Friday, December 28, 2012

Learn How Deep Breathing Exercises Improve Your Health

April 11, 2011 by  
Filed under Featured, Fitness and Exercise


Deep breathing to improve health Deep Breathing can reduce stress, fatigue, high blood pressure, and it can be yet another tool to consider in the search for natural pain relief.

If you suffer from high-blood pressure, stress, and chronic fatigue, learning how to breathe “the right way” can help lessen the severity of these and other debilitating conditions. It does seem silly to be told you need to learn how to breathe “the right way”, I know, but just go ahead and keep reading anyway.

We don’t realize how important breathing is to our overall health and well-being, despite the fact that we take as many as 20,000 breaths every day. Fatigue, below-average mental functioning, a higher risk for heart disease, and stress can all be caused by breathing “the wrong way,” that is, shallowly, in the upper chest.

Not only is tension released, but deeper breathing increases the amount of oxygen in the blood and provides a number of important health-related benefits. Here are some very good reasons to begin breathing more deeply.

  • Higher energy levels
  • Improved blood circulation
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Less stress and tension caused by emotional upsets
  • Improved salt metabolism.

According to research studies, it is possible to reduce the amount of pain that is felt when breathing is slow, deep, and controlled; therefore, being attuned to how you breathe is extremely important to staying physically and mentally fit.

Deep-breathing exercises enable you to be in control of how your body reacts to stressful conditions. The following deep breathing exercise is easy to perform but extremely effective:

1) Slowly inhale through your nose to the count of 6.

2) Count to 18 while you hold your breath.

3) Exhale through your mouth for a count of 12.

4) Now repeat steps 1-3 nine more times.

Do the above exercise two times a day and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

The body cannot survive without oxygen, and the more oxygen it receives, the healthier it becomes, both mentally and physically. Breathing more consciously, slowly, and deeply ensures that your body has enough of this vital life force to enable you to perform at your best and keep you healthy for years to come.

Not only is deep breathing extremely relaxing and stress-reducing, it has a positive effect on the immune system, brain, heart, and digestion, according to several scientific studies. When the body is under stress, its organs and systems are flooded with inflammatory hormones, resulting in decreased immune function which leaves the body more vulnerable to infection and disease.

However, when deep breathing is used as a focus during meditation, it is possible, according to scientific research, to train the body to reduce the amount of harmful, inflammatory hormones it produces when under stress.

A new study indicated that a daily meditation practice helped subjects significantly cut back on their use of prescription drugs. Furthermore, individuals suffering from chronic diseases have used yoga exercises that include a deep breathing component as an effective, natural pain relief strategy.

Conscious, deep breathing is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance overall health and well being and positively influence how the body responds to stress. While it isn’t a cure-all, studies show deep breathing to be extremely effective in reducing many of the negative effects of a stressful lifestyle. Go try it right now before you go read the next article, and before you forget. Start making a habit of it, write yourself a note, you’ll thank me later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep Breathing can reduce stress, fatigue and high blood pressure, it can be yet another tool to consider in the search for natural pain relief.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, stress, and chronic fatigue, learning how to breathe “the right way” can help lessen the severity of these and other debilitating conditions. It does seem silly to be told you need to learn how to breathe “the right way”, I know, but just go ahead and keep reading anyway.

We don’t realize how important breathing is to our overall health and well-being, despite the fact that we take as many as 20,000 breaths every day. Fatigue, below-average mental functioning, a higher risk for heart disease, and stress can all be caused by breathing “the wrong way,” that is, shallowly, in the upper chest.

Not only is tension released, but deeper breathing increases the amount of oxygen in the blood and provides a number of important health-related benefits. Here are some very good reasons to begin breathing more deeply.

•           Higher energy levels

•           Improved blood circulation

•           Lower blood pressure

•           Less stress and tension caused by emotional upsets

•           Improved salt metabolism.

According to research studies, it is possible to reduce the amount of pain that is felt when breathing is slow, deep, and controlled; therefore, being attuned to how you breathe is extremely important to staying physically and mentally fit.

Deep breathing exercises enable you to be in control of how your body reacts to stressful conditions. The following deep breathing exercise is easy to perform but extremely effective:

1) Slowly inhale through your nose to the count of 6.

2) Count to 18 while you hold your breath.

3) Exhale through your mouth for a count of 12.

4) Repeat steps 1-3 nine more times.

Do this exercise two times every day, and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

The body cannot survive without oxygen, and the more oxygen it receives, the healthier it becomes, both mentally and physically. Breathing more consciously, slowly, and deeply ensures that your body has enough of this vital life force to enable you to perform at your best and keep you healthy for years to come.

Not only is deep breathing extremely relaxing and stress-reducing, it has a positive effect on the immune system, brain, heart, and digestion, according to several scientific studies. When the body is under stress, its organs and systems are flooded with inflammatory hormones, resulting in decreased immune function which leaves the body more vulnerable to infection and disease.

However, when deep breathing is used as a focus during meditation, it is possible, according to scientific research, to train the body to reduce the amount of harmful, inflammatory hormones it produces when under stress.

A new study indicated that a daily meditation practice helped subjects significantly cut back on their use of prescription drugs. Furthermore, individuals suffering from chronic diseases have used yoga exercises that include a deep breathing component as an effective natural pain relief strategy.

Conscious, deep breathing is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance overall health and well being and positively influence how the body responds to stress. While it isn’t a cure-all, studies show deep breathing to be extremely effective in reducing many of the negative effects of a stressful lifestyle. Go try it right now before you go read the next article, and before you forget. Start making a habit of it, write yourself a note, you’ll thank me later.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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