Nasal airflow asymmetries and human performance.

Recent studies of the nasal cycle and forced uni-nostril breathing have demonstrated that integrated EEG amplitudes are greater over the hemisphere contralateral to the dominant (less congested) or unblocked nostril. Two experiments were designed to determine if asymmetries in nasal airflow, occurring naturally as a result of the nasal cycle or artificially as a result of forced uni-nostril breathing have consequences for human performance on verbal and spatial tasks that are preferentially performed by the left and right hemispheres respectively. A significant relationship was obtained between the pattern of nasal airflow with normal breathing and relative spatial vs verbal performance. Forced uni-nostril breathing had no effect on performance.