This is a product I use myself, and I use it for two completely different reasons.

Firstly, sleep.

I’ve worn nasal strips for quite a while now because I simply breathe better through my nose at night when I’m wearing one. I wake up with less of a dry mouth, I snore less and I generally feel like I’ve had a deeper, better quality night’s sleep.

The second is cardio.

Whether I’m on the Wattbike, Arc Trainer, out walking, or doing lower intensity conditioning work, I genuinely feel more comfortable breathing through my nose with a strip on than without one.

Is it going to suddenly increase your VO₂ max or knock minutes off your marathon time? Sadly not. The research on performance is mixed, and I think it’s important to be honest about that.

What the strips do seem to do very consistently is improve the feeling of nasal airflow. For me, that alone is worthwhile. If breathing feels easier, particularly during lower intensity aerobic work where nasal breathing is more achievable, that’s a positive.

They’re also inexpensive, completely drug free and have virtually no downside. Worst case, they don’t make much difference for you. Best case, you breathe more comfortably during sleep and training, just as I have.

Sometimes the simplest products are worth trying for yourself.

The Science:

Physiologic effects of an external nasal dilator

Study: Researchers investigated whether an external nasal dilator increased nasal airflow and influenced physiological responses during exercise.

Laryngoscope, 1997

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9292609/

The nasal strip significantly increased nasal valve area and reduced perceived exertion, heart rate, ventilation and oxygen consumption during submaximal exercise. While it did not dramatically improve maximal performance, it demonstrated measurable improvements in breathing efficiency and comfort. 

Breathing parameters associated to two different external nasal dilator strips in endurance athletes

Study: This study examined the effects of external nasal dilator strips on nasal airflow, nasal VO₂max, time to exhaustion and subjective breathing in trained triathletes.

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 2017

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28153693/

Athletes wearing nasal strips experienced improved nasal airflow, longer nasal breathing time before switching to mouth breathing and an improved perception of nasal breathing. Although overall exercise performance changes were modest, the findings support their use for improving breathing comfort during endurance exercise.