You breathe, I breathe, we all breathe to stay alive! But did you know the quality of your breathing directly impacts your quality of sleep? 

I interviewed Sachin Patel on my podcast, and this blog post is a wonderful summary of that episode.

First, let me tell you more about Sachin Patel…

Sachin Patel is a father, husband, philanthropist, functional medicine practice success coach, international speaker, and best-selling author. His philosophy is that “The doctor of the future is the patient” and he is actively doing whatever it takes to keep people out of the medical system by empowering them through education, self-care, and remapping their mindset.

We have the same mission, the same certification, and he’s someone I greatly admire and look up to in the functional medicine and wellness business coaching space. Sachin is genuine and deeply cares about people. I’m so grateful to have interviewed him. 

So, let’s talk more about how the quality of your breathing impacts the quality of your sleep.

Interesting facts about breathing, the nervous system, and why breathing is so important 


Sachin recently gave a keynote speech where he said, “The breath is the most powerful health technology you’ve never heard of.”  

What does he mean by that? Let’s dig deeper…

We take about 23,000 breaths per day and most of them are unconscious. But each breath is so important because each breath informs our nervous system. 

That means, when your breathing is stressful, your nervous system will feel that and respond accordingly. And when your breathing is calm, your nervous system will also feel that and respond accordingly. 

Interestingly, it’s a two-way street. So while your breathing informs your nervous system, your nervous system is also informing your breathing!

That means, when your nervous system is stressed, your breathing will reflect that. And when your nervous system is calm, your breathing will also reflect that. 

Your breathing has the capability to change your biology, physicality, and neurochemistry. 

If you’re having trouble sleeping because of stress, you have a huge opportunity to sleep well by simply focusing on your breathing and taking good care of your nervous system during the day.

We consume about 30 pounds of air each day. Which means air is the largest thing you consume in your body each day. 

When you learn to increase the quality of your breathing, you can decrease the quantity of air you consume each day. This can, in turn, help you consume less unnecessary calories each day. 

Why Sachin Patel began doing breathwork


Sachin began doing breathwork when he was invited to an event and was told to bring a bathing suit. Intrigued by this, Sachin went to this event. 

During the event, attendees got into a pool of ice in the middle of the winter. When they got out of the pool, they were not offered a towel to dry off and stay warm. They were forced to use their breath to stay warm. 

At this event, Sachin learned how to use his breath to get into altered states of consciousness. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to explore this field further. 

Sachin’s young son was having dental issues around this time, and Sachin learned that his dental issues were because of mouth-breathing. Instead of pulling teeth out, Sachin learned how to help his son by scheduling a palatable expansion in addition to helping his son reduce his mouth-breathing.

How to breathe so you can sleep and optimize your health 


If you are breathing dysfunctionally during the night, it will affect the quality of your sleep. When Sachin learned that he snored at night, he knew he needed to work on his breathing technique. 

Sachin was a nasal breather during the day, which is what you want to be, but the snoring at night meant he was a mouth-breather at night. This meant his saliva was being dried out at night, and changing the PH balance of his mouth at night. This also meant more bacteria was entering his body and affecting other areas of his body, and nitric oxide wasn’t getting the opportunity to kill particulates entering his body. 

So, how do you breathe in a way that helps you sleep and your overall health?

You focus on nasal breathing as much as possible. Day and night.

You can also make your exhale out longer than your inhale in. You want to slow down your breath on the exhale. This process helps regulate your nervous system. 

When you focus on nasal breathing, your tongue should be gently placed on the roof of your mouth. 

The cause of peeing in the night and how mouth taping can help


When you breathe through your mouth, it acts as a diuretic. This explains why many of us have to pee during the night! 

Another reason why it’s so important to focus on nasal breathing as much as possible. 

Mouth tape is one way you could force your mouth to stay closed while you sleep. 

When your mouth is closed at night, you will be able to sleep better at night, without as many trips to the bathroom. 

If you’d like to learn more about Sachin Patel and the work he does, visit his website here.

Learn more about The Complete Sleep Solution program.