There is one thing we can say we have done and do every day: breathe. Furthermore, we can be confident that we are doing well enough; if this were not the case, we would die (or we would need mechanical ventilation to avoid doing so). However, a quick search on the internet immediately yielded results that suggest there is room for improvement when it comes to breathing, too. There are techniques and there is practice. Survival is just the basics; breathing better can be used for many other things.
Before moving on to discuss these techniques and the possible benefits of incorporating breathing exercises into our daily activities, let’s start at the beginning: Can a healthy person without any respiratory problems breathe better than they do now? “In many cases, it’s probably true,” said Miguel Soro, a board member of the Spanish Association of Physiotherapists (AFI). “Ever since we were children, we have been given advice on various aspects related to health. Regarding breathing, we have always insisted that the correct way to breathe is to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, but beyond that, Not many people teach us the correct way to breathe. ,” he pointed out.
Experts explain that the diaphragm, the primary respiratory muscle responsible for contracting and relaxing to allow air to move in and out of the lungs, is underused in many cases, which “impairs our ventilation mechanisms and lung capacity in other ways.” Still, even if the diaphragm is underutilized, most people won’t notice that they need to work on improving their breathing. Such shallow breathing is almost always sufficient, says Gerard Muñoz Castro, a researcher and respiratory physiotherapist and member of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR). However, when it comes to using respiratory muscles for effort, “it’s important to have a proper breathing pattern,” which can be trained.
The first immediate benefit of improved breathing is that it becomes “deeper and more efficient,” which “helps oxygenate the body in a more adequate way and allows those muscles to be stronger and function properly,” Solow said. However, this applies especially to people with chronic respiratory diseases because, as Gerard Muñoz points out, “the scientific evidence of improved efficiency in healthy people is less clear.”
Muñoz adds that better breathing also means “an increase in physical ability and therefore contributes to better development of surrounding muscles.” In fact, it is hypothesized that the intensity of breathing can be increased through certain breathing techniques. nuclear, although there is no “strong scientific evidence” in this regard. Better oxygenation can improve athletic performance, Solo said. In fact, he pointed out, “The training of respiratory muscles has been incorporated into the daily training of many athletes as a supplement to their own training, because this is another aspect that must be paid attention to to improve performance. “
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Better posture, less pain
Whether better breathing helps us in our daily lives or when performing sports without any breathing problems, there are other benefits that can be gained by doing specific breathing exercises. For example, according to a 2022 article published in international journal of environmental research and public healthA breathing exercise program guided by a physical therapist can improve posture, muscle balance, and chest muscle mobility compared to yoga and Pilates-based programs. However, the exercises performed by the study participants (women aged 20 to 22) were not just lying on the floor and breathing in a specific way, but breathing in different positions and sometimes a combination of them. Slow movements.
Practicing certain breathing exercises will also help with our recovery before surgery. In hospitals, it is common for patients undergoing certain surgeries to undergo respiratory rehabilitation at the same time, and in recent years prehabilitation, which involves doing these exercises before, has also begun to be introduced. “These respiratory rehabilitation or ‘prehabilitation’ programs have shown reductions in postoperative complications, length of stay, or loss of function. In more layman’s terms, if you go into surgical intervention in ‘better shape’ , then the ability to get through the postoperative period will be better,” said Gerard Muñoz Castro.
Another area that has been extensively researched is pain. On the one hand, as Miguel Soro points out, in many cases a decrease in respiratory efficiency is associated with neck pain. By training your breathing, “we can at some point improve or prevent this condition.” In fact, people with chronic neck pain often have suboptimal lung function, so specific training focused on improving breathing can also help relief the pain. Additionally, for other types of pain, such as low back pain, breathing exercises can also help reduce pain. Additionally, since breathing techniques help relax and reduce stress, they can also help with pain relief.
Breathing can improve stress and anxiety
“Learning to breathe consciously is one of the first therapeutic approaches in any intervention for anxiety and stress,” says Ismael Dorado, organizing secretary of the Spanish Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress (SEAS). As a clear example of how breathing has anything to do with this, experts ask us to think about when we feel scared. “We automatically shorten our breaths,” he points out. “Anxiety and stressful situations are related to breathing rate, so regulating your breathing and making conscious interventions is one of the first things we can do for our health,” he explains.
There is also a wealth of research on the impact of conscious breathing on our mental state. One of the researchers concluded in 2015 that practicing slow breathing (fewer than 10 breaths per minute and exhaling longer than inhaling) can reduce stress and anxiety levels. There are many possible reasons why breathing in a certain way relaxes us. For example, this type of breathing has been shown to reduce levels of cortisol (the so-called “stress hormone”) in your saliva and lower blood pressure.
Ismael Dorado from SEAS added that this conscious and relaxed breathing “directly affects our brain activity”. This is because “breathing is directly linked to different parts of the cerebral cortex, the areas where thinking, perception, imagination originate, but also processes directly related to learning, attention and, most importantly, memory (because poor breathing makes us Poor sleep quality, which can impair memory).” Breathing intervention can help improve all of this.
breathing techniques
While scientific evidence is gradually showing that breathing exercises can provide a variety of health benefits, it’s important to understand that there is still much more to study. Most studies have very small sample sizes and focus on the short term, and as a meta-analysis published in 2023 warned of the effects of breathing exercises on mental health and stress, we must be careful to avoid confusing hype with evidence. Even so, experts consulted believe it might be a good idea to incorporate some breathing exercises into our daily lives.
Miguel Solo suggests that the first step is to “look at how we breathe,” that is, analyze our normal patterns and see where we can improve. From there, he offers two examples that “can help us breathe and relax properly”:
- Diaphragmatic breathing. “This exercise involves taking deep breaths using your diaphragm. To practice, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your belly to expand , while your chest remains relatively still. Exhale slowly through your mouth, allowing your belly to contract. Repeat this process a few times, focusing on deep, slow breaths.”
- Breathing is accompanied by apnea. “This exercise involves inhaling, holding your breath, exhaling, and holding your breath again, all at equal intervals. To practice, inhale slowly for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale slowly for a count of four, and then Hold for a count of four. Repeat this process a few times, maintaining a constant rhythm.
A variation of this last technique is described by Ismael Dorado, who recommends practicing it before going to bed, when we realize that we will be in a complex situation, or before making an important decision. “This is about inflating our lungs to maximum until we can’t take it anymore, holding for three seconds, releasing the air in five seconds, then waiting again for three seconds and repeating. Take a minute to practice this Breathing rhythm can help a lot,” he explains.
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