Good to Know: Most People Only Breathe out of One Nostril at a Time
Another bizarre human body related fact: Did you know that around 85% of humans only breathe out of one nostril at a time? This fact may surprise you, but even more remarkable is the following: our body follows a pattern and switches from breathing out of one nostril to the other in a cyclical way. Typically, every four hours it switches from left to right, or right to left.
So how does this “nasal cycle” work? Similar to a penis or clitoris, erectile tissue can be found in the nose. During “a switch,” erectile tissue swells up in one nostril, mostly blocking it, while the erectile tissue in the other nostril shrinks, opening it up for breathing. It is thought that this mechanism is regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
So why should you care?
Interestingly, the nostril you use for breathing can actually affect the way you are thinking at a given moment. And you can use this to your advantage. Do you want to boost your creative thinking? Force breathing through your left nostril. This makes the right hemisphere more active, which is your creative side. Vice versa, breathing through your right nostril activates the left, “logical” side of the brain, which will, for example, help you make rational decisions.