hello hello! welcome back to wind-down wednesday 💙
today's bit of info is more of an 'everyday' practice rather than an activity - it's about how we breathe on a day-to-day basis!
Did you know that your heart rate increases when you inhale, and decreases when you exhale?
Did you know that ‘breathing for survival’ and ‘healthy breathing’ are different?
Did you know that you can get up to 20% more oxygen when you breathe through your nose (in comparison to your mouth)?
I think it’d be good for us to explore this now, as a lot of grounding/soothing techniques work best when you’re breathing efficiently.
This video covers some amazing tips and explanations around improving your everyday breathing, I really recommend watching it: 5 Ways To Improve Your Breathing with James Nestor
Here’s some key points mentioned in the video:
- Your nose filters through toxins and other components and can retain more oxygen than breathing through your mouth over time.
- The way we breathe can impact our body’s circulation, digestion, heart rate, lung capacity, energy levels, longevity, etc.
- The act of breathing through our mouth regularly can put stress on our body, and signal to our brain that we’re in ‘survival’ mode and need to be alert. Breathing through the mouth leads to over breathing, which can tire the body and contribute to low energy levels.
- Whereas breathing through your nose adds extra pressure & resistance to our breath which is essential in calming and regulating our system.
- Chronic ailments such as anxiety, asthma, allergies, etc., have been linked to the way we breathe – it’s been particularly linked to ‘over breathing’, which stresses the body.
- When you inhale, your heart increases. When you exhale, your heart rate decreases.
If you don’t already breathe in and out of your nose throughout the day, it can be a good habit to start practising.
For some people, there are times when exhaling through the mouth instead is safer/preferred, such as if you have nasal congestion/obstructions. When individuals experience anxiety and/or panic attacks, we often turn to breathing exercises, and it can be difficult to exhale through your nose in these states – feel free to exhale through your mouth until you feel calm/steady enough to exhale through your nose.
The 4-7-8 method is a common breathing tool used to help sleep and calm the body. It involves inhaling for 4 counts, holding for 7 and then exhaling for 8. If you're a beginner or find that 4-7-8 is too hard, you can start with a smaller ratio and build your way up - e.g. 2-3-4: inhale for 2, hold for 3, exhale for 4.
Questions for you:
- Do you find that you breathe more through your nose or mouth?
- What's your go-to breathing technique?
- Also for those who have used finch - have you tried the breathing tools on the app, and how'd you find it? Are there other apps you've found useful for breathing techniques?
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