Did you know that your breathing affects both your digestion and your heart or nervous system? Did you think that breathing had nothing to do with maintaining the proper functioning of your brain and muscles? Do you want to see how by breathing well you can feel a much happier person without having to make great sacrifices?
Breathing never stops. We do it almost always unconsciously, but it involves such important aspects in our life, such as sleep or our humor. Breathing is even related to the development of your teeth and facial structure.
It is not surprising that now you want to know how you can improve your breathing so that you are the one who experiences first-hand all the effects of breathing correctly.
In addition to more energy, enhanced health, or greater harmony in your life, learning to breathe properly will help you eliminate anxiety, fear and improve your interpersonal relationships. In short, you will achieve a happier life in every way.
Conscious breathing: what it is and how it helps you
We have talked about breathing correctly, but really how can we do it?
Obviously, our body has a design, which includes the process of breathing. To breathe well, we just have to learn to breathe in a psychologically optimal way for our body.
Most people tend to have breathing problems, such as overbreathing, where the individual holds their breath and breathes shallowly.
Without any doubt, to solve these types of issues, the practice of conscious breathing is usually recommended, through it you can reconfigure your current way of breathing.
But why is it so important to breathe well?
Consequences of poor breathing
The reality is that inadequate breathing can lead to complications and effects that can compromise both our health and well-being. These are some of the most important.
Nervous system imbalance
Each of our breaths has an immediate effect on the body.
Breathing is essential to keep our body in its proper balance. Incorrect breathing habits can quickly translate into higher stress levels.
Airway closure
This makes it more difficult for air to travel to the lungs. This makes us have to work harder to breathe and do it faster with the same effort.
Blockage of blood vessels
It can influence an increase in blood pressure and lead to heart problems.
Lower energy production
If breathing is not good, then our body will not have the ability to carry oxygen to the cells. Cells will become stressed and focus on survival, rather than on their own development.
Each and every one of the processes that take place inside our body depend on a single element: oxygen. Some of the organs that work intensely with oxygen are: Brain It needs more than 20 % of the oxygen we breathe. When this number is reduced is when the brain begins to slow down. Think that the brain regulates many other functions of the body, so correct breathing affects them as well. The heart The heart is in constant motion, so we understand that it is a great consumer of oxygen. When the heart is affected by the way we breathe, it leads to poor blood circulation, which results in the extremities (hands and feet) feeling cold. The muscles Muscle stiffness is caused by a reduction in oxygen, so our muscles will be less resistant and will tire faster.
The 5 Simple Principles of Effective Breathing
As you can see, incorrect breathing has more adverse effects than we might imagine.
Luckily, there are 5 very simple principles that if you follow them you will be able to optimize your breathing and enjoy all the benefits that that means.
Use your nose to breathe
The nose is the channel through which air must enter and exit. Your nose is like the place of refinement where the air that is going to arrive is prepared and the one that leaves is facilitated.
When you breathe with your mouth, your lungs receive more unfiltered air. This air can be polluted, poor, cold, dry, or full of viruses and bacteria. The first step then is to breathe through your nose.
If you feel that it is impossible to breathe through your nose while keeping your mouth closed, you don't have to worry. It's probably because you've spent so much time breathing through your mouth that now your nose has adjusted. Generally, you won't need more than two days to get used to this healthy way of breathing.
If after this time you feel that you cannot breathe correctly through your nose, you may need to visit a doctor, to help you discover if there are treatments available for your case, either a surgical intervention or the use of a reusable nasal dilator.
Remember you have a diaphragm
All the air you breathe should go down towards your stomach. Your breathing should involve, in addition to the diaphragm, the muscles located in the abdomen, chest, neck and shoulders.
- About 75 % of the inhale should be made by the diaphragm, so that your breathing is the best. These are some of its characteristics:
- It helps the lungs in gas exchange and makes the transit of air more efficient.
- The diaphragm massages your liver, stomach and intestines and balances the organs.
- The lymphatic system plays an essential role in our immune system, since it is responsible for eliminating waste from the intestines.
- The muscular efforts will work better, since with correct breathing you will not make the muscles do unnecessary work.
- When you manage to relax your chest, you will get your neck and shoulders to do the same, which will reduce the risk of pain in those areas.
Breathe easy
Most things work best when we do them in a relaxed way.
Keep in mind that our breathing is a reflection of our thoughts, feelings and the state of our body. Which means that by exposing ourselves to stressful situations for us we will also be stressing our ability to breathe. This is when a lack of oxygen is generated in the brain that can trigger more stress.
Once you have taken control of your breathing is when you can feel more relaxed, and this will quickly show in your health, in your greater energy and in the great facility to feel happy.
Breathe rhythmically
The entire Universe has an unbreakable rhythm. We just have to think about the waves of the sea, the seasons of the year or the moon phases
The organism of the people was not going to be different, since if the rhythm of our heart and our brain can also be measured, why would our breathing be different?
The hormones in our body regulate the natural rhythms that our body must follow, as in the case of melatonin, which is released when we go to sleep.
Optimal breathing must also find a rhythm that ensures well-being. When everything is in its place, leather offers its best version.
Breathe silently
Coughing or snoring are indicators that our breathing is not optimized.
It is easy to ignore those sounds that we are making, but those breaths follow a pattern that contains a lot of elements that disturb our body.
Before sneezing or coughing, we usually take a great breath of air that makes us end up having irregular breathing. Snoring, on the other hand, is a phenomenon that makes us breathe more quickly.
Many people breathe faster and louder when they speak. All these sounds and words can lead to incorrect breathing.
5 amazing ways to breathe properly
Below you will discover the most revolutionary tips that will help you improve your breathing and, therefore, to improve your quality of life in general.
Conscious breathing
You have to recognize how we breathe throughout the different parts of our day. A very useful trick to do this is to set the alarm to go off every hour. In this way we will not forget to check how we carry our breathing, and we can adjust it in case we deviate from the healthy pattern.
Nose breathing
With your mouth closed and your tongue glued to the roof of your mouth, you will ensure that breathing takes place through the nose. If your nose is clogged, then do a sinus rinse. If you find it difficult to breathe through your nose when you exercise, sleep, or are older, then a reusable nasal dilator may be of great help.
Extended exhalation
An extended exhale helps enhance relaxation and makes deep inhalations much more rhythmic. For optimal breathing, the inhalation should last between 2 and 3 seconds; while exhaling should take between 3 and 4 seconds. Remember to leave a 2 or 3 second pause between them.
Extended exhalation has positive effects on inhalation, as it makes it much deeper.
Correct body posture
A correct position of your body helps you breathe better because the diaphragm will have more space to do its job. This will also influence your thoughts and feelings in a positive way, which will make you breathe easier at the same time.
Conscious body
Be aware that both your body and your mind can be stressed or relaxed depending on the situation. A body in a comfortable environment makes it easier to maintain rhythmic and relaxed breathing.
