Nancy White, Ayurvedic Health Counsellor
Our nose is a sensory organ with many functions - it allows us to perceive the world around us through our sense of smell, but also has surprising linkages to our brain health, physical health, and even our mental/emotional health. Most importantly, having good nasal health allows us to breathe clearly and to take in the prana or life-force energy around us.
In this blog, I hope to convince you that maintaining good nasal health can improve your quality of life. I will also share some simple Ayurvedic practices you can do at home to keep your nose and sinuses in optimal condition.
The Scent and Memory Connection
Our sense of smell is strongly linked to the memory and emotional centers in our brains. There are hundreds of olfactory receptors in the nose that can detect thousands of different odours. When these specific receptors bind with a particular odour molecule, they send electrical messages via nerve cells to the olfactory bulb, which is directly linked to the limbic system in the brain (memory and emotional centers). This is why when you smell a particular scent, like the yummy smell of baking bread, it can almost instantly bring back a vivid memory. You may also feel the anticipation of waiting to eat that first slice. Memories linked to odour "...tend to be more emotional and more likely to extend back earlier in one's life" (McDonough 2024).
This is why aromatherapy, the inhalation of aromatic essential oils derived from plants, can be so effective for influencing mood. "Smell can instantly trigger an emotional response along with a memory, and our emotional states have a very strong effect on our physical well-being" (McDonough 2024). It also explains why a loss of smell, which is what many people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, can negatively impact mental health and can also cause long-term cognitive loss (Woo et al. 2023). It has been shown that "...olfactory loss results in a significant loss of both gray matter and white matter in human brains" (Woo et al. 2023). For the elderly, the loss of olfaction precedes cognitive decline (Woo et al. 2023).
The good news is, there are some things you can do about olfactory decline. Most importantly, keep your nose and sinuses clear and in good working order so you are able to breathe through your nose and detect various odours. Smell training, which is meant to improve your sense of smell, and olfactory enrichment, which is regular exposure to scents, can both be done fairly simply at home using essential oils. One particular study, published in Frontiers of Neuroscience in 2023, showed an astounding 226% improvement in learning and memory in an olfactory enrichment group of elderly men and women. The enrichment group used a diffuser with various essential oils for 2 hours a night over a period of 6 months (Woo et al. 2023). Additional results "...showed improvement in the left uncinated fasciculus, which is a part of the brain that is involved in episodic memory, memory retrieval, language, and socio-emotional processing" (Fagan 2024).
Why Nose Breathing Helps Your Relax
It's important to keep your sinuses clear so that you can gain the many other benefits of breathing through your nose. Nose breathing can allow for the air to be filtered, warmed and humidified before it is inhaled into the lungs. It is deeper, diaphragmatic breathing, which helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest part of your nervous system. It also triggers "autonomic nerve centers lying within and beneath the mucous membranes, which influence the autonomic processes of respiration, circulation, digestion and so on" (Saraswati 2016). Benefits of parasympathetic nervous system activation include: slower breathing rate, improved digestion, and lower blood pressure at rest. Alternatively, mouth breathers, who breath from their upper chest area, can have their sympathetic nervous system, which is the fight, flight, or freeze part of the nervous system, activated almost continuously (Millett 2020). Mouth breathing can lead to issues such as:
oral health issues such as dry mouth, cavities, bad breath and periodontal disease
sleep disorders
symptoms similar to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
increased breathing rate
increased stress and anxiety
increased mean and diastolic blood pressure at rest (Watso et al. 2023; Sano et al. 2013)
The Nose is Connected to Energetic Channels in the Body
According to yogic philosophy, the nose is an opening to the environment through which prana or life force energy, can enter the body, and then circulate via physical and energetic channels. There are three main energetic channels (nadis) in the body - the Sushumna, Ida, and Pingala. The Ida and Pingala nadis are connected to the nose.
The Ida Nadi is connected to the left nostril, which is associated with feminine/cool energy, and the right hemisphere of the brain (Newlyn 2024). Breathing through the left nostril activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and the brain's right hemisphere, which is responsible for the "...spatial, artistic, holistic, intuitive and psychic side of perception" (Saraswati 2016).
