With all of the stressors of today’s society, you need to have something to fall back on in order to survive and maintain an optimal level of health. While there are medications available to improve health, these have side effects and some can be addictive.
Have you thought about using deep breathing exercises to maximize your health?
Deep breathing is free, can be done by just about anyone, has zero side effects, and can do a great deal towards improving your health and wellness with minimal effort and without having to resort to drugs for better health.
There is no question that deep breathing exercises can benefit your health. It has been used for many centuries by Buddhists and other religions for everything from relaxation to improving spiritual health.
For whatever reason you choose deep breathing exercises, you can count on the practice to benefit your health in ways that medications and more conventional medical therapies cannot.
Here are 50 ways that deep breathing and deep breathing exercises benefit your health, for optimal wellness in mind and body.
1. Deep breathing helps detoxify the body and helps to release pent up toxins. According to some research studies, deep breathing can release as many as 70 percent of the toxins in your body. Deep breathing exercises are effective in ridding your body of toxins that can negatively affect your health.
2. Deep breathing releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a normal part of cellular metabolism. When you practice deep breathing, it allows your lungs to fully exhale the buildup of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. Excesses of carbon dioxide can negatively affect your health, resulting in conditions such as metabolic acidosis, which basically means that you have too much carbon dioxide in your system.
3. Deep breathing reduces tension in the body. When you practice deep breathing, it helps loosen tight muscles and releases the tension that can build up from excess stresses in your life. This means less aches and pains!
4. Deep breathing fights the “fight or flight response.” When you are under excess stress, your adrenal glands give off norepinephrine, epinephrine, and cortisol—all hormones that increase your blood sugar, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, among other things. This is known as the “fight or flight response.” Deep breathing counteracts this function of the sympathetic nervous system so you have decreased levels of these hormones and will consequently reduce your risks for the many health ramifications of chronic stress.
5. Deep breathing oxygenates your system. Everyone needs oxygen in order for proper cellular metabolism and maximal ability of the organs in the system to do their job. Deep breathing bathes each cell and each organ in the body so that you can function at your maximal capacity.
6. Deep breathing brings clarity to your mind. When you are under excessive anxiety, your brain does not get the oxygen it needs to think properly and have maximum clarity. When you pay attention to your breathing and practice deep breathing exercises, you fully oxygenate your brain, which enhances your ability to think and allows the brain to have optimal clarity.
7. Deep breathing helps to relieve your mind of emotional difficulties. Deep breathing can clear your mind of pent up emotions that will adversely affect your life. Deep breathing helps relieve endogenous endorphins, which are the major hormones that help you feel better. Exercise will also do this but deep breathing is more efficient and relies less on your physical abilities.
8. Deep breathing counteracts pain in the body. As mentioned, deep breathing raises your levels of endogenous endorphins the body’s natural painkillers. Endogenous endorphins not only improve wellbeing but also decrease the perception of pain. When you engage in deep breathing, the endogenous endorphins act on pain centers of the brain so that you don’t feel pain in the same way. It helps you overcome brain signals that indicate you are feeling pain so that your perception of pain is diminished.
9. Deep breathing affects abdominal organs. When you practice deep breathing, your diaphragm moves up and down. When it does this, it massages your liver, small intestines, pancreas, and stomach. Above the level of the diaphragm, deep breathing also massages your heart. This causes an increase in circulation to these areas of your body so that they function better.
10. Deep breathing tones the abdominal muscles. If you practice deep breathing by doing abdominal breathing (as opposed to chest breathing), you strengthen and tone the muscles of your abdomen. It can’t promise a nice “six pack” on your abdomen but your muscles will function better so you can do activities that require strong abdominal musculature.
11. Deep breathing improves muscle mass. As mentioned, deep breathing affects the strength of your abdominal muscles. However, did you know it also improves the strength of your other muscles as well? Deep breathing provides oxygen to the muscles of your body and not just those involved in the breathing process. You will be stronger and will be able to exercise better. This is because the breathing exercise provides valuable oxygen to all the muscles of the body, improving their growth and maximizing their activity.
