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Breathe Better, Feel Better
Have you ever tried to hold your breath until you passed out? It’s not impossible but chances are that your natural instinct to breathe will kick in long before you hit the floor.
Breath is the most primal life impulse. Without it, we die. We breathe to provide necessary oxygen to our cells and to rid out bodies of carbon dioxide. Luckily, unless we suffer from a respiratory ailment such as asthma or COPD, we don’t have to consciously think about breathing, it’s automatic; the body breathes itself.
We also have control over our breath. We can choose to hold our breath for a period of time, increase or decrease the rate of our breathing, or otherwise consciously control it. This is because both somatic and autonomic nerves regulate the diaphragm, a major respiratory muscle, allowing both voluntary and involuntary control over the breath.
The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that serves as a partition dividing your lungs and heart from your other organs. It attaches to the insides of the lower six ribs and along the front of the lumbar vertebrae. On inhalation, the diaphragm contracts, pushing down into the abdomen, allowing the lungs to inflate and on exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, allowing the lungs to expel air.
When we are under physical or mental stress, our automatic breathing patterns change as part of the “fight-or-flight” or acute stress response. The diaphragm does not fully contract and relax. Instead, our heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate increases and our breath becomes shallow as the body prepares to defend itself.
This system served our ancestors well when “fight-or-flight” literally meant life or getting eaten by a saber-toothed tiger. Unfortunately today, many of us live in a state of chronic or near-chronic stress and therefore don’t breathe fully. The result is a weakened immune system that can contribute to a host of health issues.
Learning to breathe more fully allows our bodies to shift from “fight-or-flight” to “rest and relax”. This parasympathetic state is necessary to reduce stress levels and is key to healing and feeling better. To learn how to breathe more fully, try the following abdominal breathing exercise:
Lie down on your back with your knees bent. Place your relaxed hands on your belly. Breathing through your nose, gently inhale and attempt to balloon your gut so your abdomen and hands rise. Exhale, allowing your hands to fall back into your belly towards the floor. Repeat this for 10 breaths without straining.
