FEBRUARY 2011
Expressions such as “It took my breath away” and “I need a breather” remind us that there is a strong connection between the breath and our emotional and spiritual state.
The way that we breathe can either make us feel anxious or relaxed; tired or energized; scattered or focused. Most adults do not breathe correctly. There are many simple breathing exercises that you can teach your patients to relieve pain, lessen anxiety, improve sleep and bring other desired effects.
As you know, the breath is controlled by both the voluntary and involuntary (autonomic) nervous system. Because the breath is the bridge between these two systems, when we change our breath we can directly affect our autonomic nervous system. Long slow deep breaths can lower blood pressure, slow a racing heart, quiet worried thoughts, relieve pain, and more. In this newsletter, we’ve included some breathing exercises and resources for you to share with others.
Before you read on, take a moment to relax. Inhale a slow easy breath, hold for a few seconds and now exhale completely as you let go of any tension.
Be well,
Janet Fontana, RN, MA
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When people are stressed and anxious, they take short, shallow breaths. Chest breathing activates the stress response. Our heart rate and blood pressure rise, our minds race and we feel more anxious. We can break the cycle of anxiety by shifting from chest to diaphragmatic breathing.
To take in a full deep breath, you first need to exhale completely. Some quick ways to extend exhalation and shift from chest to abdominal breathing include yawning, sighing, laughing out loud, coughing hard, humming as long as you can and pretending to blow out candles.
These exercises release the diaphragm and allow the next inhalation to move deeper into the bases of the lungs.
In controlled studies, Dr. Freedman of Wayne State University has shown that paced respiration can reduce hot flash frequency by about 50%. Women were trained to take slow deep abdominal breaths at a rate of about six to eight breaths per minute.
Encourage women to practice abdominal breathing exercises for 15 minutes daily, focusing on their belly rising on the inhale and falling on the exhale. That way, when they feel a hot flash coming on, slow diaphragmatic breathing will be natural to them and elicit a sense of control.
When that late afternoon slump hits or you're on nights and need a boost of energy, try the following yoga breathing exercise. Start with 15 seconds and build up to 1 – 3 minutes for greater effect.
Stimulating Breath (Breath of Fire)
• Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed and face relaxed.
• Contract the diaphragm rapidly and rhythmically as you exhale. Focus on the exhale; the inhale will happen naturally
• Your breath should be equal on the inhale and exhale with no pause between them.