12. Deep breathing improves the immune system. The oxygen you provide to the cells of your body also applies to the cells of the immune system. Your immune cells need as much oxygen as the rest of the cells of your body and, when they get the nutrients and oxygen provided by deep breathing, these cells work better, and your immune system is enhanced.
13. Deep breathing encourages good posture. Depending on the way you practice deep breathing, this practice can improve your posture. You need good posture to practice deep breathing exercises so that the muscles of your chest and abdomen can effectively provide oxygen to your system. Poor posture doesn’t allow you to breathe to the best of your ability; only through good posture can deep breathing truly be effective.
14. Deep breathing improves blood quality. When you engage in deep breathing exercises, you provide oxygen to the blood cells of the body, which in turn function better. Oxygen is carried through the blood and, when you are breathing fully, oxygenation is carried to all cells of the body, including those of your blood and immune system.
15. Deep breathing maximizes your digestive process. The more oxygen you have in your system, the better your digestive tract works. Your digestive organs (the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas) need oxygen to perform to their maximal capacity so you absorb nutrients better. When you absorb nutrients better, it helps all of the cells of the body to have the nutrients you need to function in all cellular capacities.
16. Deep breathing improves the function of your nervous system. Your nervous system includes your brain, your spinal cord, and your peripheral nerves. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you improve the ability of your nervous system to operate at maximal capacity. These organs cannot thrive without oxygen and deep breathing is the best way to receive it.
17. Deep breathing makes your lungs stronger. Your lungs are the major organ involved in deep breathing. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you strengthen the lungs so they exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide more efficiently. Deep breathing also opens up the alveoli of the lungs so you have fewer problems with the deeper structures of the lungs.
18. Deep breathing strengthens the heart. Just like other cells of the body need oxygen to function, so does the heart. When the heart has plenty of oxygen through deep breathing, the cells of the heart function better, and the heart, (which is just a muscle after all) will be stronger and will function at maximal capacity.
19. Deep breathing lowers blood pressure. Deep breathing decreases stress, which has the physiological function of lowering your blood pressure. This takes extra stress off your heart, which will not have to beat against the high pressure of the body (as happens when you have high blood pressure).
20. Deep breathing helps improve your weight in overweight people. If you happen to be overweight and practice deep breathing exercises, your body burns fat more efficiently. This causes you to lose weight.
21. Deep breathing improves weight in underweight people. If you happen to be underweight, deep breathing helps provide precious oxygen to those tissues of the body that are starving of nutrients and oxygens, and helps the body gain the necessary weight so that your body weight can be in the normal range.
22. Deep breathing increaseenergy levels.The practice of deep breathing energizes the body and mind so that you can have the extra energy you need to exercise or to simply go about your normal daily activities.
23. Deep breathing maximizes your stamina. You need strong, oxygenated cells in order to have the stamina you need to partake in your daily activities. A few minutes of deep breathing per day can improve your stamina so that you can go further and longer without having to recharge your batteries.
24. Deep breathing improves the regeneration of your cells. Your body is making and breaking down cells all the time. This takes cellular energy and cellular energy requires oxygen. The process of cellular regeneration needs all the oxygen it can get. Deep breathing can positively affect the cellular regeneration process by giving your system the oxygen it needs to do this job.
25. Deep breathing helps treat depression. Depression comes from having low levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly norepinephrine and serotonin. Deep breathing can increase the levels of oxygen in the brain so that the levels of these hormones can improve. This effectively blocks depressive symptoms.
26. Deep breathing reduces anxiety. Anxiety often comes from an exaggerated response to stress. Deep breathing lowers stress levels so that your experience is one of calmness and peacefulness so that you experience less anxiety and can function better in daily activities.
