Nose vs. mouth breathing in sport: What every athlete should know

Finding a routine and a community as an expat in the Netherlands often happens through sports, from running along the canals and cycling between cities to training at a local gym.

Most athletes carefully track their nutrition, sleep and training load, but very few think about something they do roughly 20.000 times a day: breathe. And because the mouth and airway are directly connected, breathing patterns are a topic where sports science and dentistry meet.

Two ways to breathe, two different effects

When resting, most people naturally breathe through their nose. During intense exercise, the body’s demand for oxygen rises sharply, and many athletes switch to breathing through the mouth simply because it allows a greater volume of air to reach the lungs quickly.

Both routes deliver oxygen, but they are not identical. The nose is built to condition the air before it reaches the lungs, while the mouth is essentially a wide, fast bypass. Understanding this trade-off helps explain why breathing has become an increasingly important area of interest in endurance sports.

What the nose does that the mouth cannot

The nose is far more than an entry point for air. As you inhale, several things happen at once:

• The air is filtered, as tiny hairs and mucus trap dust, pollen and particles.
• The air is warmed and humidified, which is gentler on the airways, particularly during cold Dutch winters.
• The nose produces nitric oxide, a molecule that helps widen blood vessels and may support oxygen handling in the body.

Nasal breathing also tends to be slower and more rhythmic, which can encourage a calmer, more controlled effort, especially during lower-intensity training. For athletes doing long, steady sessions, some coaches and practitioners encourage practising nasal breathing during easy runs or rides to build this habit. It should, however, be seen as a training tool rather than a guaranteed performance enhancer.

Why athletes switch to the mouth

Mouth breathing is not simply a “bad habit”. When intensity climbs, such as during sprints, interval training or a hard race finish, the nose may not allow enough airflow to meet demand.

In these moments, breathing through the mouth is a natural and necessary response, and trying to force nasal-only breathing at maximum effort is neither realistic nor advisable.

The issue is not the occasional switch during peak effort. It is habitual mouth breathing, both during exercise and at rest, that can carry longer-term consequences, and several of these land squarely in the dentist’s chair.

The hidden oral cost of chronic mouth breathing

This is where breathing becomes a dental matter. When the mouth is open for long stretches, especially during training, saliva evaporates and the mouth dries out.

Saliva is the mouth’s natural defence system. It neutralises acids, washes away food debris and helps protect enamel. When it dries up, the mouth becomes a more vulnerable environment, and for athletes this risk can be compounded. Many already combine a dry mouth with acidic sports drinks, energy gels and frequent snacking during long sessions, creating conditions that may increase the risk of enamel erosion, cavities and gum irritation.

Chronic mouth breathing has also been associated with:

• Increased plaque build-up and bad breath
• Greater risk of gum inflammation
• A higher likelihood of waking with a dry, uncomfortable mouth

For competitive and endurance athletes who train for hours at a time, these effects can accumulate quietly, often without any obvious warning signs until a checkup reveals them.

Breathing, the jaw and nighttime recovery

Recovery is where serious athletes make their gains, and breathing can play a role here, too. Habitual mouth breathing during sleep is linked to poorer sleep quality and, in some cases, to snoring or disrupted breathing patterns.

Because sleep is when the body repairs muscle and consolidates training adaptations, an airway that does not function well at night may subtly undermine the hard work done during the day. The position of the jaw and tongue influences how open the airway stays during sleep, which is one reason why dentists are increasingly part of the conversation around breathing and rest.

Why some athletes wear nasal strips

If you watch professional football, tennis, or rugby, you may have noticed players competing with a small adhesive strip across the bridge of their noses. These external nasal strips gently pull the nostrils open to reduce resistance and make nasal breathing feel easier. They have become a familiar sight at the highest level of sport.

Many athletes who use them report that breathing feels easier and that they experience less of a “blocked” sensation during effort. However, scientific evidence that nasal strips meaningfully improve performance markers, such as oxygen uptake or endurance, is mixed and generally not convincing.

What nasal strips can genuinely help with is comfort, keeping the nasal airway more open, supporting nasal breathing, and reducing the feeling of being blocked for some people. For an athlete who finds nasal breathing difficult, that comfort alone can be a valid reason to try them.

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Keeping the nose clear: Foundation of nasal breathing

None of the potential benefits of nasal breathing is possible if you cannot actually breathe through your nose. So the first and most important step is making sure the nasal airway is open.

