Elissa Brittenden, one of the talented osteopaths on our team, has written this blog to give some advice on breathing and how to practice better breathing.

It may be surprising to learn that we breathe thousands of times a day, mostly without thinking about it. For most of us it is a simple process that has the effect of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide and is a key feature of health and well-being. However, for some, breathing mechanics can become disrupted and dysfunctional. This can occur with chronic stress, anxiety, poor posture, asthma, sleep apnoea etc. As a result, people may begin to experience a range of signs and symptoms such as:

• Neck pain
• Headaches
• Increase anxiety and/or panic attacks
• Lack of energy
• Dizziness
• Sinus issues
• Decrease in physical performance

How can Osteopathy help?

• By addressing the way you breathe with education about correct technique
• By improving the mobility of your upper back and ribs
• By reducing the tension in muscles associated with breathing
• By correcting posture and addressing reasons why this poor posture has arisen

How to practice better breathing:

A good way to help yourself breathe in a more natural way, is to follow these steps:

• Sit in a comfortable chair or lie on the bed or floor and ensure that you are as relaxed as possible.
• Release any tension in your neck and shoulders.
• Place one hand on your chest and one on the top of your stomach.
• Focus on breathing the air towards your stomach, using your diaphragm, filling your lungs with a small breath – approximately the amount held in a glass.
• Concentrate on the out breath: it should be slightly longer than the in breath,
• Ensure that your breath size and rate do not increase as you practice this.

You may find it takes a few minutes before you can do this style of breathing. If you are still struggling, try to practice in a lying position with your knees bent up, rather than in a sitting position. As you get better, you can start doing it sitting. You may also find that placing your hands behind your head helps.

When you have successfully completed this exercise, make sure that your breathing does not suddenly ‘increase in size’, for example through sighing, yawning, or coughing. During breathing control, you may find that you feel ‘hungry’ for air. This sensation is perfectly normal and may be a result of the levels of carbon dioxide increasing to a more normal level. Try to ‘swallow away’ the urge to gasp for air. You will find that as you continue to practice this style of breathing, this sensation will diminish.

It is worthwhile practicing this style of breathing for about ten minutes, twice a day. Although this may sound like a lot to fit into your day, try spacing them in with your normal activities, for example, when reading or during advert breaks whilst watching TV. If you are practicing in a lying position, do so when you go to bed and again when you wake up.