27. Deep breathing improves self-image. When you breathe deeply and practice deep breathing exercises, your body will change so that your abdomen is flat and you have stronger muscles that are more toned and look better. This enhancement in your appearance can improve the way you look in the mirror and can benefit your self-image.
28. Deep breathing prevents shortness of breath. Some cases of shortness of breath are due to shallow chest breathing, which doesn’t inflate your lungs all the way. Only through deep breathing exercises can you feel that you are breathing maximally and this has the effect of making you feel less short of breath.
29. Deep breathing lowers your heart rate. The act of deep breathing and the participation in deep breathing exercises maximizes the efficiency of the heart so that you need fewer heartbeats to do the same job as could be done if you weren’t deep breathing. A slower heart rate naturally means you have a better functioning heart.
30. Deep breathing is relaxing. When you are under too much stress, a few minutes of deep breathing exercises can relax you so your body can reset itself in a calmer way so you can go about your daily life with a better sense of relaxation.
31. Deep breathing relieves stress. There is altogether too much stress in our daily lives. It comes from financial stressors, relationship stressors, and work stressors, just to name a few. When you practice deep breathing, your perception of stress is less and you can go about your day free of the emotional disability that comes from being under too much stress.
32. Deep breathing can relax your muscles. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you focus on the muscles of your abdomen and your diaphragm. This has the natural effect of reducing the tension in the rest of your muscles so that you are more relaxed and your muscles will be less tense.
33. Deep breathing helps the fetus grow better in pregnancy. If you are pregnant, nothing could be better than deep breathing. Deep breathing provides oxygen to the growing fetus so that it can grow and develop better under the oxygen you provide it through deep breathing. Deep breathing exercises are good things to partake in no matter what stage of pregnancy you are in.
34. Deep breathing helps reduce aching joints.When you practice deep breathing exercises, you give your body a better sense of calm so that you relax your joints. After the deep breathing exercises are finished, your joints will be less achy and you will be able to function better in activities of daily living without arthritis symptoms.
35. Deep breathing can help a woman in labor. If you are pregnant and practice deep breathing exercises, you can better prepare you for the intense concentration and breathing necessary to get through labor. The time to practice deep breathing exercises is when you are in your third trimester of pregnancy. This prepares you for labor so you may not need to have pain-relieving drugs during labor.
36. Deep breathing helps you with mindfulness. Mindfulness is nothing more than staying in the present and avoiding the stressors of the past and future. Deep breathing exercises help you stay present in time so you don’t focus so much on past traumas or future worries.
37. Deep breathing can prevent miscarriages. If you are pregnant and under too much stress, this can provoke a spontaneous miscarriage. By doing deep breathing exercises, you can better reduce the stress in the first trimester of pregnancy, which has positive effects on the pregnancy and decreases the chances that you will have a miscarriage.
38. Deep breathing reduces cortisol levels. High cortisol levels can increase your glucose levels and promotes the deposition of fat in your fatty tissues. Deep breathing exercises will lower your cortisol levels by de-stressing you so you will have a decreased chance of suffering the negative effects of high cortisol levels.
39. Deep breathing can prevent diabetes. Diabetes can be precipitated by stress. This is because stress can increase your cortisol levels (as mentioned above), which in turn increases your blood glucose values. There seems to be a positive correlation with stress and type 2 diabetes. The more deep breathing you do, the better able you are to have lower blood glucose levels and a decreased chance of having diabetes.
40. Deep breathing improves cognition. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you can fully oxygenate your brain so that the nerve cells are better oxygenated. This causes you to think more clearly and reduces the stress that can cause you to have poor thought processes.
41. Deep breathing improves memory. Your hippocampus is responsible for your short-term memory and your ability to turn short-term memories into long-term memories. When your hippocampus is better oxygenated, you remember things more clearly and you have a better chance of remembering things in your daily life.
42. Deep breathing improves sleep. When you practice deep breathing exercises just before going to bed, you can begin to relax more into a restful state that improves your ability to fall asleep and to stay asleep during the night.
