About the Author
Joel McPherson lives in Merritt Island, Florida and is a caregiver to a life-long sufferer of panic and anxiety. Joel is a municipal Risk Manager and handles safety and health training for his City. Joel is also a public speaker on the health benefits of breathing.
Relief from anxiety in 19 seconds? A free method for reduced stress, increased energy, improved blood circulation, even improved complexion? Studies prove that simply learning how to breathe correctly can have these remarkable effects and more throughout your body.
The Power of Breathing Correctly
Breathing correctly can be as powerful as it is simple, especially for those who struggle with symptoms of anxiety and panic disorders. The typical person only uses around twenty percent of their lung capacity, but with practice, they can learn how to tap into their lung’s full potential. Sending better oxygen content to all the cells of the body can bring dramatic changes in general health and mood that reduces anxiety.
Breathing Better for Better Health
Famous health guru, Dr. Andrew Weil, says that if he could only give one tip for better health, it would be to breathe properly. Proper breathing technique is central to the ancient practices of Yoga, Qi Gong, Ayurveda and other meditation disciplines. A clinical study* of thousands of participants over a 30-year period presents convincing evidence that the most significant factor in peak health and long life is how well you breathe.
*You can get the complete Framingham study at the National Institute of Health’s Database. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
Maintaining Health through Breathing
Breathing correctly is critical in maintaining the level of oxygen for energy, keeping the correct pH levels in the body, and enough carbon dioxide for bodily functions. Healthy people make 93 per cent of their energy aerobically (“in the presence of oxygen,”) but poor breathing habits can reduce the amount of energy made aerobically to 84 per cent. Seventy percent of the elimination of wastes from the body is through breathing. Breathing better can also reduce symptoms of anxiety by enriching the blood with oxygen and improving your mood. Breathing is on e of the many methods of stress relief considered in the Attacking Anxiety & Depression Program from the Midwest Center. The program gives victims of stress the tools they need to develop a stress management plan to overcome their depression & anxiety.
Reversing Bad Breathing Habits
The good news is that poor breathing habits can be reversed so you can reduce your anxiety and gain better health. Among infants, correct breathing comes naturally. Observe a baby as it breathes to see its belly rise and fall with each breath. As we grow older, we are taught to “suck in that gut” and “puff out that chest” as we try to achieve as slim a waist as possible. Such resistance to the natural breathing posture restricts oxygen intake, which can lead to numerous physical as well as emotional problems like anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.
The Effects of Anxiety on Breathing
Stress, anxiety, and emotions all affect our breathing - the natural “fight or flight” response that increases respiration. As “civilized” people, we typically do not ease such states of anxious arousal with immediate physical activity. Once breathing is in an aroused state, the physiological effects on the body remain after the stressful event has gone. That can make you feel anxious well after you are removed from a stressful situation. Such arousal promotes rapid breathing leading to a metabolic imbalance where CO2 levels are too low and oxygen use is poor.
The key element to many meditation disciplines is that breathing technique can affect one’s emotional state as much as one’s emotional state can affect one’s breathing. That means you can reduce anxiety and panic by controlling your breath.
Bad Breathing through the Mouth
“Bad breathing” is also performed through the mouth rather than the nose, especially during exercise or a stressful situation. Breathing through the mouth permits inhaling and exhaling large volumes of air quickly. This can lead to hyperventilation, diminished energy, and a weakening of health and well-being, which can increase feelings of anxiety and panic in any situation.
Develop Good Breathing Habits
It is easy to develop good breathing habits to reduce anxiety and promote health, but it takes practice. Most of us are completely unaware of our breathing - otherwise we would have to remember to inhale over 17,000 times a day! Breathing awareness and practice, or “breathwork,” is an important part of training for athletes, musicians, vocalists, and public speakers.
To achieve normal levels of oxygen and CO2 in your system, you begin by focusing your attention on breath! Your goal is to reduce the number of respirations from a standard of 12 per minute to as few as four per minute - which can be achieved with practice. Deep, slow breathing will feel unnatural to many who first try it and may be uncomfortable to some. It might even make you feel a little anxious at first. After years of shallow “chest breathing,” some have a low CO2 concentration leaving them with a tight chest and malfunctioning diaphragm. Other tips for breathing right are discussed in the Attacking Anxiety & Depression Program.
Don’t Take Bad Advice on Breathing
“Take a deep breath” can be very bad advice to someone who is feeling anxious or is agitated. If such a person begins taking deep breaths, they are likely to experience an even more aroused state. A person prone to anxiety most likely is at or over their optimum CO2 level and needs to slow their respiration more than increase their intake volume through “take a deep breath.”
Such advice can lead to hyperventilation (breathing too fast.) The amount of carbon dioxide in blood generally regulates breathing and a low level of CO2 tends to make the nervous system more excitable, resulting in panic and anxiety.
If carbon dioxide is released too rapidly, the arteries and blood vessels constrict and an insufficient supply of oxygen to the cells results, including blood (and oxygen) supply to the brain. Restricting oxygen supply to the brain can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and cause tension, anxiety, and mood swings. Low levels of oxygen in the brain have been associated with depression and other changes in brain waves.
Breathe Some Life into It
Breathwork is free and you already own the necessary equipment (lungs) so you can practice virtually anytime anywhere to help you reduce anxiety, panic, and depression. You first want to evaluate your current normal breathing pattern, and then learn diaphragmatic breathing skills, and then to pace your breathing. Once you have achieved that level, the “trick” is to remember to practice your breathing and to perform it correctly. With time, these skills become your normal method of breathing and you begin to breathe some life into your life!
