If you struggle with a blocked nose at night, it can seriously impact your sleep. A few simple exercises before bed can help you breathe better, sleep deeper, and wake up more refreshed.
Why Nasal Decongestion Matters for Sleep
When your nose is blocked, you're more likely to breathe through your mouth, something that can cause:
- Snoring and dry mouth
- Poor sleep quality
- More interrupted sleep
- Reduced CPAP effectiveness
- Increased airway instability
- Higher risk of sleep apnea
- Reduced oxygen uptake
But when your nasal passages are open, air flows easily, breathing is more regular, and you’re more likely to stay in a calm, restful breathing rhythm all night long.
Try These Simple Nasal Clearing Exercises
Here are two Buteyko Method exercises you can do in just a few minutes before bed to help open your nose and support nasal breathing.
1. Nose Unblocking Exercise
This easy breath-hold exercise helps open your nasal passages naturally, without sprays or medications.
How to do it:
- Sit up straight and breathe gently through your nose for a few breaths.
- Take a small breath in, then a small breath out through your nose.
- Pinch your nose shut and hold your breath.
- Gently nod your head up and down until you feel a strong urge to breathe.
- Release your nose and breathe in through your nose (not your mouth).
- Breathe calmly for 30 seconds, then repeat 5–6 times.
Practice a few short breath holds followed by 6 longer breath holds until a strong air hunger is experienced. Use this exercise anytime your nose feels blocked during the day and before sleep.
Why the Nose Unblocking Exercise Works
You might be wondering: how can holding your breath help clear a stuffy nose? The answer lies in two powerful gases your body naturally produces: carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitric oxide (NO).
When you hold your breath during the Nose Unblocking Exercise, carbon dioxide builds up slightly in your bloodstream. This gentle rise signals your nasal passages to open up. CO₂ acts as a natural vasodilator, it relaxes the smooth muscles around your nasal blood vessels, reducing swelling and improving airflow.
At the same time, nasal breathing boosts nitric oxide, a gas your nose produces that helps sterilize the air, open the airways, and improve oxygen delivery deep into the lungs. But you only get these benefits when you breathe through your nose, not your mouth.
So, by practicing this simple exercise regularly, you're not just clearing your nose, you’re also training your body to breathe more efficiently and setting yourself up for deeper, more restful sleep.
A Few Important Safety Tips for the Nose Unblocking Exercise
- Not for pregnancy: This exercise is not recommended if you’re pregnant.
- Medical conditions: If you have a serious medical condition, avoid long breath-holds. Instead, try just 3–5 gentle head nods.
- Low Control Pause or age 60+: If your Control Pause is under 13 seconds or you're over 60 years old, aim for just 5–10 head nods to keep it gentle and effective.
Always listen to your body and take it slow. With regular practice, you can still gain all the benefits safely.
2. The Breathe Light Exercise
Why it works: This breathing technique reduces over-breathing, calms the nervous system, and prepares your body for sleep.
How to do it:
- Sit or lie comfortably in bed.
- Gently close your mouth and breathe in and out through your nose.
- Take smaller, quieter breaths—almost as if you’re breathing less than normal.
- Focus on making each breath light, slow, and controlled.
- Continue for 3–5 minutes or until you feel relaxed and sleepy.
Goal: Practice 5 minutes, 4–6 times a day, and a full 10 minutes before bed.
🎧 Click here to practice the Breathe Light Exercise guided audio session.
Make It a Nightly Habit
Doing these nasal breathing exercises before bed can help:
- Clear congestion naturally
- Reduce reliance on mouth breathing
- Improve CPAP comfort and effectiveness
- Set the stage for deeper, more restful sleep
Tip: It’s normal to feel a little “air hunger” at first when you begin practicing these exercises. This is a good sign of progress and will ease as your breathing improves.
Support Your Breathing All Night Long
After your exercises, consider using a nasal breathing aid like MyoTape to gently keep your lips closed during sleep. This encourages full-time nasal breathing without sealing your mouth shut, so it’s safe for people with sleep apnea, even those using CPAP or a MAD.
🔗 [Click here to learn more about MyoTape or to order yours.]
🔗Check out our Guide to Mouth Taping: Do’s, Don’ts, and Benefits for Sleep and Breathing
Tip: Still struggling to breathe through your nose at night? A nasal dilator might help. These small devices gently open up your nostrils, making nasal breathing easier.
Final Thoughts
A stuffy nose doesn’t have to ruin your night. With just a few minutes of simple breathing exercises, you can clear your nasal passages, breathe more easily, and enjoy better sleep—naturally.
Breathe better. Sleep better. Wake up refreshed.
Want to learn more? [Discover The Breathing Cure for Better Sleep by Patrick McKeown →]