43. Deep breathing can help the lymph system. Just as deep breathing can increase circulation; it can increase the flow of lymph fluid in the lymph system. The lymph system is responsible for finding pathogens and other harmful substances and sending these things to the lymph nodes where they can be properly processed and gotten rid of. Deep breathing can help this process along.
44. Deep breathing can help with asthma and chronic bronchitis. In both of these diseases, the lungs have narrowed airways and increased lung congestion. Deep breathing can clear out lung congestion so you are better able to cough up mucus and prevent complications of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Patients with emphysema can also benefit from deep breathing exercises.
45. Deep breathing can improve vision. Deep breathing can help increase the oxygen flow to the retina, which is the “seeing” part of the eye. When the retina is well oxygenated, it functions at its best and can pick up light sources that ultimately travel through the retinal system and into the brain.
46. Deep breathing can aid wound healing. Wound healing depends on an adequate immune system and the substrates to create collagen that ultimately forms the scar that indicated a wound has healed. All of this depends on good oxygenation, which can be achieved through deep breathing exercises.
47. Deep breathing affects flexibility. When you improve the oxygenation and blood flow to your joints and muscles, you move easier and your musculoskeletal system is less tense. This allows your joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons to be more relaxed so your flexibility improves. This allows you to move better with a decreased risk of injury.
48. Deep breathing improves concentration. Any time you need to concentrate on a difficult task, take a few minutes to practice deep breathing exercises. This will oxygenate your brain and decrease detracting thoughts so that you can function better with an increase in concentration. You will be able to concentrate on the task at hand without losing your focus.
49. Deep breathing enhances your ability to learn. If you are trying to memorize something important or are learning a new subject, the facts can be jumbled to the point where you have difficulty assimilating new information. The best way to handle this is to take a few minutes to practice deep breathing exercises so that you can learn what you need to learn.
50. Deep breathing can decrease wrinkles. By increasing the blood flow to the skin, you can fill the skin tissue with more fluid. This smooths wrinkles so that your physical appearance can be improved. Deep breathing can allow this increase in circulation to occur so, when you look into the mirror, you have fewer wrinkles and will be more pleased with your appearance.
How To Breathe Deeply:
Deep breathing exercises can be done by anyone at any fitness levels. It doesn’t require any special equipment and you can do it just about anywhere when you feel the need arises.
Deep breathing involves breathing through your abdomen rather than simple chest breathing. When you breathe through your abdomen, you can get a deeper breath that goes further into your lung tissue, allowing greater oxygenation and the benefits noted above.
Deep breathing exercises generally involve taking a deep breath through your nose, holding it for a few seconds, and then breathing out through your nose. A single deep breathing cycle lasts about 19 seconds—four seconds for inhalation, a 7 second hold, and 8 seconds for exhalation.
The 4:7:8 Deep Breathing Routine:
1. Let go of all thoughts and clear your mind
2. Slowly breathe in through your nose (4 seconds)
3. Hold that breath for about 7 seconds
4. Exhale through the mouth, exhale at twice the speed it took to inhale (8 seconds)
Tips To Improve Deep Breathing:
• Start with a deep inhalation through your nose. Use your diaphragm to expand your abdomen and to fill your lungs with oxygen. This should just take a few seconds.
• Hold the breath and count for an additional three seconds. Allow yourself to feel the energy build up inside you.
• Then exhale fully though your nose mostly, although you should part your lips slightly to let air escape through your mouth to a mild degree. This exhalation should be done over a period of about three seconds.
• Focus on relaxing your muscles and feeling the oxygen flowing throughout your body.
• Repeat for another breath and do this for at least 5-10 minutes for the maximum benefit.
Make sure to set aside a minimum of two ten minute periods of time in your day just for deep breathing exercises. Make deep breathing a priority.
Do deep breathing exercises in the morning to bring you extra energy and do it again later in the day, when you are trying to wind down and need a few minutes of relaxation.
