Have you ever been advised to take deep breaths to calm down in moments of panic, stress or anxiety? Or, maybe, you’ve passed by a yoga or meditation center where participants were focused on their deep breathing.
Deep breathing is more than the normal breathing that occurs without conscious effort. It involves using your lower abdominal muscles to take slow, deep breaths through your nose and slowly exhaling through your mouth.
This intentional form of breathing helps your body take in more oxygen and activates the part of your nervous system responsible for relaxation.
Deep breathing isn’t just for yogis or anger management; anyone can incorporate deep breathing practices into their daily life and reap the benefits, which go beyond staying calm.
Four additional ways deep breathing helps your body and mind stay healthy include:
Perhaps the most obvious organ that benefits from deep breathing is the lungs. Belly breathing, a type of deep breathing that utilizes the diaphragm — the area between our chest and abdomen — to inhale and exhale, can strengthen the lung muscles and help them release stale, trapped air.
“When we breathe in, our lungs fill with a mixture of oxygen and other gases, and when we exhale, our lungs get rid of waste gas,” says Gary Phelps, manager of Pulmonary Services at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. “But for those with chronic pulmonary conditions, like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), our lung muscles may not work as well to get rid of the waste gas, causing this stale air to get stuck.”
By practicing deep breathing exercises regularly, you can strengthen your lung muscles and, over time, eliminate stale air, creating room to take in more oxygen and help your body function more efficiently.
Along with the lungs, the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels, can also benefit from deep breathing. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke and heart attack. Studies have shown that deep breathing exercises may reduce blood pressure.
“When we practice slow, deep breathing, it triggers our parasympathetic nervous system,” says Phelps. “This is the part of the nervous system that manages the automated ‘rest and relaxation’ actions inside our body. These actions include decreasing our heart rate and dilating our blood vessels, which contribute to lowering our blood pressure.”
Activating the rest and relaxation part of the nervous system through slow, deep and controlled breathing can also reduce pain. When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, it reduces the pain signals that travel from nerves to the brain.
“Reductions in pain can also be due to multiple factors involving the parasympathetic nervous system,” says Phelps. “This includes overall control of stress and emotions that can evoke pain.”
Stress less, sleep better
Of course, the practice of deep breathing is perhaps best known for its ability to reduce stress. The American Institute of Stress suggests that 20 to 30 minutes of deep breathing can reduce stress and anxiety.
“Again, it goes back to activating the rest and relaxation part of our nervous system,” says Phelps. “As various parts of our body automatically relax through deep breathing techniques, our minds and emotions start to calm down.”
Deep breathing techniques have also been shown to help regulate the production of melatonin, a hormone produced by the body that controls the sleep-wake cycle. Deep breathing’s ability to enhance melatonin production, along with its calming effects, may also lead to better sleep.
“The physical and mental health benefits of proper deep breathing exercises are many,” says Phelps. “If you have an existing medical condition, speak with your doctor first about whether deep breathing exercises are right for you. But, overall, deep breathing can be a great addition to a regular healthy lifestyle regimen that you can do anywhere and at any time of day.”
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