Just Take a Deep Breath: How to Breathe for Improved Overall Health
It’s something we do automatically, from the moment we’re born, breathing is something instinctual. No need for instructions, right? However, just take a deep breath the right way and watch how overall health improves.
Did you know there is a way to breathe that is backed by science? Keep reading to find out the science-based benefits of breathing correctly, how it can improve overall health, the techniques you can use, and more!
The Modern Problem
In modern society, there’s rarely a time to simply sit and exist. We are constantly moving, constantly thinking about tomorrow, about the past, about issues or problems, etc. It feels like there’s no time to just think about breathing, and since breathing is something we do automatically, there’s no need or driving incentive to make us breathe correctly.
Multitasking is a must, it’s a second language all of us can speak, and thanks to hustle culture, we’re used to constant stimulation and movement. From side gigs to full-time careers, the quest for financial freedom keeps us occupied and breathless. Add in hobbies, morning routines, and quality time with family and friends, and our breath becomes unimportant.
Why Relearn Breathing
Many of us don’t think about breathing at all really. Because it’s something that you can do in your sleep, we think there’s no need to learn anything. It happens with or without our conscious effort. However, if you relearn how to breathe, you relearn how to live.
There are consequences to this fast-paced life. The common issues include burnout, stress, and physical and mental health issues and disorders. Now, I’m not saying everything can be fixed with a simple deep breath, but there’s a scientific reason why we should rethink the way we breathe.
Rapid, shallow, and senseless breathing contributes to many problems in the mind and body including anxiety, depression, high heart rate, and high blood pressure. When we take the time to deepen our breath and inhale with more purpose, we can change the biological processes that occur in the body. Honestly, try it right now, no matter where you are, who you are, or who you’re with, do it. Just take a deep breath. Just one. Make it long, deep, slow, and purposeful. Don’t you feel a little better?
Just Take a Deep Breath
Deep breathing is a simple activity. While it requires a bit of attention to purposefully inhale and exhale slowly and completely, many health benefits come from this form of breathing.
Benefits
Breathing is very much connected to our emotions. Just think about it whenever you’re nervous, anxious, or stressed. You start to breathe quicker. Your heart rate speeds up and your blood pressure rises. This makes your mind think there is a threat. You start to panic and the brain delivers more blood to the muscles. If things continue down that path, our fight or flight is activated.
Fight or flight is useful, it’s needed for emergencies even now in our modern society. But we can’t fight off bills and we can’t run from traffic. So the next best thing is channeling that energy into deep, slow, and even breathing. This form of inhalation and exhalation slows down the heart, relaxes the muscles, and calms down the brain. This deactivates our fight-or-flight response. In fact, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body responsible for reducing the adrenaline and cortisol spikes from a stress response. One surefire way anyone can reduce stress almost instantly is to take several deep breaths throughout the day. In the face of stressful situations, all we can do is breathe through the issues and clear our minds to face those challenges head-on.
How to Breathe Better
So, what exactly is a proper technique to breathe in a way that benefits our health? It’s not rocket science, and it’s not something you need to master in a day. In fact, there’s no degree required or special skill you need to adapt. If you want all the benefits that come from deep breathing, just take a deep breath. Make it slow, make it deep enough so that you feel your stomach inflate with air, and hold it for a couple of seconds. Slowly release the air and hold the exhalation for a couple of seconds as well. Then repeat, inhaling in holding, exhaling out, and holding.
Observe the image above, how the square expands and shrinks. Follow the flow of this movement, breathing in and breathing out.
Whenever you’re feeling stressed, tap into the power of your breathing. Stop what you’re doing if you’re able to and put your hands on your stomach. This will help you direct the air more deeply into your lungs. Some people find it calming to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. There are many other techniques that you can use for breathing, some of which can be found here. Breathing is one of the simplest activities you can do to benefit your mental and physical health.
So, stop what you’re doing, right here and right now, just take a deep breath with me.
The Takeaway
Breathing correctly is extremely important to our overall health and wellness. While we know how to breathe instinctually, many of us do not breathe well. Since breathing is automatic, we don’t think about it. However, when we breathe deeply, with purpose, and slowly, we are able to tap into a beneficial biological process that calms the mind and body greatly. This can reduce stress, lower heart rate, improve mental health, and relax the muscles of the body. Just take a deep breath whenever you need a moment of peace.
Remember that health comes from within. Eat nutritious food, exercise when you can, and take care of your mental health. The small daily habits you cultivate become the basis for overall wellness. Don’t forget about microbiota health too! Gut microbiota affects the entire body, from the skin to muscles, to immune and mental health! Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!
