Tons of viruses replicate in your sinuses (like covid), so idk if nose breathing would be the right answer.
Really, flushing out your sinuses after exposure is the best option if you can’t wear a mask.
I know that breathing through your nose is generally better than breathing through your mouth for the simple fact that your nose has special follicles that act as a filter. But honestly the eyes and nose are most sensitive to infection and that’s part of the reason people are suggesting masks. It’s to lower the number of mucus membrane vectors for infection.
Op is more likely to get sick, especially if the other sick person isn’t washing their hands and cleaning surfaces they touch, and limiting the amount of time touching their own mucus membranes.
pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online 5 weeks ago
puppy@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
But if you inhale through the mouth as the alternative, you’ll directly track the viral load to the lungs which also had mucus and the viral load would multiply there instead. So take your pick. At least the nasal passage has some defences.
xmunk@sh.itjust.works 5 weeks ago
Masks are suggested not for your own safety but for the safety of others… as you mentioned the eyes are quite sensitive to infection so masks on public transit aren’t an effort to keep germs in the air from getting to you - they’re an effort to prevent germs from getting in the air.
You didn’t hear that talked about much during the pandemic because, if we’re honest, most people are assholes… they’ll bear a minor inconvenience to keep themselves safe but couldn’t be assed to keep anyone else safe.
atrielienz@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
No offense but this was explained many a time during the pandemic, especially in relation to immunocompromised people. If op can’t mask I doubt there are any breathing techniques they can use to prevent them from getting sick. But cleaning anything they touch and washing their hands is as good a solution as any.