Why is the way you breathe important: the way you breathe plays a crucial role in your overall health, delivering oxygen to every cell in our body and ensuring that your organs function efficiently. Newborns are great at practicing deep breathing. Yet over time, many of us have become shallow, or chest breathers.
Shallow breathing is when you only draw small amounts of air into your lungs, not using their full capacity. So you end up with quick, less efficient breaths that barely move your chest.
Breathing doesn't just provide our bodies with essential oxygen. It's also connected with our emotions, stress levels, and overall well-being.
Six Ways Shallow Breathing Affects Your Body
Reduced Oxygen Intake: Shallow breathing limits oxygen intake, which can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and brain fog. With less oxygen reaching your organs, energy levels decrease, and it becomes challenging to focus or maintain mental clarity.
Muscle Tension: Shallow breaths cause muscles, especially in the neck and shoulders, to tighten. This ongoing tension can lead to chronic aches and pains, reducing flexibility and overall mobility.
Impaired Immune Function: Without deep, oxygen-rich breaths, the immune system may weaken. Oxygen helps maintain healthy cells and removes toxins; without it, the body may struggle to fend off infections and heal quickly.
Increased Stress: Shallow breaths signal to the brain that you’re under stress, perpetuating a cycle of anxiety and tension. This pattern keeps your body in a “fight or flight” state, increasing cortisol levels and impacting hormonal balance, especially during menopause.
Reduced Detoxification: Breathing is one of the ways the body naturally detoxifies. When breathing is shallow, there’s less movement through the lungs, leading to toxin buildup over time, which can strain other detox pathways, like the liver and kidneys.
Disrupted Sleep Patterns: Efficient, deep breathing promotes relaxation and prepares the body for restful sleep. Shallow breathing, however, keeps the nervous system in a heightened state, leading to difficulty falling or staying asleep, especially during menopause, when sleep may already be disrupted.
Recognizing your own breathing patterns is the first step in making positive changes..Lets get going with the deep breathing exercises.
So are you overwhelmed? Stressed? Anxious? Pause. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4. Repeat a few times. (Remeber to keep your mouth closed during this exercise). Feels good, right? Try doing this breathing exercise before you get out of bed in the morning. That way you'll satrt your day in a calm frame of mind
Hugs and loove, Sonja B
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