Cardiovascular Health Month: Reduce cardiac risks associated with chronic sinusitis

February is Cardiovascular Health Month, and by practicing breathing exercises, you might be able to mitigate the cardiovascular difficulties linked with chronic sinusitis.

According to Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, nasal blockage, chronic sinusitis and chronic allergies all have a significant influence on a person's quality of life.

"If you have a poor outlook on life because you're always suffering from allergies or sinus (infections), it's going to affect the rest of your general health," Blair said. "So if you can get your breathing and your nose in tiptop shape, you're going to feel better and you'll want to do more things and you're going to overall improve your quality of health."

Blair emphasized that early sinusitis management is critical, as ignoring persistent infections for an extended length of time may permanently impair the nose's ability to respond to sinusitis indications.

"We have little hair cells in the sinus that actually beat the mucus out of the natural opening, just like you do in the lungs," Blair said. "If those are damaged permanently, your sinuses will not function and you'll have to irrigate your nose constantly every day to actually mimic those hair cells to really get that mucus that your sinuses are creating out of the nose."

In a 2013 study, alternate nostril breathing was shown to be the only breath exercise that had a beneficial impact on cardiovascular function, considerably lowering heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure, according to Healthline.

A separate 2017 study was about the impact of a breathing practice called "pranayama" on the lung capacity of professional swimmers and found that it increased respiratory endurance.

Additionally, a separate Healthline report found that reducing your heart rate could also be beneficial for cardiovascular health. The use of a slow yogic breathing, such as alternate nostril breathing, according to a 2006 study, may dramatically lower the heart rate and average breathing rhythm.

If you'd like to evaluate your symptoms and are considering seeing a doctor, take Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers' Self-Assessment Sinus Quiz.