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Why is Deep Breathing So Important and How Can I Do It?

In this article, we will discuss how this simple but often forgotten practice can impact your life.

Pause and take a big breath. Have you ever thought about how powerful this simple act is? Many of us forget how to breathe deeply.  However, it can help your health in many ways.

More than just getting air into your lungs, deep breathing can calm your mind and refresh your body. Learning how to deeply breathe can make a huge difference in your health, your ability to focus, and your ability to deal with stress. In this article, we will discuss how this simple but often forgotten practice can impact your life. Let’s get right into it…

The Basics: What is Deep Breathing?

Deep breathing, which is also called diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing, is a way to get more oxygen into your body than a normal, shallow breath. It works by fully contracting the diaphragm and opening the lungs. When people breathe shallowly, they usually only use their upper chest. But when they breathe deeply, they fill the lower part of their lungs as well. Here’s what happens when you take a deep breath:

  1. Diaphragm Activation: The diaphragm is a large muscle located near the base of the lungs. It significantly contributes to this process. During inhalation, the diaphragm undergoes contraction and descends, facilitating the intake of large breaths. This allows for the lungs to enlarge.
  2. Lung Expansion: As the ribcage descends, it facilitates greater expansion of the lungs, enabling them to intake a larger volume of air.
  3. Oxygen Uptake and Carbon Dioxide Release: The enhanced lung capacity improves the process of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, resulting in more effective oxygenation of the blood and elimination of waste gases.
  4. Relaxation Response: Deep breathing also causes the body to rest, which lowers blood pressure and slows down the heart rate. This is good for dealing with stress and improving general health.

Why Is Deep Breathing So Important?

Deep breathing is very important for both mental and physical health since it has a big effect on how the body handles stress and how it works in general. Here's why deep breathing is so important:

  • Stress Reduction: Deep breathing sets off the body's calm reaction, which makes you feel less stressed and anxious. The nervous system goes from the "fight or flight" reaction to a state of calm, which lowers the amount of stress hormones in the body.
  • Better Oxygenation: By fully widening the lungs, deep breathing helps the body take in more oxygen. The enhanced oxygenation facilitates cellular well-being and enhances energy levels.
  • Natural Detoxification: For detoxification, deep breathing helps the body get rid of carbon dioxide and other waste gases. This natural detox process is important for keeping the body healthy.
  • Better Digestive Function: Deep breathing relaxes the digestive system and other internal organs, which can help digestion and make it easier to get rid of waste.
  • Better Heart Health: Deep breathing can regularly lower blood pressure and heart rate, making the heart less stressed while also improving heart health.
  • Better Focus and Mental Clarity: Deep breathing delivers more oxygen and blood to the brain, which improves memory, focus, and cognitive function.
  • Better Emotional Balance: Deep breathing can help balance your emotions by lowering your stress and making you feel more relaxed.
  • Better Sleep: Engaging in deep breathing exercises, particularly right before bed, can facilitate relaxation, thereby contributing to an improved quality of sleep.

Knowing how important deep breathing is helps you see why adding it to your daily routine can make a big difference in your health. It's an easy, quick, and effective way to deal with stress, make your body healthier, and keep your mind clear.

How To Do Deep Breathing

Engaging in deep breathing is a straightforward and efficient method that may be performed in virtually any location and at any moment. Below is a step-by-step guide to follow:

Ensure Optimal Posture

To start, get into a relaxed seated position with proper spinal alignment, or recline supine on a horizontal surface. Position one hand on your chest and the other on your belly to perceive the motion of your diaphragm.

Take a Deep Breath Through Your Nostrils

Gently inhale through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand as you fill your lungs with air. Maintain immobility in the hand placed on your chest, while allowing the hand on your abdomen to elevate.

Brief Pause

Following a deep inhalation, briefly retain your breath for a few seconds.

Breathe Out Gradually Through Your Mouth

Gently release the air from your lungs through your mouth, allowing the hand on your abdomen to lower. Attempt to fully exhale to eliminate as much air as feasible from your lungs.

Repeat The Process

Maintain this consistent practice of taking in deep breaths through your nostrils and releasing them through your mouth. Concentrate on the cadence and sensation of your respiration.

Duration

Commence with a brief session – about 2-5 minutes – and progressively extend the length as you get more at ease with the practice.

Consistent Practice

Integrate the practice of deep breathing into your everyday regimen. Regular and diligent practice maximizes the advantages.

Mindfulness

Direct your focus on the ascent and descent of your abdomen while you breathe. This aspect of mindfulness might also facilitate relaxation and alleviate tension.

Engaging in deep breathing exercises can provide significant advantages in situations of stress, and anxiety, before going to sleep, or when concentration is required. Consistent practice of deep breathing can develop into a beneficial technique for stress management, relaxation improvement, and general well-being.

The Long-Lasting Effects of Adding Deep Breathing to Your Daily Routine

By adding deep breathing to your daily routine, you may experience a chain reaction of positive changes that will have a big impact on your health and way of life over time.

Regularly engaging in this uncomplicated exercise eventually alters not just instances of tension or worry, but it also modifies how your body and mind respond to and handle these circumstances. Regular deep breathing can have a relaxing effect, leading to a reduced impact of stress-inducing events.

Through this exercise, as your respiratory system improves in efficiency, each breath becomes more potent and impactful, resulting in an overall enhancement of oxygenation and energy levels. Expanding your lung capacity and improving your breathing efficiency can make physical activities more enjoyable and less taxing on your body.

Moreover, the long-term benefits of lowered blood pressure and heart rate don't just translate into numbers; they also show up as a more relaxed, health-promoting state of being that lessens the strain on your cardiovascular system. This can improve a general feeling of health and energy.

Cognitively, the enhanced mental acuity and attentiveness resulting from engaging in deep breathing exercises can contribute to heightened efficiency and concentration, rendering everyday responsibilities and obstacles more easily handled.

In summary, including deep breathing into your daily regimen is not just a simple routine, but rather a valuable investment in your overall health and wellness, with great effects on all areas of your life. Incorporating this breathing technique into your daily lives, it not only has benefits in the moment but also offers various long-term benefits as well.

Summary: Why Is Deep Breathing So Important and How Can I Do It?

The act of engaging in deep breathing is a fundamental and effective method for improving both physical and mental well-being. Deep breathing is not only a temporary pause but rather a transforming practice that offers several advantages. Below is a summary of the importance of deep breathing and simple ways to add it to your daily routine:

  • Important for Stress Reduction: Deep breathing is crucial for stress reduction since it triggers the relaxation response, leading to a notable decrease in stress and anxiety levels.
  • Increases Oxygen Intake: It augments the delivery of oxygen to your body, enhancing general physiological processes and levels of vitality.
  • Reduces Blood Pressure: Consistently doing deep breathing techniques can lower blood pressure and enhance cardiovascular health.
  • Enhances Mental Well-being: This breathing technique facilitates the improvement of concentration, lucidity, and emotional equilibrium.
  • Convenient and Versatile: Deep breathing is a highly accessible technique for promoting health since it can be performed in any location and at any moment.

Deep breathing is an essential and easily implementable technique that provides substantial advantages for both your mental and physical well-being. By adding it to your daily regimen, you may access an innate and efficient method to improve your overall quality of life.

Learn More About Deep Breathing at Mitogenesis in Scottsdale, AZ

Experience the profound benefits of deep breathing with Dr. Mel Schottenstein at Mitogenesis. Simply give us a call or fill out a contact form to book an appointment and we would be happy to walk you through the process as well as show you additional ways that you can enhance your overall quality of life!  

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