Nasal Strips- Do They Really Work or are they Just Fashion Statements?
If your new to the competitive world of sports, you might have seen some individuals wearing nasal strips during performance activities to potentially gain an advantage.
You might also be wondering should I possibly try these nasal strips? You might even have thought about purchasing them for your children to gain a competitive advantage or they have pleaded with you to spend a few bucks to grab a box so they could write something on them.
Come on Dad and Mom, the goal in any sport is to gain a "legal" competitive advantage. and to "drip" at the same time.
The question, do the nasal strips really work and secondly, are they worth it? As they make logical sense as they open the nose, reduce resistance, improve airflow, and conceivably help you perform better.
Before I dive deep into this meta-analysis abstract let me explain why I decided to spend any time on this subject matter. When I was a senior in High School, yes way back in 1995, and yes this is how long they have been on the market. Our Physical Trainer, Doc Bender would get different items to experiment with or try. He just so happened to get these nasal strips and approached me to try them out during one of our high school basketball practices.
During this particular practice and after getting approval from my coach, Coach Freiler, I placed these strips securely on the crest of my nose to gain the "competitive advantage" that these "breathe-rite" strips claimed.
This test run using these "breathe-rite" strips were meant to make me breathe easier running sprints, improve my nasal flow, enhance my performance, and make me faster, fitter, and more efficient on the basketball court.
To make a long story short (see my results at the conclusion), here is a summary of the meta-analysis abstract that was completed on 624 studies, with 19 being eligible for this particular study to see if "Nasal Strips" obtain the competitive advantage you desire:
BOTTOM LINE:
WHAT NASAL STRIPS "DO NOT DO"
1- Do Not Reduce Heart Rate or Improve Heart Rate
2- Do Not Enhance Performance, via VO2 Max (maximal oxygen uptake)
3- No Improvement in Rate of Perceived Exertion
4- No Connective Tissue Synthesis
5- No Strength Training Benefit
WHAT NASAL STRIPS "DO"
1- Make Breathing Feel Easier
2- Improve Nasal Patency (openness of nasal passage and efficiency of air flow)
3- Widen the Nasal Valve
4- Make You Look Like a Bad Ass
5- Legal/Not Banned
In My Humbled Opinion (IMHO/Conclusion):
Overall, some of the study showed some slight improvements, but the majority of the study was inconsistent, high risk for bias, and the overall evidence just doesn't show any real competitive advantage, besides being bad ass, and maybe you can place a scripture on the black making you an "influencer of some sorts".
Mom and Dad, don't expect the nasal strips to give your child the competitive advantage that they were seeking (fitter, faster, and improved performance). That unfortunately comes with repetition and being competitively driven, which you can't attach or teach.
As for me, they actually fell off a few times due to my sweat, as I actually tried a few of them that evening at practice probably going through about 3 sets. Then again, maybe I was just wearing those "breathe-rite" strips wrong in 1995 and the 2026 addition of them is more advanced.
Bottom Line:
I will just stick with the Biore ones, they actually produce more disgusting results.
-Jesse
Disclaimer: Sharing a study in NOT an endorsement. You should read the orginal research yourself and be critical.
