as well.
|
| [1] https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Headwear-Neoprene-Ski-
| Mask/dp/B...
| jorvi wrote:
| > just like that first sunburn of summer let you enjoy the rest
| of the summer sun without burning.
|
| This is not how it works. If you burn your skin, it doesn't tan
| (the skin layer responsible for tanning dies and then peels
| off), and aside from that burning your skin annually seriously
| raises your risk of skin cancer.
| ahstilde wrote:
| Lots of micro-optimizations in exercise. We need to breathe to
| get energy to the muscles, so it's good to focus on the pathways
| air takes to get to our lungs.
|
| Making the air warmer and a little more humid is good. Making
| sure you're not suffering from allergies is good, too. Part of
| the reason I started Wyndly (https://www.wyndly.com/) was to help
| athletes take care of their allergies.
| u801e wrote:
| I don't ride my bicycle in -15 degC, but I've found it much
| harder to exert myself in temperatures from -5 to 5 degC versus
| 20 to 30 degC. That is, hills that are nomally easy for me in
| higher temperatures become very difficult in lower temps.
| [deleted]
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| I figured this was common knowledge. I've never been able to work
| out in cold weather because my lungs felt like they were
| imploding. I always have to wear a bandana over my mouth+nose,
| and then it's bearable. It gets soaked but at least I don't feel
| like I'm dying.
| xyzelement wrote:
| In covid times, I'm finding it much much easier to breathe while
| running because off the mask. Seems to keep the breath both
| warmer and more moist.
| tenpies wrote:
| Agree. The mask has been awesome for winter times to be honest.
| Face doesn't freeze off, air doesn't freeze the hairs of your
| nose, and my lips don't need a ton of moisturizer.
|
| The one part that sucks is when you get too much condensation
| in there and I still have not found a good combo that allows
| sunglasses without them fogging up instantaneously. The
| temperature difference between your exhalation and the cold
| does not help at all.
| c0g wrote:
| If you wear a surgical mask, I found pushing it as high as
| possible to be the only thing that worked. You want the top
| at the same level as the nose bridge.
| jkdfgljk wrote:
| >...off the mask...
|
| Freudian slip!
| slibhb wrote:
| It's not very cold where I live (bottoms out around 15 degrees
| F, usually above freezing) but I've come to like the feeling of
| cold air in the my lungs. I also find it hard to run with a
| mask on.
|
| Of course this article is aimed at professional athletes in
| much colder conditions.
| tartoran wrote:
| This is working out for me as well to the point I will consider
| wearing a mask during the winter in the following post covid
| cold seasons.
| curmudgeon22 wrote:
| That's the recommendation further down in the article:
|
| > Both Giesbrecht and Kennedy say a simple face covering, such
| as a fabric mask, neck warmer or scarf, can go a long way to
| protecting the lungs from being irritated.
|
| > "If you cover your mouth, you're essentially warming the air
| and humidifying the air in a very productive manner," said
| Kennedy. "So essentially, your lung has to deal with less cold,
| dry air."
| sebow wrote:
| How do you not faint after a while?
|
| Imo cooler temperature is also better for workouts and all-
| things breathing-wise. Also one would figure you have to short-
| breathe and do it faster to maintain the oxygen levels, and
| that's just a bad idea if you're doing anything resistance-
| intended,because you're just burning energy breathing harder
| for no good reason.(Yes you also burn energy to maintain the
| temperature because you intake cool air, but after the
| circulation sets in it's barely noticeable)
|
| Now related to the article: Yes, the "chronic cough" and the
| lungs explanation is something you experience for arguably the
| first couple of times you run/exercise outside if you're out of
| shape(and i might add is kind of frightening to the
| unexperienced).The key thing is to understand is that you have
| to "embrace" this fear of "the cold" and the body inherently
| secretes adrenaline & hormones to help you "fight" it.
|
| If this sounds like what Wim Hof says repeatedly it's because
| that's what it is.And i'm no doctor but you experience it.And
| more often than not anecdotal experience can have more insights
| towards the truth than the narration/study of one's
| experiment/anecdotal experience.
|
| We're already very weak immune-wise because of: modern times(&
| the clothes available), availability of heat, lack of air &
| sunlight, processed foods, etc.Extreme sanitization of our
| environments will do anything but help the situation.
| seibelj wrote:
| I'm looking forwards to being able to wear a mask (forever?)
| without being looked at sideways no matter where I am. Even a
| bank, etc. I used to catch a ton of sickness from the subway,
| I'm sure this will cut it down. Exercising and keeping my lungs
| warm is yet another plus.
