Nasal breathing can help cognitive recognition

For the recent study, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and other institutions conducted an experiment in order to understand if something similar happens to human beings if we breathe through our mouth.

In order to arrive at the result, around two dozen young men and women were asked to inhale 12 varied scents from vials. The people concerned were then told to remember the smell and repeat the process. During the first time, after sniffing and sitting quietly for an hour, they were asked to breathe through their mouth.

The second time, the participants were prevented from breathing through their mouth. They were given the same scent and some new ones and were asked to identify what they had smelled before. It was found out that those who breathed through their nose were better at the task.

“Nasal breathing enhanced memory consolidation.” says Artin Arshamian, lead author of the study and neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute.

It is still unclear whether nasal breathing can better one’s long-term cognitive recognition. “However, I would not be surprised if it did have a similar effect on memory in everyday life,” Arshamian says.

“Given the fact that breathing has been used to change mental states for thousands of years, we still know next to nothing about respiration and brain function in humans,” he adds.