Breathing Exercises – 7 Health Benefits

Regular breathing exercises are an effective way to relax your body and mind and make you feel better. People who train yoga or practice mindfulness know the advantages of this type of exercise.

Unfortunately, we don’t often pay attention to how we breathe without realizing that it affects the entire body.

Scientists at Stanford University recently published interesting research findings that demonstrate the remarkable health benefits of breathing exercise .

Mark Krasnow, the biochemist and lead researcher in the above-mentioned study, says his team has identified a small group of neurons that are responsible for linking breathing with a feeling of relaxation.

Research shows that breathing exercises can help reduce stress levels, ease symptoms of anxiety disorders, and improve your ability to focus and control your emotions.

It turns out that performing this type of exercise is one of the simplest and most effective relaxation techniques that each of us should try.

Find out the health benefits of a simple activity such as taking conscious, deep breaths.

1. Breathing exercises reduce stress and anxiety

Breathing is an activity that we do subconsciously. We breathe oxygen to enable our cells to produce the energy they need to live.

The by-product of respiration is carbon dioxide excreted from the body through the respiratory tract. This almost magical process best serves our body when we breathe consciously and slowly. It is also important that the breathing is deep and rhythmic.

Often times, our breathing takes a chaotic form, for example due to anxiety or fear. Such a disturbed breathing rhythm affects our entire body, mainly the work of the heart.

However, it is enough to learn to consciously control your breathing to support the parasympathetic nervous system and put the body into a state of relaxation.

This is because the parasympathetic system stops stimulating the production of cortisol and adrenaline in our body. This is one of the easiest ways to get both your body and mind relaxed.

2. They help to cleanse the body of toxins

You may not be aware of it, but exhaling carbon dioxide is one of the processes that help the body cleanse itself of toxins. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of metabolic processes and must be removed from the body with the exhaled air.

If our lungs get used to taking short, jerky breaths, we won’t be able to expel the same amount of toxins from our body as we do when we breathe deeply and consciously.

Keep this in mind and perform breathing exercises 2-3 times a day, 10 minutes during each session.

3. Breathing exercises relieve pain

When something hurts us, we often unconsciously hold our breath. It is our body’s natural reaction when we hit or cut ourselves.

However, if you suffer from chronic pain, such as arthritis, lupus, or fibromyalgia, try to do proper breathing exercises. Hold your breath for a moment several times a day and then take a long, deep breath.

In doing so, you help your body release endorphins, which act as a natural pain reliever.

4. Breathing and correct posture

Unbelievable as it may sound, regularly taking deep breaths will help improve your body posture, especially the line at the nape of your neck.

When you take a deep breath and fill your lungs with oxygen, you automatically force the spine into a more harmonious, balanced position.

5. Breathing stimulates the work of the lymphatic system

The lymphatic system in the human body is part of the immune system and is made up of an entire network of lymph vessels, tissues, organs and lymph nodes that perform a variety of functions.

One of the tasks of the fluid in the lymphatic system is to cleanse the body of dead cells and other debris.

Thanks to deep breaths, you improve the work of the circulatory system, and thus accelerate the transport of blood plasma. In this way, your body can function much more efficiently and cleanse itself of unnecessary and harmful ingredients.

6. Supports the work of the heart

We all know that during aerobic (cardio) exercise, the body uses fat for energy. In turn, during exercise training, our body generates energy from glucose.

7. Deep breaths and digestive processes

Breathing exercises can also stimulate digestive processes. Because when you supply the body with oxygen, it also reaches the organs of the digestive system.

Thanks to deep breaths, all organs are better supplied with blood, and our stomach and intestines can carry out digestive processes more efficiently. Breathing also helps us relax, which always has a positive effect on metabolic processes, and thus increases the level of absorption of nutrients.

Do you see the many and varied benefits of taking deep breaths? Start practicing your breathing today and you will feel better and better with each passing day.