and I wonder if Beethoven held his breath
the first time his fingers touched the keys
the same way a soldier holds his breath
the first time his finger clicks the trigger.
We all have different reasons for forgetting to breathe.
Andrea Gibson, an award-winning poet and activist from Colorado, USA.
And these are not the only times we forget to breathe. We stop breathing for a moment when we are surprised, astounded, frightened and even when we are ecstatic. Our breathing becomes fast and shallow when we are angry; we breathe rapidly when we are anxious or stressed.
Actually, stress and anxiety attacks cause the rapid shallow breathing syndrome which is medically termed tachypnea. It is sometimes interchangeably used with the term hyperventilation, which is when you are taking rapid, deep breaths. Normal breathing for an adult is 8 to 16 breaths per minute, though an infant may breathe up to 44 times a minute. According to the WHO criteria, a respiratory rate of more than 20 breaths per minute (or sometimes, 25 breaths /minute) in adults is categorised as tachypnea.
Symptoms you may be experiencing with shallow breathing
You might not be aware that you are breathing fast but you will be aware of symptoms such as-
Symptoms that occur less frequently and you may not realize that these symptoms occur because of shallow breathing -
Well, it s not always stress and panic attacks that could be causing your shallow and rapid breathing. Medical conditions such as lung infections like pneumonia or bronchiolitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or heart failure could also make you breathe rapidly.
How is shallow breathing affecting your health?
Shallow rapid breathing is actually an evolutionary adaptation for stress response in which the body activates its fight or flight system. This is how it works:
Amygdala (area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing) sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus (area of the brain that functions like a command centre, communicating with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system). Get rid of tension with this deep breathing technique.
The autonomic nervous system has two components
Now, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals to the adrenal glands. These glands respond by pumping adrenaline into the bloodstream. Following activities occur
All these changes happen so quickly you are not even aware of them. When the initial surge of adrenaline subsides the adrenal glands then release cortisol so that the body stays revved up and on high alert.
When the threat passes the parasympathetic nervous system that works as brakes dampens the stress response.
Long term effects of persistent shallow breathing
Now imagine, modern lifestyle pressure keeps you on chronic stress but the fight-or-flight system of the body doesn t understand this. So, it is always on protection mode!
Result
Shallow breathing translates into over-breathing, which means you breathe out carbon dioxide too quickly, even before your body has a chance to make more.
This creates an oxygen carbon dioxide imbalance. Carbon dioxide is an important source of acid in the blood. Rapid loss of carbon dioxide raises the blood pH above normal and you experience the symptoms listed above.
Learning to breathe right
If we pay attention to the way we breathe and learn how to breathe right, we can increase our immunity, be calm and relaxed, and prevent conditions associated with shallow breathing.
Zen Master Th ch Nh t H nh explains it beautifully
Your breathing should flow gracefully, like a river, like a water snake crossing the water, and not like a chain of rugged mountains or the gallop of a horse. To master our breath is to be in control of our bodies and minds. Each time we find ourselves dispersed and find it difficult to gain control of ourselves by different means, the method of watching the breath should always be used.
And to master our breath we need to follow a few simple steps:
Health benefits of slow, deep breathing
Slow deep breathing helps you calm your nerves; you can feel the stress leaving your body even while you are doing the breathing routine. Research reveals that paced breathing reduces central nervous system activitythat activates the fight or flight system and facilitates the relaxation response. [1]
Here are some other studies to show the health benefits of paced breathing.
1. Paced breathing reduces frequency and severity of hot flashes in menopausal women.
To find out if paced breathing helps reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes, Mayo Clinic researchers conducted a 9-week study where participants practiced paced breathing at 6 breaths/minute for 15 minutes, either once or twice a day, whereas the control group practiced usual breathing at 14 breaths/minute for 10 minutes/day. The findings were all participants reported hot flash reductions during the 9 weeks: 52% for paced breathing twice a day, 42% for paced breathing once a day, and 46% for usual breathing. [2] Here's how breathing exercise can help you sleep better.
A more recent study, however, found that although slow-placed respiration showed moderate improvements, this intervention was significantly less effective than a music-listening intervention in decreasing the frequency and severity of hot flush symptoms. [3]
2. Deep diaphragmatic breathing helps improve sleep apnoea and insomnia.
Researchers found that relaxation techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing (paced breathing), mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, etc. can be effective in reducing physiological hyperarousal and are especially effective in helping with sleep initiation in people with sleep problems. [4]
3. Slow breathing reduces high blood pressure.
Researchers from Italy experimented on 20 people with high blood pressure and 26 controls and found that slow breathing decreased systolic and diastolic pressures in hypertensive subjects from 149.7 3.7 to 141.1 4 mm Hg, and from 82.7 3 to 77.8 3.7 mm Hg, respectively. In the same way, slow breathing increased baroreflex (one of the body s mechanisms that helps maintain blood pressure at nearly constant levels) sensitivity in hypertensives from 5.8 0.7 to 10.3 2.0 ms/mm Hg without inducing hyperventilation. [5]
Breathing right is not just about being healthy physically. It positively affects our mind and emotions as well.
Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again. Th ch Nh t H nh.
References
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