Breathe Yourself Healthy
Shocking night's sleep? Stressful day at work? For once, taking a deep breath might actually be the answer, here's why....
To Increase Energy:
Most people with low energy levels do not inhale enough air in one go to fully oxygenate their system, simply trying to breathe deeply can feel forced and uncomfortable, therefore, to raise energy levels it is said to take in a double inhale. Do two quick inhalations, then a fast exhale, repeat for 1-2 minutes where necessary as this will strength the stomach and improve your inhalation ability over time.
To Aid Sleep:
Deep, slow breathing switches on the parasympathetic nervous system that helps to calm us down. Therefore, it is recommended to use "Ocean Breath" to relax you before bed. Sit up straight, place your hands on the side of your ribs and inhale deeply so you feel your ribs expand outwards against your palms. Pause for a second then exhale forcefully through your mouth as if you were trying to fog up a mirror. Do that for 10 minutes every day when you feel overly stressed.
To Help the Heart:
Breathing through the nose releases nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels. In trials published in the journal of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback alternate nostril breathing four times a day for seven minutes was shown to decrease systolic and diastolic blood pressure. To do it, hold your right nostril closed then breathe in slowly through the left. Block the left nostril and exhale through the right. Now, inhale through the right then block the right and exhale through the left then repeat.
To Boost Mood:
Every emotion has its breathing pattern. When we are angry, we breathe irregularly and exhale through the nose; when we are sad, we breathe regularly but tense the muscles around our ribs. Researchers at Belgium's University of Louvain found that if you replicate the breathing pattern of a particular pattern, your mood follows suit. So, try replicating the breathing pattern of a happy person: inhale and exhale slowly through the nose, keeping your breath pattern regular and your ribcage relaxed.
To Tackle Pain:
When we are in pain our breathing pattern quickens ad we hold tension in the area where we hurt, however, this makes things worse as it decreases oxygen to the area. In fact, many headaches stem from poor breathing alone. The key to fighting pain is therefore to use long, slow breaths. To do this, try breathing at half your normal rate significantly reduced how pain was felt when heat was applied to the hands of the volunteers.
Six Steps To Better Breathing:
1. Stretch your chest
If the muscles in your chest are tight it will feel more uncomfortable to breathe deeply. To stretch them, put your hands behind your back, clasp them together, lift your arms up slightly and try to press your arms closer together. You should feel the pull against your chest and hold for 30 seconds.
2. Sit Up Straight
If your office chair doesn't let you sit up straight, swap to a Swiss Ball. Failing that, regularly take a minute to place your hands (palms upwards) on your lap as this opens up the chest and straightens the shoulders.
3. Drop your Shoulders
If you tense your neck, ancillary respiratory muscles in the side of your neck and across the chest take over from the lungs as this can result in breathing being more forced and lungs not filling properly.
4. Inhale Through the Nose, Exhale Through the Mouth
Not only does this stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, calming you down, it also helps warm the air you're breathing and filter it for some level of pollutants and germs.
5. Exhale Longer, Than You Inhale
Always breathe in for four seconds, and out for seven.
6. Expand Your Belly
When you aim to expand your belly as you inhale, it's only filling about 50% lung capacity, therefore, keep breathing deeper to fill your lungs with as much oxygen as possible and feel your ribs moving outwards.
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To Increase Energy:
Most people with low energy levels do not inhale enough air in one go to fully oxygenate their system, simply trying to breathe deeply can feel forced and uncomfortable, therefore, to raise energy levels it is said to take in a double inhale. Do two quick inhalations, then a fast exhale, repeat for 1-2 minutes where necessary as this will strength the stomach and improve your inhalation ability over time.
To Aid Sleep:
Deep, slow breathing switches on the parasympathetic nervous system that helps to calm us down. Therefore, it is recommended to use "Ocean Breath" to relax you before bed. Sit up straight, place your hands on the side of your ribs and inhale deeply so you feel your ribs expand outwards against your palms. Pause for a second then exhale forcefully through your mouth as if you were trying to fog up a mirror. Do that for 10 minutes every day when you feel overly stressed.
To Help the Heart:
Breathing through the nose releases nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels. In trials published in the journal of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback alternate nostril breathing four times a day for seven minutes was shown to decrease systolic and diastolic blood pressure. To do it, hold your right nostril closed then breathe in slowly through the left. Block the left nostril and exhale through the right. Now, inhale through the right then block the right and exhale through the left then repeat.
To Boost Mood:
Every emotion has its breathing pattern. When we are angry, we breathe irregularly and exhale through the nose; when we are sad, we breathe regularly but tense the muscles around our ribs. Researchers at Belgium's University of Louvain found that if you replicate the breathing pattern of a particular pattern, your mood follows suit. So, try replicating the breathing pattern of a happy person: inhale and exhale slowly through the nose, keeping your breath pattern regular and your ribcage relaxed.
To Tackle Pain:
When we are in pain our breathing pattern quickens ad we hold tension in the area where we hurt, however, this makes things worse as it decreases oxygen to the area. In fact, many headaches stem from poor breathing alone. The key to fighting pain is therefore to use long, slow breaths. To do this, try breathing at half your normal rate significantly reduced how pain was felt when heat was applied to the hands of the volunteers.
Six Steps To Better Breathing:
1. Stretch your chest
If the muscles in your chest are tight it will feel more uncomfortable to breathe deeply. To stretch them, put your hands behind your back, clasp them together, lift your arms up slightly and try to press your arms closer together. You should feel the pull against your chest and hold for 30 seconds.
2. Sit Up Straight
If your office chair doesn't let you sit up straight, swap to a Swiss Ball. Failing that, regularly take a minute to place your hands (palms upwards) on your lap as this opens up the chest and straightens the shoulders.
3. Drop your Shoulders
If you tense your neck, ancillary respiratory muscles in the side of your neck and across the chest take over from the lungs as this can result in breathing being more forced and lungs not filling properly.
4. Inhale Through the Nose, Exhale Through the Mouth
Not only does this stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, calming you down, it also helps warm the air you're breathing and filter it for some level of pollutants and germs.
5. Exhale Longer, Than You Inhale
Always breathe in for four seconds, and out for seven.
6. Expand Your Belly
When you aim to expand your belly as you inhale, it's only filling about 50% lung capacity, therefore, keep breathing deeper to fill your lungs with as much oxygen as possible and feel your ribs moving outwards.
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