| tata202008 wrote:
| Same applies to my experience biking. I'm new to any kind of
| cycling, and coming off approx 1 yr of not exercising regularly
| (previously in moderately unfit shape). Got a hybrid fixed gear
| in Sep & the mask enabled multi-hour rides even once the temp
| dropped below to daily high of low 40s degF in Nov. I'm
| pleasantly surprised to report that my season hasn't had to
| stop for the winter at all! I credit the mask.
| myself248 wrote:
| Yup, I've worn a balaclava for the last few winters, but the
| 'clava PLUS a mask is even better. Plus nobody looks at me
| funny anymore.
| tomthumb wrote:
| I used to jog in my 8th grade and during winter I developed a bad
| cough which won't go away. Over time it developed into a full
| blown asthma and now I am in my late 40s and still have it.
| Ozzie_osman wrote:
| I grew up in a very warm climate, but as an adult spent about 6
| years in a much colder (New England) climate. I also have very
| mild asthma.
|
| Every winter, as soon as I caught my first cold or flu of the
| season, I basically felt my lungs break. If I tried to run or
| sprint or play any sport, I'd get a horrible cough and if I kept
| going, I'd feel like I might pass out. That would basically
| persist until spring.
|
| Ive never experienced that in warmer climates.
| cactus2093 wrote:
| Had a similar experience, not that extreme but when I went away
| to college was the first time I spent much time in a cold
| climate. I specifically remember playing ultimate frisbee with
| friends in the late fall and getting almost a burning sensation
| in my lungs when getting winded in the cold. It never led to
| any kind of cough or ongoing symptoms for me, but I remember
| thinking wow is this just normal for everyone that grows up
| playing sports in colder climates? Over time I think I just got
| used to it, and haven't played outdoor sports that regularly as
| an adult that it comes up that often (more sustained exercise
| like hiking or even skiing doesn't really bother me, it's
| really the full-out exertion like sprinting). It doesn't
| surprise me that it can cause more severe symptoms, coughing,
| etc.
| matsemann wrote:
| I cross country ski a lot during the winter, and this January a
| lot of times in below -20C. What I have is a "lungplus"[0].
| Basically a tube with a mesh of metal I hold in my mouth and
| breathe through. After buying it I feel better the day after a
| hard workout outside compared to earlier. The air I breathe feel
| warmer, but almost more important not as dry.
|
| There are also special designed masks for this. I like the lung
| plus better, as the inside of a mask gets snotty and wet and
| glasses don't fog with the lungplus. But others I know use the
| mask variants and are happy. They aren't as dorky looking I
| guess, at least not after everyone started wearing masks heh.
| Note that having a buff ("neck gaiter") above your mouth isn't
| really comparable to a mask. It will just get wet and cold when
| breathing hard through it during exercise and is not really
| airthight so cold air still slips in other ways. Try a proper
| mask/lungplus designed for this, I can recommend it.
|
| [0]: http://lungplususa.com/ not the prettiest webpage I've seen,
| but the product works
| polack wrote:
| I'm one of the people that prefer the mask (in my case the
| Airtrim [0]). I had problems with it getting to humid inside
| the mask too before I learned that if I just blow (hard) out
| once every 10 minutes or so most exess humidity will be blown
| out of the filter and there will never be a buildup inside of
| the mask.
|
| I can really recommend getting one of these heat/humidity
| exchangers, I think both types of products will do the job. I
| had to give up many winter sports due to problems with the cold
| and dry air before I got my Airtrim. Now its like breathing in
| +20C all the time. Best 50$ I ever spent.
|
| [0] http://airtrim.se/eng/default.asp - Also horrible webpage
| :)
| matsemann wrote:
| Yeah, Airtrim is the mask variant everyone I know uses, so I
| can also vouch for this.
| MrMember wrote:
| I have a lot of trouble doing hard exercise in the cold due to
| asthma, I'll definitely be giving this a try.
| germinalphrase wrote:
| This was a rough Nordic skiing winter for us. -20F really does
| require something extra to help the lungs. A buff/balaclava
| helped a lot, but soaked/frozen fabric has its own downsides.
|
| I've heard the pros routinely develop cold induced asthma.
| callmeal wrote:
| Looks like it forces you to breathe through your mouth. I
| remember reading something on here about the harmful effects of
| doing that on a consistent basis.
|
| Do you find any change in your stamina/capacity when using this
| device?
