Learn the Right Breathing Techniques to Stay Healthy

Did you know that we take nearly 25,000 breaths a day? While it sounds amazing, are we doing it right? More often, we are not taught how to breathe, since it is a natural process of inhalation and exhalation that our body knows well. But, the problem here is that we are used to following our own pattern of breathing and never really mind about how it actually should be done. 

Effects of Improper Breathing

It would be an understatement to say that our overall well being and health rely on the way we breathe. Oxygen is vital for the functioning of the brain, heart, nervous system, and many other processes our body is accustomed to. With improper breathing, there are chances we are not allowing proper amounts of oxygen to circulate, which might result in the following. 

• Digestive issues
• Sleep deprivation / Insomnia
• Stress/ Heart attack
• Brain disorders/ Mental health
• Muscle stiffness
• Mood swings

Right Breathing Techniques

1.  Always Breathe through Your Nose

Consciously or unconsciously, a lot of us use our mouths for breathing. This is one of the worst breathing practices and should be stopped immediately as the inhale-exhale process should happen only through the nose. Mouth breathing can lead to dental misalignments, gum problems, or even cause wheezing or asthma attacks( Get to know the natural remedies for asthma). The reason behind this is that your mouth can easily allow unfiltered air to pass through the lungs which are otherwise filtered by the nasal passage. Practice nasal breathing at the earliest to stay away from medical complications.

2. Avoid Taking Short Breaths

Short breaths can lead to inadequate oxygen supply to the lungs and ultimately to the whole of your body. This can tremendously affect the lungs and the respiratory tract causing infections or clots. Make sure your breathing is rhythmic, neither too short nor too long. 

3. Adjust Your Breathing

It is hard to always track the way you breathe. It’s an involuntary action that keeps happening day in and day out. But, you can make daily checks and adjust your breathing so that it is proper. Maybe you could keep a phone reminder for the same. 

4. Stop Breathing through Your Chest

There is no particular reason we do this, but, unknowingly, we tend to breathe through the chest and not the diaphragm. When the breathing is done through the diaphragm, the airflow reaches to several other parts of the day rather easily compared to chest breathing. Brain activities, sleep, digestion, and heart functioning are better when the oxygen supply is more through full breathing.

5. Practice Relaxed Breathing

This is synchronous to your stress levels. We’ve always been taught to take deep breaths during times of tension and stress. But, in reality, it is relaxed breathing that needs to be done. This will loosen the lung tightness caused by anger or strain, thus allowing enough oxygen to the arteries. 

In today’s fast-moving world, it is close to impossible to track your breathing on a regular basis. Instead, routines like yoga and meditation can help you breathe better and in the right way as it is going to have an overall effect on your health and well being.