Asthma Is Often Linked to Breathing Dysfunction — Not Just the Lungs

Asthma is often treated purely as a lung condition.

But in many cases, it’s also linked to breathing dysfunction — especially the way we breathe on a daily basis.

That doesn’t mean asthma isn’t real.
It doesn’t mean medication isn’t essential.
And it absolutely doesn’t mean someone is causing their symptoms.

What it does mean is this: how you breathe day-to-day affects your airways, CO₂ tolerance, and nervous system tone. Improving daily breathing can support your asthma alongside your medical care.

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways. Triggers such as allergens, cold air, exercise, infection, or stress can cause:

  • Inflammation of the airways

  • Tightening of airway muscles (bronchoconstriction)

  • Increased mucus production

This narrows the airways, creating symptoms like wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing.

However, asthma is not just structural. It is functional. How we breathe every day affects the sensitivity of the airways.

Why CO₂ Matters

Many people with asthma breathe:

  • Through the mouth

  • High in the chest

  • Quickly and shallowly

This pattern leads to chronic overbreathing, which reduces carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the blood.

CO₂ is critical for:

  • Relaxing airway smooth muscle

  • Delivering oxygen to tissues efficiently

  • Regulating nervous system balance

Low CO₂ levels can make airways more reactive. Improving CO₂ tolerance through functional breathing exercises helps:

  • Reduce airway tightness

  • Improve oxygen release to tissues

  • Support a calmer nervous system

Nasal Breathing Benefits

Breathing through the nose instead of the mouth:

  • Filters, warms, and humidifies the air

  • Produces nitric oxide, which relaxes airways and improves oxygen uptake

  • Supports parasympathetic nervous system activity, helping the body stay calm

The Asthma Breath Exercise

This is the exact exercise I shared on Instagram. It’s simple, functional, and can be done anywhere.

How to do it:

  1. Sit upright and relaxed.

  2. Breathe in gently through your nose.

  3. Exhale slowly through your nose.

  4. Hold your breath for 3–5 seconds after the exhale.

  5. Repeat for up to 10 minutes, pausing if you feel uncomfortable.

  6. Return to quiet nasal breathing at the end of the exercise.

Why this works:

  • The exhale-hold sequence helps increase CO₂ tolerance, calming airway reactivity.

  • Slowing breathing through the nose and adding a hold relaxes smooth muscle in the lungs.

  • It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress-related triggers for asthma.

This is a mini reset — it doesn’t replace medication, but it can help reduce symptoms in the moment and supports longer-term improvements when combined with ongoing functional breathwork.

Asthma and the Nervous System

Asthma is influenced by the autonomic nervous system. Stress or overwhelm can increase:

  • Breathing rate

  • Mouth breathing

  • Chest breathing

  • Airway sensitivity

By retraining your breath, you calm your nervous system, reducing airway sensitivity over time.

How I Can Help

I work with people to support their asthma in a functional, science-based way alongside medical care.

This includes:

  • Assessing daily breathing habits

  • Improving CO₂ tolerance

  • Encouraging nasal breathing

  • Reducing overbreathing patterns

  • Supporting nervous system regulation

Many clients notice:

  • Fewer flare-ups

  • Improved exercise tolerance

  • Less breathlessness anxiety

  • Feeling more in control of their breathing

Asthma may be chronic, but breathing function is trainable, and small changes can make a real difference.

✅ If you want to try the step-by-step exhale-hold nasal breath exercise, do it for 3–5 seconds after each exhale, up to 10 minutes. It’s gentle, functional, and a great start to support better asthma control.

Mel

PS Change your breath, change your life!

Mel Lacy-Fewtrell