The Athletes Airway: How Nasal Breathing Powers Performance
Breathing through the guard: Combat athletes must rely on efficient nasal breathing to maintain endurance and speed up recovery between rounds.
June 15, 2026
I have long been interested in helping people breathe better, not just because it feels better, but because proper nasal breathing is fundamental to health, performance, recovery, and overall well-being (Flanell, n.d.).
One area where this becomes especially important is in combat sports. Many athletes today wear mouthguards that cover both the upper and lower teeth. While these mouthguards provide excellent protection against orofacial injuries, research shows they can act as a physical obstacle to expiratory airflow and significantly increase the perceived rate of exertion (Ahmed et al., 2020; El-Ashker, n.d.). When an athlete is wearing a full-coverage mouthguard, efficient nasal breathing becomes absolutely essential to compensate for this restricted oral airflow.
This means the nasal passages need to remain as open and unobstructed as possible. Any congestion, swelling, excess mucus, irritation, or dryness can interfere with airflow at a time when oxygen demand is at its highest. Athletes spend countless hours improving strength, speed, endurance, and technique, yet many give very little thought to the airway that supplies the oxygen needed to support all of those activities.
Key Takeaways
- Mouthguards inherently restrict oral airflow, making clear, unobstructed nasal passages absolutely essential for combat sports athletes.
- Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) offers a powerful, natural way to cleanse the nasal environment, representing an evolution beyond basic saline sprays.
- Nasal breathing harnesses nitric oxide to improve oxygen transfer in the lungs, directly impacting athletic performance, endurance, and recovery.
Author: Dr. Richard Downs, DDS
Beyond Saline: A Comprehensive Approach
For years, many athletes have relied on simple saline sprays before training and competition to help rinse and moisturize the nasal passages. Saline can be helpful and certainly has its place. It can wash away debris, moisturize tissues, and provide temporary relief from dryness. However, many athletes today are looking for a more comprehensive approach to nasal hygiene and airway maintenance.
That is one reason why many amateur boxers and other competitive athletes are incorporating HypoNasal into their daily routine. HypoNasal contains hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a powerful natural oxidizer produced by our own white blood cells (specifically neutrophils) during the respiratory burst as a core component of the body’s innate defense system (Andrés et al., 2022; Ulfig & Leichert, 2020). Combined with a gentle saline-based formulation, it is designed to help cleanse and moisturize the nasal passages while supporting a healthy nasal environment.
"A clear nose helps support clear breathing. Clear breathing helps support better performance."
The Nitric Oxide Advantage
A healthy nose does much more than simply provide a pathway for air. The nose is the body’s natural filtration, humidification, and air conditioning system. It warms incoming air, adds moisture, filters particles, and helps prepare the air before it reaches the lungs. When the nasal passages are functioning properly, breathing becomes more efficient and comfortable.
There is another important advantage to nasal breathing that many people do not realize. The paranasal sinuses act as a natural reservoir for nitric oxide (NO) (Spector et al., 2022). When we breathe through our nose, that nitric oxide travels with the inhaled air into the lower respiratory tract, acting as an "aerocrine messenger" (Spector et al., 2022). Nitric oxide helps regulate blood flow within the lungs through vasodilation and improves the efficiency of oxygen transfer from the air sacs into the bloodstream (Flanell, n.d.). In simple terms, nasal breathing not only moves air into the lungs, it helps the body make better use of the oxygen that is being inhaled.
For athletes who are pushing their bodies to the limit, this is particularly important. The ability to deliver oxygen efficiently to working muscles can influence endurance, recovery, and overall performance. Whether you are a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior, or simply someone who wants to breathe better and maintain healthy nasal passages, keeping the nasal airway clean and functioning properly should be part of your daily health routine. Maintaining a clean, comfortable, and unrestricted nasal airway becomes more than a comfort issue. It becomes a performance issue.
References
- Ahmed, I., Kipps, C., & Fine, P. (2020). Investigating The Effect Of Mouth Guard Use On Aerobic Performance In Amateur Boxers. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 52(7S), 976-976. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000686184.05216.0c
- Andrés, C. M. C., Pérez de la Lastra, J. M., Juan, C. A., Plou, F. J., & Pérez-Lebeña, E. (2022). Hypochlorous Acid Chemistry in Mammalian Cells—Influence on Infection and Role in Various Pathologies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(18), 10735. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810735
- El-Ashker, A. (n.d.). Cardiopulmonary effects of using mouthguards during medium and high intensities in elite Egyptian boxing athletes.
- Flanell, M. (n.d.). The Athlete's Secret Ingredient: The Power of Nasal Breathing.
- Spector, B. M., Shusterman, D. J., & Zhao, K. (2022). Nasal nitric oxide flux from the paranasal sinuses. Current Opinion in Allergy & Clinical Immunology. https://doi.org/10.1097/aci.0000000000000871
- Ulfig, A., & Leichert, L. I. (2020). The effects of neutrophil-generated hypochlorous acid and other hypohalous acids on host and pathogens. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 78, 385-414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-020-03591-y