Repeat as needed throughout the day, especially during times of stress, for pain flare-ups and simply to rejuvenate.
Have you thought about using deep breathing exercises to maximize your health?
Deep breathing is free, can be done by just about anyone, has zero side effects, and can do a great deal towards improving your health and wellness with minimal effort and without having to resort to drugs for better health.
There is no question that deep breathing exercises can benefit your health. It has been used for many centuries by Buddhists and other religions for everything from relaxation to improving spiritual health.
For whatever reason you choose deep breathing exercises, you can count on the practice to benefit your health in ways that medications and more conventional medical therapies cannot.
Here are 50 ways that deep breathing and deep breathing exercises benefit your health, for optimal wellness in mind and body.
1. Deep breathing helps detoxify the body and helps to release pent up toxins. According to some research studies, deep breathing can release as many as 70 percent of the toxins in your body. Deep breathing exercises are effective in ridding your body of toxins that can negatively affect your health.
2. Deep breathing releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a normal part of cellular metabolism. When you practice deep breathing, it allows your lungs to fully exhale the buildup of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream. Excesses of carbon dioxide can negatively affect your health, resulting in conditions such as metabolic acidosis, which basically means that you have too much carbon dioxide in your system.
3. Deep breathing reduces tension in the body. When you practice deep breathing, it helps loosen tight muscles and releases the tension that can build up from excess stresses in your life. This means less aches and pains!
4. Deep breathing fights the “fight or flight response.” When you are under excess stress, your adrenal glands give off norepinephrine, epinephrine, and cortisol—all hormones that increase your blood sugar, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, among other things. This is known as the “fight or flight response.” Deep breathing counteracts this function of the sympathetic nervous system so you have decreased levels of these hormones and will consequently reduce your risks for the many health ramifications of chronic stress.
5. Deep breathing oxygenates your system. Everyone needs oxygen in order for proper cellular metabolism and maximal ability of the organs in the system to do their job. Deep breathing bathes each cell and each organ in the body so that you can function at your maximal capacity.
6. Deep breathing brings clarity to your mind. When you are under excessive anxiety, your brain does not get the oxygen it needs to think properly and have maximum clarity. When you pay attention to your breathing and practice deep breathing exercises, you fully oxygenate your brain, which enhances your ability to think and allows the brain to have optimal clarity.
7. Deep breathing helps to relieve your mind of emotional difficulties. Deep breathing can clear your mind of pent up emotions that will adversely affect your life. Deep breathing helps relieve endogenous endorphins, which are the major hormones that help you feel better. Exercise will also do this but deep breathing is more efficient and relies less on your physical abilities.
8. Deep breathing counteracts pain in the body. As mentioned, deep breathing raises your levels of endogenous endorphins the body’s natural painkillers. Endogenous endorphins not only improve wellbeing but also decrease the perception of pain. When you engage in deep breathing, the endogenous endorphins act on pain centers of the brain so that you don’t feel pain in the same way. It helps you overcome brain signals that indicate you are feeling pain so that your perception of pain is diminished.
9. Deep breathing affects abdominal organs. When you practice deep breathing, your diaphragm moves up and down. When it does this, it massages your liver, small intestines, pancreas, and stomach. Above the level of the diaphragm, deep breathing also massages your heart. This causes an increase in circulation to these areas of your body so that they function better.
10. Deep breathing tones the abdominal muscles. If you practice deep breathing by doing abdominal breathing (as opposed to chest breathing), you strengthen and tone the muscles of your abdomen. It can’t promise a nice “six pack” on your abdomen but your muscles will function better so you can do activities that require strong abdominal musculature.
11. Deep breathing improves muscle mass. As mentioned, deep breathing affects the strength of your abdominal muscles. However, did you know it also improves the strength of your other muscles as well? Deep breathing provides oxygen to the muscles of your body and not just those involved in the breathing process. You will be stronger and will be able to exercise better. This is because the breathing exercise provides valuable oxygen to all the muscles of the body, improving their growth and maximizing their activity.
