Why Proper Breathing Improves Your Mental, Emotional and Physical Health
A remedy for mental health issues, sleep problems, digestive disruption and heart problems. 6 resources below.
There is increasing evidence now that by simply learning to breathe better, conditions such as anxiety, digestive disruption, heart problems, and sleep problems will improve. This simplest of activities, an automatic function controlled by the respiratory centre of the brain, can make a significant difference to our health and wellbeing. Learning to breathe properly may even be the only change you need to make to feel less stressed, less anxious, and to sleep better.
1. The New Science of a Lost Art
Published in 2021, “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor, discusses the many ailments that can be relieved by learning to breath properly, and ideally through the nose. The author experiments by plugging his nostrils for two weeks to discover the serious consequences to his health when forced to only breathe through his mouth. You can listen to this book on audible and it’s available here too.
2. Video: Buteyko Breathing Exercise with Patrick McKeown
The Buteyko Method is a breathing technique designed to improve functional breathing patterns. While breathing is an involuntary activity, it is subject to change by stresses of everyday life, processed foods, excessive sitting and talking, lifestyle choices and environmental factors. Functional breathing involves breathing in and out through the nose. The breath is light, regular, effortless with the primary movement from the diaphragm.
This video teaches you how to do Buteyko Breathing. I found this breathing quite strange at first, like I wasn’t getting enough air. But after a few minutes as I eased into the rhythm, I did indeed find myself feeling more relaxed an at ease.
Here is a video below to learn more about the technique from Patrick McKeown, a world leader in teaching the Buteyko Breathing Method.
3. Guided Video: Buteyko Breathing – Breathe Light, Slow & Deep | Guided Exercise for Anxiety & Brain Fog
I also listen to this video which is a guided Buteyko breathing meditation. It goes for about 9 minutes. I love it and use it before I go to sleep if I’m feeling a little too awake.
4. The 4-7-8 breathing technique
The 4-7-8 conscious breathing technique was created by Harvard-trained medical doctor and founder of the Arizona Centre for Integrative Medicine Dr. Andrew Weil. Also known as the Relaxing Breath, it takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. It rapidly ease tension and anxiety and I have found it to work beautifully. I often use it to fall back asleep if I wake up in the middle of the night.
Here are the steps.
Exhale completely through the mouth
Breathe in through your nose quietly for a count of four
Hole the breath for a count of seven
Breathe out through your mouth for a count of eight
Repeat four times.
This breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system which takes your body out of the “fright and flight” and places your body in a “rest and digest” mode.
5. Article: How to avoid the flight fight response through slowing your breathing
Breathing is an automatic function that is controlled by the respiratory centre in the brain. When you’re feeling anxious, you think it’s coming from the outside which invokes the flight-fight response, causing you to become even more anxious.
Simply by understanding the mechanics of breathing and slowing it down, you’ll feel less anxious immediately, creating a state of mind where you feel more at ease.
Click here to read: Breathing To Reduce Stress
6. Article: Lower anxiety, stabilise your heart and focus your mind with proper breathing
We don’t breathe properly because we sit down for too long which squashes our lungs, we’ve been told to suck in our stomachs so that we look slimmer, and we don’t do enough cardio exercise to work the lungs.
The article goes onto describe bad breathing habits and the health benefits of daily focused breath. It also explains a couple of different breathing techniques such as box breathing and tactical breathing.
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Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash