I see breath as the key foundations of wellbeing. It is often overlooked though because we all do it every day to stay alive and therefore we must be doing it right. Right? Not quite. Breathing incorrectly can harm your energy levels, mental function and many other aspects of your health. Conversely, breathing correctly can boost your energy and mental function and create balance and wellbeing in your body. Breathing correctly also helps to calm you and reduce the impact of stress.
How to Breathe Correctly
There are two essential elements to breathing correctly: breathing through your nose (nasal breathing) and breathing actively with your diaphragm (diaphragmatic breathing).
Nose Breathing
If we look at the effects of mouth breathing vs the effects of nose breathing there are not pros and cons of each as far as I am aware. Mouth breathing is the cons and nose breathing is the pros.
Issues connected to mouth breathing:
· Sleep apnea
· Sleep disturbance
· Snoring
· Anxiety
· Dental issues
· Dry mouth
· Bad breath
· High blood pressure
· Brain fog and reduced cognitive function
· Reduced circulation and reduced blood flow to the brain
· Can easily lead to over-breathing which can cause adrenaline and blood sugar to spike. Consistently over-breathing strains the body just like consistent stress does.
The Benefits of Breathing through Your Nose
· High energy levels
· Balanced blood pressure
· Healthy heart rate variability (meaning your body has a high level of stress resilience)
· Lower levels of stress and anxiety
· Healthier teeth and gums
· Encourages effective jaw and airway development
· Healthy lung function
When you breathe through your nose, your sinuses slow down the air, filter it, warm it and pressurize it which makes it easier for the lungs to process it. Nose breathing also releases about 6 x more nitric oxide than mouth breathing. This is a key health point, because increased nitric oxide has numerous health benefits.
· improves blood flow and oxygen supply
· enhances blood flow to the brain
· is key for arousal and erections in men and women
· helps regulate immune responses
· improves lung function
· improves muscle performance and recovery
· fights inflammation
· supports bone health
From all that it is clear that our bodies are biologically designed to nasal breathe. That is our natural and optimum way of breathing. Remember, optimising your health does not have to be complex or involve doing more things.
The how to for nose breathing is pretty simple: close your mouth and breathe in and out through your nose. Try and keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose at all times including when eating, exercising and sleeping.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Your diaphragm is a large, upward dome-shaped muscle that extends across your torso under your lungs and separates your chest from your abdomen. It acts as the primary muscle for breathing by contracting and flattening creating a vacuum in the lungs to pull air in (inhalation) and relaxing back into its dome shape to decrease the space inside the lungs and force air out (exhalation). Practicing diaphragmatic breathing strengthens core muscles, stabilizes the spine, naturally encourages better postural alignment, reduces neck and shoulder tension and promotes a relaxed, upright stance. It is very difficult to breathe deep into your lower ribs when you are bent or collapsed forward.
How to do Diaphragmatic Breathing
Either stand, or lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. When you are starting out with practicing diaphragmatic breathing, it is easiest to feel the movement of your diaphragm and ribs when you are lying on your back. Avoid sitting down to do this practice because sitting compresses your abdomen and restricts the free movement of your diaphragm. Breathe into your diaphragm. When you inhale, notice your diaphragm contract downwards and your mid-ribcage gently expand out to the sides, back and front. The movement is small and gentle. You are allowing the movement of your diaphragm and ribcage - not forcing it. When you exhale, notice your diaphragm releasing back up and your ribcage dropping back into rest. You may like to place one or both hands on your mid to lower ribs to feel the movement of them and to draw your awareness to this area of your body.
Diaphragmatic breathing is often described as belly breathing and people are advised to place a hand on their abdomen to feel the rise and fall of their breath coming in and out. Breathing down into your belly can cause some issues. It can put pressure on your pelvic floor, and at middle age, many people have pelvic floor weakness or issues and need to avoid putting stress on it. It can also cause you to flare your lower ribs out rather than the ribs expanding evenly. This can create tension in your neck and a forward head posture.
To watch a video where I demonstrate how to diaphragmatic breathe click here.
Takeaway Focus and Practice
Invest 5 minutes a day in consciously breathing through your nose while actively using your diaphragm (i.e. practicing nasal and diaphragmatic breathing). This will begin to train your awareness and muscle memory. It will also act as an effective micro-break allowing your mind to settle and your body to switch out of stress mode (your sympathetic nervous system) and into rest mode (your parasympathetic nervous system).
Want More Quick and Easy Wellbeing Tips?
Click the link below to subscribe to get my Weekly Wellbeing Newlsetter delivered to you every weekend with one focus, idea, practice, or insight to help you live your week with a little more ease and a little less stress. Plus! Get the 5-Minute Stress Reset Guide for FREE!