12. Deep breathing improves the immune system. The oxygen you provide to the cells of your body also applies to the cells of the immune system. Your immune cells need as much oxygen as the rest of the cells of your body and, when they get the nutrients and oxygen provided by deep breathing, these cells work better, and your immune system is enhanced.
13. Deep breathing encourages good posture. Depending on the way you practice deep breathing, this practice can improve your posture. You need good posture to practice deep breathing exercises so that the muscles of your chest and abdomen can effectively provide oxygen to your system. Poor posture doesn’t allow you to breathe to the best of your ability; only through good posture can deep breathing truly be effective.
14. Deep breathing improves blood quality. When you engage in deep breathing exercises, you provide oxygen to the blood cells of the body, which in turn function better. Oxygen is carried through the blood and, when you are breathing fully, oxygenation is carried to all cells of the body, including those of your blood and immune system.
15. Deep breathing maximizes your digestive process. The more oxygen you have in your system, the better your digestive tract works. Your digestive organs (the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas) need oxygen to perform to their maximal capacity so you absorb nutrients better. When you absorb nutrients better, it helps all of the cells of the body to have the nutrients you need to function in all cellular capacities.
16. Deep breathing improves the function of your nervous system. Your nervous system includes your brain, your spinal cord, and your peripheral nerves. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you improve the ability of your nervous system to operate at maximal capacity. These organs cannot thrive without oxygen and deep breathing is the best way to receive it.
17. Deep breathing makes your lungs stronger. Your lungs are the major organ involved in deep breathing. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you strengthen the lungs so they exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide more efficiently. Deep breathing also opens up the alveoli of the lungs so you have fewer problems with the deeper structures of the lungs.
18. Deep breathing strengthens the heart. Just like other cells of the body need oxygen to function, so does the heart. When the heart has plenty of oxygen through deep breathing, the cells of the heart function better, and the heart, (which is just a muscle after all) will be stronger and will function at maximal capacity.
19. Deep breathing lowers blood pressure. Deep breathing decreases stress, which has the physiological function of lowering your blood pressure. This takes extra stress off your heart, which will not have to beat against the high pressure of the body (as happens when you have high blood pressure).
20. Deep breathing helps improve your weight in overweight people. If you happen to be overweight and practice deep breathing exercises, your body burns fat more efficiently. This causes you to lose weight.
21. Deep breathing improves weight in underweight people. If you happen to be underweight, deep breathing helps provide precious oxygen to those tissues of the body that are starving of nutrients and oxygens, and helps the body gain the necessary weight so that your body weight can be in the normal range.
22. Deep breathing increaseenergy levels.The practice of deep breathing energizes the body and mind so that you can have the extra energy you need to exercise or to simply go about your normal daily activities.
23. Deep breathing maximizes your stamina. You need strong, oxygenated cells in order to have the stamina you need to partake in your daily activities. A few minutes of deep breathing per day can improve your stamina so that you can go further and longer without having to recharge your batteries.
24. Deep breathing improves the regeneration of your cells. Your body is making and breaking down cells all the time. This takes cellular energy and cellular energy requires oxygen. The process of cellular regeneration needs all the oxygen it can get. Deep breathing can positively affect the cellular regeneration process by giving your system the oxygen it needs to do this job.
25. Deep breathing helps treat depression. Depression comes from having low levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly norepinephrine and serotonin. Deep breathing can increase the levels of oxygen in the brain so that the levels of these hormones can improve. This effectively blocks depressive symptoms.
26. Deep breathing reduces anxiety. Anxiety often comes from an exaggerated response to stress. Deep breathing lowers stress levels so that your experience is one of calmness and peacefulness so that you experience less anxiety and can function better in daily activities.
27. Deep breathing improves self-image. When you breathe deeply and practice deep breathing exercises, your body will change so that your abdomen is flat and you have stronger muscles that are more toned and look better. This enhancement in your appearance can improve the way you look in the mirror and can benefit your self-image.
