Improve Your Breathing for Better Health From #1 Breath Expert In The World | Mel Robbins Podcast
Mel Robbins (host), Patrick McKeown (guest)
In this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, featuring Mel Robbins and Patrick McKeown, Improve Your Breathing for Better Health From #1 Breath Expert In The World | Mel Robbins Podcast explores transform Your Health By Switching From Mouth To Nose Breathing 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.
Transform Your Health By Switching From Mouth To Nose Breathing
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.
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.
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).
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.
Key Takeaways
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Use slower, longer exhales to prepare for sleep and tough situations.
Breathing at roughly 4. ...
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Address sleep quality and apnea by optimizing nasal breathing and mouth position.
Keeping the mouth closed at night (e. ...
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Notable 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
Questions Answered in This Episode
If I’ve been a mouth breather for decades, what realistic timeline and progression should I expect to safely transition to full‑time nasal breathing?
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.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How can I distinguish between healthy breath‑training discomfort (like mild air hunger) and signs that a particular exercise is unsafe for my body?
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.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What specific modifications should people with anxiety disorders, cardiovascular issues, or pregnancy make to these breathing exercises?
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).
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How can parents practically identify and address mouth breathing and sleep-disordered breathing in their children before it affects learning and behavior?
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.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
For someone who already exercises regularly, how can nasal breathing and breath‑hold work be integrated into workouts without sacrificing performance or recovery?
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Transcript Preview
(ticking clock) (upbeat music) I am what scientists refer to as a mouth breather, (panting) and I'm not supposed to be, and neither are you, by the way. It definitely signals that I shouldn't be breathing out of my mouth. You can live without food for weeks. You can live without water for days. But your breath? You can't go without it for more than just a few minutes. I fast-tracked this author and the world's leading expert on breath to come teach you and me everything we need to know. So get ready for more focus, less pain, better sleep, honestly, a better you. (upbeat music) Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to The Mel Robbins Podcast. I'm normally really excited about what you and I talk about here on the podcast, but today, today, I am so jacked up because I just read this book called The Breathing Cure. It is by this dude named Patrick McKeown. And I am still recovering from what I learned, because I basically discovered that for 54 years, I have been breathing wrong. I am what scientists refer to as a mouth breather, (panting) and I'm not supposed to be, and neither are you, by the way. You and I are supposed to be nose breathers. Why? Well, because breathing in and out of your nose, it improves your health, your focus, your sleep. It improves your mood, it reduces your anxiety, and I'm just starting when it comes to ticking off the benefits. I'm so blown away by this research and the breathing techniques that I fast-tracked this author and the world's leading expert on breath to come teach you and me everything we need to know, and this is not going to be a lecture. I will slow him down, and I'm going to ask him to walk us through breathing exercises so we can learn as we're listening. But before we welcome him to the show, I want you to just stop and consider how important breathing is. You can live without food for weeks. You can live without water for days. But your breath? You can't go without it for more than just a few minutes. 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. And my mission today is to make every single breath that you and I take from this moment forward truly count, because the science is undeniable. The quality of your breathing determines the quality of your life, and I'm just thrilled that today you and I are going to get coached by the world's leading expert on functional breathing for better health. So get ready for more focus, less pain, better sleep, honestly, a better you. It is an honor to introduce you to Patrick McKeown, who is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in the UK. His research is widely regarded. He's an international best-selling author of 10 books on the science of breathing. He's the founder and CEO of The Oxygen Advantage. His techniques are used by Olympic athletes, top business executives, and my personal favorite, the lead singer of Coldplay. In his work with our elite military, he teaches snipers how to change mental states and keep a steady hand, which means he can sure as heck teach you and me how to use our breath to stay steady and perform our best in our day-to-day life by simply leveraging your breath. Please help me welcome Patrick McKeown to the Mel Robbins Podcast.
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