A simple saline nasal rinse can help. Rinsing the nose with a salt-water solution can flush out mucus, allergens, and irritants, and may make nasal breathing noticeably easier, particularly during hay fever season or after training outdoors in cold air. For safety, nasal rinses should be prepared with sterile, distilled or previously boiled and cooled water, and the rinse bottle or device should be cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If breathing through your nose feels persistently blocked despite this, the cause may be physical, such as nasal congestion, a deviated septum or enlarged tissues. In that case it is worth seeing a doctor or an ENT specialist (an ear, nose and throat doctor, known in the Netherlands as a KNO-arts) to find out why, rather than simply defaulting to the mouth.

Mouth taping during sleep and training: Limited evidence, important caveats

Another approach gaining popularity is mouth taping: using a purpose-designed tape to keep the lips gently together, encouraging nasal breathing during sleep or very light training. Some products are designed to encourage lip closure without fully sealing the mouth, but even these should be used cautiously.

This safety point matters. Mouth taping should never be done by sealing the mouth completely, and it is not suitable for everyone. It should not be treated as a solution for snoring, poor sleep or suspected sleep apnoea. If you cannot breathe freely through your nose, or if you snore heavily, wake up gasping, have asthma or reflux symptoms, or suspect a sleep breathing problem, taping the mouth can be unsafe and should be avoided until you have spoken to a professional.

The current scientific evidence for mouth taping is still limited, so it is best viewed as a gentle aid to support a habit you are already building, not as a treatment in itself. The golden rule is simple: only consider mouth taping if your nose is clear and your breathing is comfortable, start by trying it for short periods while awake, and use a product designed to allow airflow. If in doubt, ask a dentist or doctor first.

Training your breathing: Mouth and tongue's job

Breathing through the nose is partly a matter of habit and muscle. The position of the tongue, the seal of the lips and the tone of the muscles around the mouth all influence how easily you breathe through your nose, both awake and asleep. The encouraging part is that these patterns can often be trained.

This is the focus of orofacial myofunctional therapy: a set of tailored exercises that aim to retrain the muscles of the lips, tongue and face to support a proper lip seal, good tongue posture and more comfortable nasal breathing. It is generally considered safe when provided by a qualified professional and is increasingly delivered as a collaboration among dentists, orthodontists, speech therapists (logopedisten), and ENT specialists.

As part of such a programme, some practitioners use a small oral training device, sometimes described as a myofunctional trainer or “myo brace”. Worn for short periods, it can help cue the tongue to rest against the roof of the mouth and encourage a natural lip seal and nasal breathing. For athletes who are habitual mouth breathers, this kind of training, often arranged through a dentist or speech therapist, may be a constructive way to make nasal breathing feel more natural over time.

How a dentist fits into the breathing picture

Athletes do not usually associate their breathing with a dental visit, yet a dentist is often well placed to notice the early signs. Dry mouth, a particular pattern of enamel wear, gum changes, or signs of jaw tension can all point towards a breathing pattern worth examining.

In some cases, what looks like a breathing “preference” may have a physical cause that requires input from a doctor or ENT specialist. A dentist can help identify oral signs, manage dental consequences, advise on safe supportive habits, and, where relevant, work alongside other healthcare professionals as part of a broader picture.

What expat athletes can do

Whether you train casually or competitively, a few practical steps can help you breathe and protect your mouth more effectively:

Practise nasal breathing during easy sessions

Use low-intensity training to build the habit of breathing through your nose. Save mouth breathing for the moments of high effort when you genuinely need it.

Keep your nose clear

Try a saline nasal rinse to ease congestion before sleep or training, especially during allergy season or in cold weather. Use sterile, distilled or previously boiled and cooled water, and have persistent blockage checked by a doctor or ENT specialist.

Protect your saliva

Stay well hydrated, avoid sipping acidic sports drinks continuously when practical, and rinse with water afterwards. Sugar-free gum after training can help stimulate saliva flow.

Consider supportive tools, safely

Nasal strips can make nasal breathing feel easier, and mouth taping or myofunctional training may help some people retrain the habit, but only if you can breathe freely through your nose. When unsure, ask a dentist or doctor before starting.

Keep up preventive check-ups

Regular dental visits allow early signs of dry-mouth damage, erosion or gum changes to be caught before they affect comfort or performance.

Breathing as a performance habit

Breathing sits at the intersection of sport, recovery and oral health, yet it remains one of the most overlooked aspects of training. For expats building an active life in the Netherlands, paying attention to how you breathe, and not just how hard you train, can support both performance and long-term wellbeing.

As awareness of the airway’s role continues to grow, one message stands out: the way you breathe matters, and your mouth is often the first place its effects show.

Note: This article is for general information only and does not replace personalised advice from a dentist, doctor or ENT specialist.