28. Deep breathing prevents shortness of breath. Some cases of shortness of breath are due to shallow chest breathing, which doesn’t inflate your lungs all the way. Only through deep breathing exercises can you feel that you are breathing maximally and this has the effect of making you feel less short of breath.
29. Deep breathing lowers your heart rate. The act of deep breathing and the participation in deep breathing exercises maximizes the efficiency of the heart so that you need fewer heartbeats to do the same job as could be done if you weren’t deep breathing. A slower heart rate naturally means you have a better functioning heart.
30. Deep breathing is relaxing. When you are under too much stress, a few minutes of deep breathing exercises can relax you so your body can reset itself in a calmer way so you can go about your daily life with a better sense of relaxation.
31. Deep breathing relieves stress. There is altogether too much stress in our daily lives. It comes from financial stressors, relationship stressors, and work stressors, just to name a few. When you practice deep breathing, your perception of stress is less and you can go about your day free of the emotional disability that comes from being under too much stress.
32. Deep breathing can relax your muscles. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you focus on the muscles of your abdomen and your diaphragm. This has the natural effect of reducing the tension in the rest of your muscles so that you are more relaxed and your muscles will be less tense.
33. Deep breathing helps the fetus grow better in pregnancy. If you are pregnant, nothing could be better than deep breathing. Deep breathing provides oxygen to the growing fetus so that it can grow and develop better under the oxygen you provide it through deep breathing. Deep breathing exercises are good things to partake in no matter what stage of pregnancy you are in.
34. Deep breathing helps reduce aching joints.When you practice deep breathing exercises, you give your body a better sense of calm so that you relax your joints. After the deep breathing exercises are finished, your joints will be less achy and you will be able to function better in activities of daily living without arthritis symptoms.
35. Deep breathing can help a woman in labor. If you are pregnant and practice deep breathing exercises, you can better prepare you for the intense concentration and breathing necessary to get through labor. The time to practice deep breathing exercises is when you are in your third trimester of pregnancy. This prepares you for labor so you may not need to have pain-relieving drugs during labor.
36. Deep breathing helps you with mindfulness. Mindfulness is nothing more than staying in the present and avoiding the stressors of the past and future. Deep breathing exercises help you stay present in time so you don’t focus so much on past traumas or future worries.
37. Deep breathing can prevent miscarriages. If you are pregnant and under too much stress, this can provoke a spontaneous miscarriage. By doing deep breathing exercises, you can better reduce the stress in the first trimester of pregnancy, which has positive effects on the pregnancy and decreases the chances that you will have a miscarriage.
38. Deep breathing reduces cortisol levels. High cortisol levels can increase your glucose levels and promotes the deposition of fat in your fatty tissues. Deep breathing exercises will lower your cortisol levels by de-stressing you so you will have a decreased chance of suffering the negative effects of high cortisol levels.
39. Deep breathing can prevent diabetes. Diabetes can be precipitated by stress. This is because stress can increase your cortisol levels (as mentioned above), which in turn increases your blood glucose values. There seems to be a positive correlation with stress and type 2 diabetes. The more deep breathing you do, the better able you are to have lower blood glucose levels and a decreased chance of having diabetes.
40. Deep breathing improves cognition. When you practice deep breathing exercises, you can fully oxygenate your brain so that the nerve cells are better oxygenated. This causes you to think more clearly and reduces the stress that can cause you to have poor thought processes.
41. Deep breathing improves memory. Your hippocampus is responsible for your short-term memory and your ability to turn short-term memories into long-term memories. When your hippocampus is better oxygenated, you remember things more clearly and you have a better chance of remembering things in your daily life.
42. Deep breathing improves sleep. When you practice deep breathing exercises just before going to bed, you can begin to relax more into a restful state that improves your ability to fall asleep and to stay asleep during the night.