|
| see: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23962638
| matsemann wrote:
| I still breathe normally through both the nose and mouth when
| using it. And the effect is good enough from just warming the
| (bigger) airflow through the mouth. But it probably stings a
| bit more in the nose compared to the mask variants.
|
| I don't feel it hampers my breathing at all, really. If
| anything, it allows me to take full breaths in conditions
| where that normally would hurt. I got the sports variant.
| germinalphrase wrote:
| I'd love to proves wrong, but the "only breathe through your
| nose" crowd always seemed a little woo-woo.
| dennis_jeeves wrote:
| Not quite. Investigate the work of John Mew. ( considered a
| quack by mainstream, I think, though I personally I find
| him credible)
| mtalantikite wrote:
| It's understandable to feel that way, particularly since a
| lot of the formal breathing exercises we know in the west
| come from yoga practices which are thousands of years old
| and have all sorts of metaphysics tied up in them. But it
| doesn't seem too hard to believe that having a nasal cavity
| to regulate air temperature, block dust, increase moisture,
| etc would be beneficial to the lungs.
|
| Here is one somewhat extreme experiment on rats that showed
| continual mouth breathing had negative cognitive effects
| [1]. There is also research that has correlated nasal cycle
| dominance to different cognitive functions [2]. I'm not
| totally sure about the covid-19 links this paper makes, but
| it's interesting to note the sinuses help create nitric
| oxide and NO plays a wide range of biological roles [3].
|
| Personally, I do pranayama every morning before seated
| meditation as well as right before bed and find it to have
| great emotional benefits if nothing else.
|
| [1] https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/josnusd/61/1/61_18
| -0006...
|
| [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8063547/
|
| [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7200356/
| __blockcipher__ wrote:
| The COVID-19 link is very plausible btw, inhaled NO has
| been researched as a COVID-19 therapy. (It just happens
| that that's one of the less interesting benefits /
| effects of nose breathing)
|
| I have to imagine that these days putting some silly link
| to COVID-19 makes it easier to publish, at least based
| off the increase of incredibly poor quality papers I've
| seen published : P
| Jedd wrote:
| > ... the "only breathe through your nose" crowd always
| seemed a little woo-woo.
|
| Can highly recommend 'Breath' by James Nestor, for some
| science-focused, non-woo look at the practice.
|
| (I'm about 3/4 the way through it -- so I can't _guarantee_
| woo-free content in last quarter, but based on
| extrapolation we should be fine. :)
| AnotherGoodName wrote:
| Note that the difference between air from your nose and mouth
| is that your nose has hairs and a sinus system that warms and
| filters air. With a system like the above you essentially are
| doing the same thing.
| gameswithgo wrote:
| When one is working out sufficiently hard, everyone breathes
| through their mouth.
| Nimitz14 wrote:
| Boxers don't. Is that hard enough for you?
| [deleted]
| rimunroe wrote:
| Can you explain what you mean? I'm fairly certain I've
| seen footage of exhausted boxers breathing through their
| mouths
| jniedrauer wrote:
| You can't train above your ventilatory threshold while
| nose breathing, and boxers are definitely training above
| that level of intensity, at least for short burts.
| Fighting is anaerobic.
| ipaddr wrote:
| Aerobic - with air.
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| Are you saying boxing is purely aerobic, or that
| anaerobic includes the word aerobic which means "with
| air"? I'm not picking up your intention either way.
| Boxing is a high intensity exercise which would at points
| be anaerobic.
| Nimitz14 wrote:
| I was a bit flippant, yes sometimes you have to breathe
| through the mouth but whenever possible one breathes
| through nose.
| rconti wrote:
| Hence the "sufficiently hard" qualification
| satya71 wrote:
| From their webpage:
|
| > LUNG PLUS IS NOT FOR ANYONE PARTICIPATING IN CONTACT SPORTS,
| SLEDDING, DOWNHILL SKIING, SNOWMOBILING, SNOWBOARDING, ETC!!
| jodrellblank wrote:
| Cross country skiing isn't downhill skiing.
| jimbob45 wrote:
| Cross country skiing _can_ be downhill skiing but downhill
| skiing can never be XC skiing.
| sojournerc wrote:
| Not so. Telemark skis are made for both hiking and
| downhill.
|
| Also going downhill on cross country skis is much
| different as there is no metal edge.
