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Improve Your Breathing for Better Health From #1 Breath Expert In The World | Mel Robbins Podcast

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — In today’s episode, the incredible Patrick McKeown (@OxygenAdvantage bestselling author of ten books on breathing and founder and CEO of The Oxygen Advantage, a world-leading breath-work training program, breaks down all things breathing. This is not a lecture; it is a masterclass. His decades of research will blow you away, so let’s slow down and learn from the best in class. Today Patrick is revealing the 5 ways breathing through your mouth hurts your health and leaves you feeling more anxious and stressed. You and I are getting coached by the world's leading expert on functional breathing for better health, more focus, less pain, better sleep, and, honestly, a better you. This is information that should be shouted from the rooftops. AND taught to parents, teachers, and health professionals everywhere. These steps are so simple, and yet they’re incredibly impactful on ALL parts of your life: your work, your ability to play and have fun, and your relationships. Best of all, this advice is ZERO-cost to you. You will learn: - What happens when you breathe through your nose? - How breathing through your mouth stresses you out - How breathing through your nose improves your memory and focus - What your breath has to do with back pain - How nose-breathing produces the antiviral gas nitric oxide - What sleep apnea in children has to do with special education needs - 3 simple yet powerful exercises that will leave you breathing easier - Why the hell should you want to tape your mouth shut? - The study that found shallow breathing can lead to anxiety - An exercise that will help you take more oxygen into your lungs - Why your exhalation is the most important part of relaxation - How breathing the right way can stop snoring - Why the way you breathe during the day impacts your sleep at night The science proves that the quality of your breathing determines the quality of your life. So let’s dive in. Xo, Mel In this episode: 00:00 Intro 04:02 Why do we breathe, anyway? Seriously. 05:58 HOW are we supposed to breathe? 08:25 So what’s so important about breathing in through your nose? 12:20 Here’s what happens when your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen. 16:18 3 breathing exercises you’re not going to want to miss! 20:29 This statistic about breathing and anxiety is still blowing my mind. 24:00 The incredible results I had after trying these breathing exercises. 25:24 Listen to what happens when I tape my mouth shut. 28:48 Breathing out through your mouth tells your brain this. 31:31 How many times should you breathe in one minute? 33:12 Patrick coaches me into a proper BIG breath 39:09 Why your exhalation is most important when it comes to reducing stress. 41:20 The study that found your breath is linked to body and mind. 43:32 Why you should keep your mouth closed when you exercise 45:27 What mouth breathing has to do with snoring. 51:32 Can better breathing help with sleep apnea? #breathwork #breathing #breathingexercises — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com​ — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins​?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Mel RobbinshostPatrick McKeownguest
Aug 24, 202357mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Transform Your Health By Switching From Mouth To Nose Breathing

  1. Mel Robbins interviews breathing expert Patrick McKeown about how most people breathe dysfunctionally, especially through the mouth, and how that quietly harms health, sleep, and mental state.
  2. McKeown explains why nasal breathing is the biological default and details how it boosts oxygen delivery, calms the nervous system, improves focus, and reduces issues like anxiety, snoring, and sleep apnea.
  3. They walk through practical nasal-breathing drills, nose-unblocking exercises, and gentle breath patterns for relaxation, as well as how to retrain lifelong mouth breathers (including with mouth tape).
  4. The conversation positions everyday breathing—nose, low, light, and slow—as a powerful, free tool anyone can use to enhance resilience, performance, and quality of life.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Switch from mouth breathing to nasal breathing as your default.

Nose breathing filters, humidifies, and pressurizes air, increases oxygen uptake and delivery, supports better focus and mood, and reduces fight-or-flight activation compared with faster, upper‑chest mouth breathing.

Breathe “nose, low, light, and slow” to calm the nervous system.

Quiet nasal breaths that gently expand the lower ribs engage the diaphragm, improve spinal stability, and activate the parasympathetic response, signaling safety to the brain and lowering overall stress and anxiety.

Use short breath holds to quickly down‑regulate stress.

Taking a normal nasal inhale and exhale, then gently holding the nose for about five seconds, repeated several times, stimulates the vagus nerve, slows heart rate, and can reduce racing thoughts without needing elaborate meditation.

Decongest your nose with repeated post‑exhale breath holds.

After a normal nasal exhale, pinching the nose and lightly moving the head while holding for ~30 seconds (repeated 5–6 times, if safe for you) can open nasal passages by changing blood flow and leveraging nitric oxide in the airways.

Train diaphragm‑based “low” breathing by feeling the lower ribs move.

Placing hands on the lower ribs and gently directing them outward on the inhale and inward on the exhale teaches true deep breathing driven by the diaphragm, rather than ineffective shoulder‑lifting or belly‑pushing patterns.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

The perfect person breathes as if they do not breathe.

— Patrick McKeown

Your breath is the through line of your whole life, from the very first breath that you took when you were born, to the very last breath that you'll take on the day that you die.

— Mel Robbins

Breathing should be in and out through the nose. In comparison to the mouth, the nose does all the work when it comes to breathing.

— Patrick McKeown

The brain, by regulating breathing, regulates its own excitability.

— Patrick McKeown

Don't breathe fast, don't breathe shallow, because you're telling the brain that you're under threat.

— Patrick McKeown

Differences between mouth breathing and nasal breathingPhysiological benefits of nose breathing (oxygen, CO₂, nitric oxide, circulation)Breathing patterns, stress, anxiety, and brain excitabilityPractical breathing exercises (breath holds, decongesting the nose, slow breathing)Diaphragm mechanics and proper “low” breathing vs shallow chest breathingBreathing and sleep: snoring, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apneaHabit change and tools (mouth tape, nasal dilators, daily practice) to retrain breathing

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