630-448-0255

breathe deeply blog coverProper breathing is crucial to health and helps maintain spinal stability. Faulty respiration mechanics can lead to recurrent back pain, shoulder problems, poor coordination, and lower cardiovascular endurance. It can also play a major role in chronic fatigue, anxiety, and panic attacks. 

Babies typically breathe with perfect form; their rib cages expand freely for deep breaths. Sitting in chairs, slumping forward at computers, or reclining while watching a show puts our spine and rib cage in unnatural positions that require us to find alternate ways to breathe. 

Normal breathing involves letting the belly go outward with each inspiration. This goes against our society's push for a "flat stomach." It is impossible to breathe correctly when we hold our stomachs tight.

Let's check your breathing and see if some adjustments could be beneficial. 

 

Check Your Breathing

Notice how your abdomen and rib cage move. Do this without trying to alter your normal breathing. Start by lying on your back, then try the steps sitting up, standing, and doing an exercise (like a side plank).
 
1. Place one hand over your abdomen/stomach, and another over your rib cage. 
  • Breathe in - your abdomen should expand outward. 
  • Breathe out - your abdomen should expand inward. 
  • Movement should start in the abdomen, not in the chest (even with a deep breath)
  • Abdominal motion should be much more pronounced than rib/chest motion.
 
2. Now move one hand to each side of your body over your lower ribs and upper abdomen.
  • The abdomen should expand all the way around through the entire cylinder, not just the front of the abdomen moving outward. 
  • As inspiration continues, the lower ribs should move outward in a horizontal plane. 
  • With your hands on your sides, the motion should seem equal on both sides
 
3. Notice if you are breathing in through your nose at an equal rhythm.
  • Your heart rate should be fairly steady.
  • You should breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
 
4. Brace your core like you are ready to be punched in the stomach.
  • Can you still take a breath with the proper mechanics? 

     

Learn to Breathe Better

Recognize what you need to change and practice until it becomes automatic.
 
Phase one...
  • Relax the muscles in your neck and chest.
  • Try to keep the chest still.
  • Focus on exhaling and letting all of the air out while staying relaxed.
  • Breathe with a low, slow, and steady rhythm to avoid deep breaths and sighs.
  • Try to lengthen your exhalation to be twice as long as your inhalation.
Phase two...
  • Practice breathing with one hand on your ribs and one on your abdomen.
  • Be sure you get proper abdominal activity without excess chest motion.
  • After several breaths, switch your hands to your sides.
  • Check that your abdomen and lower ribs are moving outward.

Phase three...

  • Focus on your breathing technique at least once an hour.
  • Remind yourself - Put a note in a prominent place, set a time, or pair it with another activity.  
  • Avoid slumped posture, tight clothes, and holding tension in your abdominals.
  • Be mindful of signs of stress like sighing and raising your shoulders. 
  • Keep practicing, and be patient. It takes time to relearn proper breathing mechanics. 

 

Let's get you started on your way to breathing better and feeling your best! Call our office at 630-448-0255 or schedule an appointment online if you want more guidance. 

Dr. Jamie