What If Your Gut Was the Key to Your Performance?

Breathing, digestion, and performance. The connection every athlete should master.

When we talk about performance, whether athletic or cognitive, we often focus on training, strength, or recovery.

But what if the real game changer was your breath?

Surprisingly, your gut and your breath form a powerful physiological duo. One that can boost or block your energy, focus, digestion, and recovery.

In this article, we explore how nasal breathing can transform digestion, regulate your nervous system, and unlock untapped reserves of performance.

1. Breathing and digestion: a deeply connected system

Every deep breath moves the diaphragm, the central muscle of respiration. That downward motion massages your digestive organs, stimulates blood and lymphatic flow, and improves digestive secretions.

But if your gut is inflamed, bloated, or tense, the diaphragm can’t descend fully. The result is a shallow, restricted breath. Less oxygen, more tension.

Breathing and digestion are not separate functions. They’re two sides of the same system.

Your gut, often referred to as your second brain, communicates with the central nervous system via the vagus nerve, and that nerve is strongly influenced by how you breathe.

A high-quality nasal breath oxygenates cells and sends calming signals throughout the digestive tract.

2. The breath as a switch for “rest and digest” mode

Your autonomic nervous system has two main states:

• Sympathetic: fight, flight, alertness

• Parasympathetic: rest, digest, and recover

The vagus nerve is the master key to the second state, and nasal, slow breathing activates it.

Each long, deep nasal exhale stimulates the vagus nerve. Your heart rate drops. Your digestive system switches back on. Your body enters a mode of healing and absorption.

Studies (Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2022) show that slow breathing around 6 breaths per minute can relieve digestive issues, increase vagal tone, and reduce symptoms of IBS.

Simple protocols like 4-7-8 breathing — inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8 — are proven ways to activate this parasympathetic response.

3. Oxygenation is about breathing better, not more

You’d think that breathing more air equals more oxygen. But that’s only half the story.

If you breathe too fast or through your mouth, your CO₂ levels drop. And CO₂ is what signals your hemoglobin to release oxygen into tissues (Bohr effect). No CO₂, no oxygen delivery, even if you're breathing a lot.

This is called silent hypoxia. It’s real, and it’s common.

Nasal breathing, on the other hand, encourages slower respiratory rates, maintains optimal CO₂ levels, and increases nitric oxide (NO) production in the sinuses, a molecule that enhances blood flow and oxygen delivery (Kim et al., 2011).

According to the European Respiratory Society, nasal breathing can boost blood oxygenation by 10 to 20 percent compared to mouth breathing.

4. The data doesn’t lie: 90 percent of athletes breathe poorly

A Japanese study on 1,933 athletes (2022) found that 90.6 percent of them showed dysfunctional breathing patterns such as high chest breathing, poor diaphragm activation, and chronic over-breathing. In turn this lead to poor oxygenation, sluggish digestion, early fatigue, impaired recovery and sleep.

But the good news is that breathing better requires zero extra hours of training. Just a shift in how and when you breathe.

5. Where BREEV comes in

Building a consistent nasal breathing pattern during effort and during rest is simple, but not always easy. That’s why BREEV tools exist.

BREEV Nasal Strips

Designed for athletes and active professionals, our nose strips gently open the nasal passages to enhance airflow.

• During training: reduce resistance, improve oxygenation, lower heart rate
• During the day: promote focus and calm through steady nasal breathing

BREEV Mouth Tape

A breathable, skin-safe tape that encourages nasal breathing during sleep, the most overlooked phase of recovery.

• Better oxygenation
• Deeper rest
• Improved digestion and vagal activity overnight

A 2022 NIH study showed that mouth taping reduced snoring and improved sleep quality in mild sleep apnea.

These aren’t gimmicks. They’re tools for anyone looking to shift from reactive breathing to mastered breathing.

6. How to integrate better breathing into your routine

• Train with your mouth closed. Reduce intensity at first. Let the nasal breath guide your pace.
• Sleep with your nose. Use BREEV mouth tape to keep the breath where it belongs
• Practice 5 minutes of belly breathing each morning or evening
• Use parasympathetic protocols like 4-7-8 or box breathing to regulate stress, digestion, and recovery

Conclusion: A calm gut, a clear mind, a sharper body

You can follow the best workout plan and eat a perfect diet, but if your breathing is off, your performance will be capped.

Breath is the invisible foundation of digestion, energy, recovery, and nervous system balance.

With BREEV, you now have concrete tools to reinforce that foundation simply, daily, and with impact.

Every breath is a chance to improve your recovery, digestion, and clarity. Don’t waste it.

Key Sources
Kim et al., European Archives of Otorhinolaryngology, 2011
European Respiratory Journal, 1999
Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2022
NIH, 2022 – Impact of Mouth Taping on Sleep Quality
Internal BREEV Training Curriculum (Breathing Academy, Sessions 1 to 7)