The Pingala Nadi is connected to the right nostril, masculine/heating energy, and the left hemisphere of the brain (Newlyn 2024). Breathing through the right nostril activates the sympathetic nervous system and the brain's left hemisphere, which is responsible for the "...logical, rational and analytical faculties and sequential and linear modes of thought" (Saraswati 2016).
The nose and sinuses are also linked to specific chakras, or major energetic centers located along the length of the spine. In particular, they are associated with the muladhara chakra (or root chakra), which is located at the base of your spine, and the ajna chakra (third eye), which is located in the head between your eyebrows. Muladhara is the seat of basic survival instincts. Ajna is responsible for our intuition and insight. Blockages/traumas to these chakras and/or their psychological associations, may lead to conditions in the sinuses and vice-versa (Saraswati 2016).
Pranayama, which is the yogic practice of focused breathing, has many benefits, but in particular can influence the movement of prana and help to open up channels that may be blocked:
Yogis state that the nostrils are control mechanisms for the flow of breath as well as the pranic energy that flows through nadis. The nostrils also have a direct connection to the brain and are doorways to the total mind-body system. Control over the breath in the nostrils allows one to guide the internal environment without the need for external aids such as drugs and chemicals. The internal processes can be influenced by the breath in order to improve health, change states of the mind or attain higher levels of consciousness" (Saraswati 2016).
Practices to Care for Your Nose
Neti - This is rinsing the nasal passages with warm saline water using a Neti pot. This can help to clear allergens, dirt, and excess mucous from the nasal passages. An added bonus is the Neti can help to reduce the viral load and severity of illness from viruses that use the sinuses as a portal to the body. (Casale et al. 2020). I always practice Neti at the first sign of a cold.
Nasya - This is the application of a food-grade sesame oil, coconut oil, or ghee to the inside of the nasal passages. This can be done using a dropper (1-2 drops per nostril) or by using your pinky finger and applying a bit to the inside of the nostril and then sniffing gently. Nasya gently lubricates the nasal passages and reduces inflammation and irritation. Nasya can be particularly helpful in the winter time, or when it's really dusty or smoky, and during allergy season.
Aromatherapy - Inhalation of essential oils* such as peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon, clove bud, niaouli and myrtle may help to clear a stuffy nose and general congestion. Aromatherapy can be administered using a diffuser, an inhaler stick, or with a topical vapour rub. Using a diffuser can also add humidity to the dry indoor air in the winter time. *Consider all contraindications before use.
Pranayama - Nadi Shodhana or alternate nostril breathing can connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain and help to open the respiratory channels.
Hydrate and humidify - Remember to drink enough water, but also to drink warm water to help open up the channels and move any mucous. Humidifying the air may help your sinuses, particularly if the air is really dry.
Diet - It's recommended to avoid dairy if you're having sinus issues (Mischke 2024; St Louis Sinus Center 2024). You should also avoid really cold or frozen foods, which constrict the channels.
Drink warm, spiced drinks such as ginger and Tulsi tea, and add spices such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin and clove to your food.
Lifestyle - Avoid smoking. Smoking can cause a myriad of issues for your sinuses, including: inflammation, swelling, chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps (ENT Care Centers 2024).
Additional consideration: If you have forced air heat in your home, remember to regularly change furnace filters, particularly in the winter time.
Final Thoughts
The health of your nose and sinuses can affect you at the physical, emotional, and subtle levels. Keeping them in optimal condition can improve the overall quality of your life - even if you aren't paying attention. If you or a loved one are a so-called "mouth breather", then consider that it may be more than an inconvenience, and that it is affecting other aspects of your health. If you have a chronic issue, and you're not sure why, it's important to talk with your doctor about it. In addition, consider incorporating some Ayurvedic practices into your daily routine to give your nose and sinuses the care and attention they deserve.
References
Saraswati, Swami Niranjananda. 2016. Prana and Pranayama. Yoga Publications Trust, Ganga Darshan, Munger, Bihar; India.
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