| matsemann wrote:
| Yes, so cross country / nordic skiing is fine (it's what it's
| made for, downhill skiing is something completely different
| than xc). Same for running, it's fine. Basically all cardio
| it works great. You just don't want something to bump it into
| your teeth. For the dangerous downhill slopes when xc skiing
| I just spit it out first if I feel the need to play it safe
| (attached to a lanyard).
| serf wrote:
| I mean, I guess it's fine -- but i've witnessed people fall
| flat on their face through a variety of winter sports; I
| definitely wouldn't want anything bulkier than a mouthguard
| in place if that were to happen to myself.
| throwavay123321 wrote:
| I cycle year-round and have no issues with the winter air since
| I found the right mask [1]. Strongly disagree with the not
| dorky looking, I get sniggers and Darth Vader comments all the
| time. Foggy glasses mostly aren't a problem since I use skiing
| glasses. The mask makes breathing just a bit harder, but I can
| fully fill the lungs with each breath without any pain. I wear
| this mask up to around 5 degrees C if the air is dry, and have
| used it without any problems at -15C (where footwear started
| being an issue).
|
| [1] https://coldavenger.com/
| smichel17 wrote:
| Tbh, I often regard a "bad" (aka out of fashion) webpage like
| this as a positive indicator when it comes to physical
| products. It can be an indicator of a company where product
| matters more than marketing.
|
| Lots of caveats, of course. E.g. this does not hold in b2b
| products or anywhere with strong lock-in. Also, it tends to be
| a better signal when it comes to mature products.
| nate_meurer wrote:
| I regularly run in sub-zero temperatures, and I've never
| experienced this. My coldest run this year was around -10 F, for
| an hour. I couldn't tell any difference the next day.
|
| I'm guessing there must be physiological differences that make
| some people's lungs more or less vulnerable to the cold.
| opportune wrote:
| I think that must be it. Personally I get these symptoms even
| when I run in the 50s or low 60s, and am previously diagnosed
| with exercise-induced asthma (as a kid. Now I only very rarely
| get symptoms except in the cold.)
| mns wrote:
| I'm running for around 14 years already and I never experienced
| this. My limit is around -20C, which is probably around -10F.
| Could be also that if you live in an area with harsher winters,
| somehow you gradually get used to the climate. It does seem
| weird, because years ago when I tried running with a scarf, it
| was seen like a bad thing for your health in the running
| community as all the humidity and whatever else accumulated in
| the cloth can be bad for you. How things change...
| matsemann wrote:
| It's something building after prolonged/multiple times. And
| runners are often not outside nearly as long as XC skiers. My
| runs are seldom much longer than an hour, and they start
| outside my door. XC sessions in the weekend are 30+ KMs and for
| me also includes long times outside getting to the tracks.
| Edit: also humidity probably plays a big role.
| loeg wrote:
| Also, elite nordic skiers have amazing VO2max (even in
| comparison with elite athletes in other sports). They can't be
| doing _that_ much damage to their lungs.
|
| (I've also run in somewhat cold conditions -- maybe 15-20F --
| and while there is some acclimatization needed, it was fine.)
| ryanmarsh wrote:
| Anyone here stationed at Ft. Drum want to share stories? I recall
| jokes of coughing up blood after morning PT runs in sub zero
| temps.
| ip26 wrote:
| Nose breathing makes a big difference in such conditions.
| Although, to be sure, athletes are not going to restrict
| themselves to nose only on race day.
| elric wrote:
| Why not? I can't think of many sports where mouth breathing
| makes sense, except anything that involves swimming where you
| have a very limited window to get air down your lungs.
| matsemann wrote:
| Can't get enough air through nose only when exercising hard.
| raldi wrote:
| Does this have anything to do with the mystery of why runners get
| side cramps in cold air?
| ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote:
| A very important function of the mouth is to moisten the air you
| breath because breathing dry air will kill you. When mechanical
| ventilators were invented they would destroy the patient's
| airways by drying them out which is why they now come with
| humidifiers.
| JPKab wrote:
| Breathing through the nose is ideal. The mouth is a poor
| substitute.
| ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote:
| Yes, the nose has its own process to moisten and warm the
| air. The point is, if you bypass either orifices the dryness
| will mess you up.
| crazygringo wrote:
| The mouth works great when you're working out hard enough
| that it's physically impossible to exchange enough air
| through your narrow nostrils.
|
| The mouth isn't a poor substitute. It's an adaptive advantage
| to be used as required.
| jdlyga wrote:
| I had first period gym in the 90s, and they made us run outside
| in the freezing cold to warm up every day. Killed my interest in
| running for decades.
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