Challenge 06 - Breathe to Lower Anxiety
“The rate and depth we breathe at is a huge determinant of our mental state” 1
Today’s challenge is to breathe intentionally.
Breathing is so fundamental to our lives but largely goes unnoticed automatically happening in the background of our everyday lives. However, being conscious about those 25,000 daily breaths could help improve our mental wellbeing, lower anxiety, and be calmer.
So how might breathing impact our physiology? Our respiration rate influences our autonomic nervous system which is divided into two: the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branches. In healthy subjects breathing techniques can promote parasympathetic dominance, increase calmness and relaxation. With practice, some of these hacks can induce the rest and restore branch in as little as 3-4 minutes.
There are a lot of breathing techniques available for people to try and explore what works best for them. Of course, everyone is different and obviously, this will not substitute for medical advice but I have found the following handy in reminding me to breath more intentionally:
· Close your mouth – breathing through the nose filters the air and helps us take deeper breaths directly to the belly or diaphragm. It also increases the intake of nitric oxide, which opens blood vessels, which improves circulation and oxygen to travel throughout the body.
· Deep breathing – breathe deeply into your belly or diaphragm, which reduces shallow breathing (chest breathing) and allows the lungs to increase the intake of oxygen.
· Slow-paced breathing – slowing breathing to 6 – 10 breaths per minute in healthy people has been shown to improve parasympathetic activity. 2
Being more intentional about your breathing is not just for adults. Research into breathing and stress in children has shown that just taking four slow deep breaths in an everyday setting can significantly affect child stress physiology. Understanding that deep breathing may not be intuitive to children SPARK Lab at Stanford developed a video to show how to pace breath inhale and exhale slowly. By measuring the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and changing pace of the heartbeat when a person inhales and exhales, the study suggests that paced breathing could reduce physiological arousal and be linked to children’s ability to regulate their emotions, focus their attention and engage in tasks. Watch the video here breath in like your smelling a flower and breath out like your blowing a candle
I, have observed the beneficial impact of breathing techniques on people’s lives. Over the past five years, 1,000 volunteers have worn a Firstbeat Bodyguard2 bio-feedback device measuring heart rate variability as part of the ‘Manage Your Energy Renewal Program’. It is incredible to think that learning simple breathing exercises would dramatically affect people's lives.
So what breathing practice might you try today? Tell us here
Reference
1. Professor Elissa Epel
2. How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. 2018
3. How to calm stressed kid one minute video can help according to Stanford researchers. J.Obradović. 2021
Further reading
Read: How calm stressed kid one minute video can help according to Stanford research. https://ed.stanford.edu
Read (long): Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. James Nestor
Listen: how-the-lost-art-of-breathing-can-impact-sleep-and-resilience www.npr.org
** Disclaimer – Fresh start effect & 30 Day challenge by Duncan Young. All content and media on the Build Your Ideal Day Website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
