Breathing is an essential part of life, supplying our cells with necessary oxygen. But did you know that the way we breathe can also have an impact on our memory and emotions? It turns out that distinct odors and scents can trigger a strong emotional response within us, but that’s not all. A group of researchers discovered a direct link between nasal breathing and brain function.
The Study: Breathing and Cognition
Published in The Journal of Neuroscience, a study aimed to explore the connection between breathing and the brain in human subjects. The scientists at Northwestern Medicine collected intracranial EEG (electroencephalogram) data from patients with medically intractable epilepsy. They found that nasal breathing — breathing through the nose — affected the brain differently than breathing through the mouth.
Breathing through the nose had effects in the human piriform cortex, amygdala (our emotion processor), and hippocampus (our memory processor) that were diminished when breathing switched to the mouth. They also concluded that the breathing phase systematically influences cognitive tasks related to these brain functions.
Breathing and the Brain
Wide-ranging emotions, such as relaxation, fear, and stress, can affect the way we breathe. It seems that our breathing patterns have a deep connection with memory and recall as well. The researchers discovered that respiratory rhythms modulate oscillatory patterns throughout the brain, implying that breathing not only supplies oxygen to the body but also organizes neuronal population activity across brain regions to orchestrate complex behaviors affiliated with orofacial sensation.
In simpler terms, the study discovered that nasal breathing is crucial to coordinating electrical brain signals in the olfactory cortex. This coordination is then associated with the amygdala, the brain’s emotion processing center, and the hippocampus, an area connected with memory and emotion. Interestingly, nasal breathing itself, even without the presence of a scent, influences our memory and emotion.
Nasal Inhalations and Memory Encoding
Many breathing systems, from mindfulness practices to yoga, focus on cycles of inhalation and exhalation. However, this study found that specifically during inhalation, memory and emotion are most affected. The researchers observed this effect in 60 healthy patients who were presented with images of faces showing fear or surprise. The subjects had to make a snap judgment on the emotional expression of the faces.
The faces associated with fear were more recognizable to the participants when they were shown during nasal inhalation. This effect did not occur during nasal exhalation or mouth breathing. Thus, their memory of the faces was better when they were encoded during nasal inhalation.
Think about it – when reflecting deeply on a topic or pausing before responding to someone in a conversation, do you take a deep nasal breath? This study suggests that there might be a connection between our breathing and cognition in these moments.
Conclusion
The relationship between nasal breathing and brain function is quite fascinating. It explains why we recall memories of the past or an emotion is brought forth when inhaling a remarkable scent. Furthermore, it also suggests that nasal breathing might help us retain information better.
The next time you want to remember a phone number or a particular line in a script, read it while inhaling through your nose, pause the reading while exhaling, then continue reading during nasal inhalation again. Give it a try and see how you do – it might just change the way you think about breathing.
