Breathing is something we have always done and will continue to do every day. Moreover, we can be confident that we are doing it well enough. Otherwise, we’re dead (or need a ventilator). But a quick search on the Internet yields results that suggest, like many things in our lives, there is room for improvement. There are techniques and exercises. Keeping yourself alive is just the basics. Breathing better also has its own benefits.
Before we move on to the benefits and techniques that can be achieved by incorporating breathing exercises into your daily life, let’s first consider. Would a healthy person without respiratory disease be able to breathe better than they do now? “In many cases, it’s very likely so. [they could]” says Miguel Soro, member of the board of directors of the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists (AFI). “Ever since we were children, we’ve been given a lot of health advice. When it comes to breathing, we’ve always been taught that the correct way to breathe is to take air in through the nose and let it out through the mouth. Apart from that, being taught how to breathe properly is not very common,” he says.
Experts believe that the diaphragm (the main respiratory muscle that contracts and relaxes to move air in and out of the lungs) is often underutilized, which “impairs our ventilation mechanics and “It affects lung capacity.” Still, most people don’t realize that they need to make an effort to improve their breathing, even if their diaphragm is underutilized. Gerard Muñoz Castro, a researcher, respiratory physiotherapist, and member of the Spanish Society of Respiratory and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), says shallow breathing is sufficient in most cases. But when you need to exert effort using your breathing muscles, “having a proper breathing pattern is important,” and it can be trained.
According to Solo, the first direct benefit of improved breathing is that your breathing becomes “deeper and more efficient,” which “brings better oxygen to your body and helps your muscles become stronger and function properly.” It means “become.” “This is especially true for people with chronic respiratory diseases.” However, as Gerard Muñoz points out, “the scientific evidence for improved efficiency in healthy people is less clear.”
Better breathing “may mean improved physical performance and therefore contribute to better development of peripheral muscles,” Muñoz adds. In fact, it has been speculated that certain breathing techniques may improve core strength, but again there is no “strong scientific evidence” for this. What better oxygen supply can achieve is improved sports performance, Solo says. In fact, “Respiratory muscle training is already included in many athletes’ routines as a complement to training in their discipline. “That’s another aspect that needs to be addressed,” he points out.
Improve your posture and reduce pain
Whether breathing better helps you in your daily life or when playing sports when you have no respiratory problems, there are other benefits to practicing certain breathing techniques as well. For example, according to a study published in 2022; International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, a breathing exercise program guided by a physical therapist can improve posture, muscle balance, and pectoral muscle mobility compared to programs based on yoga or Pilates. However, the exercises performed by the participants in the study (females aged 20 to 22) were not just lying on the floor and breathing in a certain way; breathing exercises were performed in different positions, and in some cases breathing techniques. It was accompanied by slow movement.
Practicing certain breathing techniques can also help you prepare for surgery. In hospitals, it is common for patients undergoing certain surgeries to also undergo pulmonary rehabilitation. In recent years, pre-rehabilitation, which involves practicing breathing exercises before surgery, has also been introduced. “These pulmonary rehabilitation or ‘pre-rehabilitation’ programs have been shown to reduce postoperative complications, shorten hospital stays, or reduce functional loss. In more colloquial terms, we can say that the ‘better you are’ for surgery, the better your ability to recover after surgery,” says Gerard Muñoz Castro.
Another area where a lot of research is being done is pain. On the other hand, as Miguel Soro says, decreased respiratory efficiency is often associated with neck pain. By practicing breathing, “you can improve or prevent this type of condition at certain times.” In fact, people with chronic neck pain usually have suboptimal lung function, so breathing Special training focused on improving can also help reduce that pain. Similarly, breathing exercises have been found to help reduce pain in other cases, such as lower back pain. Additionally, breathing exercises can help reduce stress and relax, which can also help reduce pain.
Breathe to relieve stress and anxiety
“Learning conscious breathing techniques is one of the first treatments in any intervention for anxiety and stress,” says Ismael Dorado, executive director of the Spanish Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress (SEAS). As a clear example of how breathing plays into this, experts ask us to think about when we feel fear. “We automatically shorten our breaths,” he points out. “Anxiety and stressful situations are related to breathing rate, so regulating our breathing and consciously intervening is one of the first things we can do for our health,” he says. explains.
A lot of research has also been done on the effect that conscious breathing has on our psychological state. A 2015 study concluded that practicing slow breathing (less than 10 breaths per minute, exhaling longer than inhaling) can reduce stress and anxiety levels. There are several possible reasons why breathing in a certain way may help you relax. For example, this type of breathing has been shown to reduce the level of cortisol (the so-called “stress hormone”) in saliva and lower blood pressure.
Ismael Dorado adds that this conscious, relaxed breathing “directly influences brain activity.” This is because “breathing has direct connections with different parts of the cerebral cortex, where thinking, perception, and imagination occur, and also with processes directly related to learning, attention, and above all, memory.” All of this can be improved by controlling your breathing.
breathing method
Although scientific evidence is slowly showing that breathing exercises have a variety of health benefits, it’s important to understand that there is still a lot of research needed. Most studies have very small samples and focus on short periods of time. Additionally, a meta-analysis published in 2023 warns about the effects of breathing exercises on mental health and stress, so we should be careful not to confuse hype with evidence. However, the experts I spoke to said, Elpas We think it might be a good idea to incorporate breathing exercises into your daily life.
The first step, Miguel Solo recommends, is to “look at how we’re breathing,” meaning analyze our normal patterns and see what can be improved. is. From there, he suggests two exercises that “help you breathe properly and relax.”
diaphragmatic breathing
“This exercise involves breathing deeply using your diaphragm. To do this, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Nose Breathe in slowly through your mouth and expand your abdomen while keeping your chest relatively still. Breathe out slowly through your mouth and contract your abdomen. Repeat this process several times, focusing on deep, slow breathing. please.”
Breathing with apnea
“In this exercise, you breathe in, hold the air, exhale, and hold the air again, all at equal intervals. To do this, breathe in slowly for a count of 4, then hold your breath for a count of 4.” , exhale slowly for a count of 4, then stop again for a count of 4. Repeat this process several times, keeping a steady rhythm.
Ismael Dorado describes a variation of this last technique and recommends doing it before bed when you are in a difficult situation or have to make a decision. “Fill your lungs to the maximum capacity until you can’t take it anymore, hold for 3 seconds, release the air over 5 seconds, wait 3 seconds again, and repeat. Maintaining this breathing rhythm for 1 minute can be very effective. ” he explains.
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