Overview
Do you ever stop for a moment to assess how you are breathing? Most likely not, as the process of breathing is thankfully largely driven by our autonomic nervous system, which is involuntary. But perhaps we should be paying more attention to our breath; as research shows that how we breathe can actually impact our health greatly, and even thwart disease. In fact, science is pretty clear on the immense benefits of invoking the relaxation response via different modalities be it yoga, deep breathing, or meditation. Here, we’ll focus on the benefits of deep breathing specifically.
What is Diaphragmatic Breathing?
Normally, the majority of us do not engage in deep, diaphragmatic breathing, but rather, shallow breathing. What this means, is that instead of taking large breaths using our diaphragmatic muscles whereby your abdomen expands outward, we take smaller breaths (“chest breathing”) thereby curbing the diaphragm’s range of motion. When done correctly, diaphragmatic breathing involves the expansion of your belly, while your chest does not rise. Women may be especially prone to shallow breathing due to societal stigmas regarding the attractiveness of a flat stomach. Of course, the majority of us can also easily become accustomed to breathing this way as a result of daily stresses and worries that consistently provoke our fight or flight stress responses.
With our busy schedules, people don’t generally take the time, or have the time, to stop and pay attention to their breath. It can seem unnatural at first to practice diaphragmatic breathing, but it helps to devote some time daily to practice. Developing the skills to become more mindful (aware) can also help in the process. You can set a timer and practice deep breathing during a specific time, say in the morning upon waking, at lunch, and/or before bedtime.
Benefits of Deep Breathing
Deep breathing has a whole range of health benefits because it saturates tissues with oxygen and enables the full exchange of incoming oxygen to outgoing carbon dioxide to take place. This process relaxes blood vessels, tensed muscles, and encourages the autonomic nervous system over the sympathetic, or flight or fight nervous system. Thus, it’s no surprise that positive health effects of deep breathing include lowered blood pressure, decreased anxiety and depression, and increased immunity due to decreased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Deep breathing increases oxygenation in the lower part of the lungs, which shallow breathing does not. As such, shallow breathing may also contribute to feeling short of breath or anxious.
According to research, specific conditions that may benefit from diaphragmatic breathing include COPD, ADHD, GI disorders, immune-related disease, cardiovascular disorders, and more.
The autonomic nervous system has two primary division, sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system predominantly prepares the body for stressful situations (“fight or flight”) while the parasympathetic nervous system generally regulates bodily functions during ordinary scenarios (conserves and restores). While your autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls mainly involuntary functions such as breathing, digestion, blood pressure, metabolism, and temperature—we can learn to modulate some of these processes by activating our vagus nerve, which modulates the ANS, by practicing deep breathing.
The full range of health benefits of deep breathing include:
- Increases blood oxygenation, thus energy
- Decreases heart rate and blood pressure
- Reduces anxiety and depression
- Heightens ability to focus
- Increases immune response
- Reduces muscle tension
- Increases vagal tone
- Encourages a relaxed state
- Helps to relieve pain
- Improves digestion
Practice Deep Breathing
- Sit in a comfortable position with your… or lie down
- Place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest.
- Inhale through your nose for approximately 4 seconds and hold your breath for 2-3 seconds. If done correctly, you should feel your abdomen (belly) expand with your one hand, while the hand on your chest should remain relatively still.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for approximately 6 seconds.
- Repeat 5-10 times several times daily (or 5-15 minutes daily), whichever is easiest.
Set a Routine
So the next time you are sitting at your desk working, take a moment to become aware of your breath, and attempt to do some deep breathing exercises. Do this consistently for 15 minutes a day (consider just 5 minutes, 3 times daily) and your body will thank you in the long run!
Perspective
Throughout my life, I’ve definitely tended to be more type-A, sympathetic-driven, so shallow breathing has always come more naturally. In fact, individuals who have suffered from childhood trauma may inadvertently train themselves to be less mindful of their surroundings in order to escape it. This manifests itself as being less aware of the present and more imaginative or future-driven as a coping mechanism. For instance, in my favorite play, Les Misérables, Cossette sings “Castle on a Cloud,” which serves as a great example of how Cosette didn’t want to be mindful at the time since she was facing grim circumstances. But practicing mindfulness (becoming aware of your environment / yourself without judgment) and taking a moment to become aware of your breath can help to calm your mind. Becoming more aware of my breathing coupled with daily practice has enabled me to reduce the inclination to take shallow breaths. Personally, I am making it my goal again to practice the 4-7-8 technique in the evenings in bed, prior to sleeping. It’s a great exercise to do just before bedtime to calm your mind and put you in a more parasympathetic state. We can also reframe stress by seeing it as an opportunity to engage in a breathing exercise. So, the next time you encounter a stressful situation, have that be your trigger to start a deep breathing exercise.