43. Deep breathing can help the lymph system. Just as deep breathing can increase circulation; it can increase the flow of lymph fluid in the lymph system. The lymph system is responsible for finding pathogens and other harmful substances and sending these things to the lymph nodes where they can be properly processed and gotten rid of. Deep breathing can help this process along.
44. Deep breathing can help with asthma and chronic bronchitis. In both of these diseases, the lungs have narrowed airways and increased lung congestion. Deep breathing can clear out lung congestion so you are better able to cough up mucus and prevent complications of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Patients with emphysema can also benefit from deep breathing exercises.
45. Deep breathing can improve vision. Deep breathing can help increase the oxygen flow to the retina, which is the “seeing” part of the eye. When the retina is well oxygenated, it functions at its best and can pick up light sources that ultimately travel through the retinal system and into the brain.
46. Deep breathing can aid wound healing. Wound healing depends on an adequate immune system and the substrates to create collagen that ultimately forms the scar that indicated a wound has healed. All of this depends on good oxygenation, which can be achieved through deep breathing exercises.
47. Deep breathing affects flexibility. When you improve the oxygenation and blood flow to your joints and muscles, you move easier and your musculoskeletal system is less tense. This allows your joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons to be more relaxed so your flexibility improves. This allows you to move better with a decreased risk of injury.
48. Deep breathing improves concentration. Any time you need to concentrate on a difficult task, take a few minutes to practice deep breathing exercises. This will oxygenate your brain and decrease detracting thoughts so that you can function better with an increase in concentration. You will be able to concentrate on the task at hand without losing your focus.
49. Deep breathing enhances your ability to learn. If you are trying to memorize something important or are learning a new subject, the facts can be jumbled to the point where you have difficulty assimilating new information. The best way to handle this is to take a few minutes to practice deep breathing exercises so that you can learn what you need to learn.
50. Deep breathing can decrease wrinkles. By increasing the blood flow to the skin, you can fill the skin tissue with more fluid. This smooths wrinkles so that your physical appearance can be improved. Deep breathing can allow this increase in circulation to occur so, when you look into the mirror, you have fewer wrinkles and will be more pleased with your appearance.
How To Breathe Deeply:
Deep breathing exercises can be done by anyone at any fitness levels. It doesn’t require any special equipment and you can do it just about anywhere when you feel the need arises.
Deep breathing involves breathing through your abdomen rather than simple chest breathing. When you breathe through your abdomen, you can get a deeper breath that goes further into your lung tissue, allowing greater oxygenation and the benefits noted above.
Deep breathing exercises generally involve taking a deep breath through your nose, holding it for a few seconds, and then breathing out through your nose. A single deep breathing cycle lasts about 19 seconds—four seconds for inhalation, a 7 second hold, and 8 seconds for exhalation.
The 4:7:8 Deep Breathing Routine:
1. Let go of all thoughts and clear your mind
2. Slowly breathe in through your nose (4 seconds)
3. Hold that breath for about 7 seconds
4. Exhale through the mouth, exhale at twice the speed it took to inhale (8 seconds)
Tips To Improve Deep Breathing:
• Start with a deep inhalation through your nose. Use your diaphragm to expand your abdomen and to fill your lungs with oxygen. This should just take a few seconds.
• Hold the breath and count for an additional three seconds. Allow yourself to feel the energy build up inside you.
• Then exhale fully though your nose mostly, although you should part your lips slightly to let air escape through your mouth to a mild degree. This exhalation should be done over a period of about three seconds.
• Focus on relaxing your muscles and feeling the oxygen flowing throughout your body.
• Repeat for another breath and do this for at least 5-10 minutes for the maximum benefit.
Make sure to set aside a minimum of two ten minute periods of time in your day just for deep breathing exercises. Make deep breathing a priority.
Do deep breathing exercises in the morning to bring you extra energy and do it again later in the day, when you are trying to wind down and need a few minutes of relaxation.
Repeat as needed throughout the day, especially during times of stress, for pain flare-ups and simply to rejuvenate.
