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The 5 Coolest
Facts You Never
Knew About
Breathing
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Dr. Carla Cupido
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// As seen in Oprah Magazine // The 5 Coolest Facts You Never Knew
About Breathing
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Breathing controls your pH Breathing can induce a relaxa=on response The perkiness of your chest maCers Cardio-­‐respiratory fitness improves core stability Breathing, Bathrooms & Bedrooms Are Connected !
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1. Breathing controls your pH
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Your breathing is in=mately connected to most of your body’s systems and vise versa. For example, during exercise, your muscles produce more carbon dioxide. This increases the acidity level in your bloodstream, along with other bodily fluids. Since your breathing regulates your acid-­‐base balance (a.k.a. pH level) over the short-­‐term, subconsciously your body will increase its oxygen intake by breathing more to re-­‐establish a balanced pH. This sequence reverses when you require less oxygen. PreCy amazing. !
A balanced pH level is necessary in maintaining healthy bodily systems. Overly acidic or basic condi=ons can wreak havoc on your delicate biochemistry, adversely affec=ng many of the systems of your body. For example, if you exhale too much carbon dioxide (hyperven=la=on), your pH level will increase, s=mula=ng decreased blood flow to your brain, and result in REDUCED oxygen delivery to your =ssues, INCREASED muscle tension, and INCREASED nervous system excitability (which is a bad thing)! In as much as breathing affects your pH level, your pH balance can in turn influence your breathing paCerns. A few other ways your acid-­‐base balance can be thrown out of equilibrium: !
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Poor diet Kidney dysfunc=on (common in exceedingly high protein diets) Hormonal dysfunc=on (consider the influence of steroid use) Diure=cs Excessive vomi=ng, prolonged diarrhea Ketoacidosis (seen in people on high protein, low carb diets) Take home point: You can be in control of your breathing habits and those that are healthy will encourage healthy bodily func=ons. !
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2. Breathing can induce a ‘relaxation response’
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First of all, what is a ‘relaxa=on response’? Dr. Herbert Benson, from the Harvard Mind-­‐Body Ins=tute and Benson-­‐Henry Ins=tute has made the relaxa=on response famous. It is defined as a “physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emo=onal responses to stress (e.g., decreases in heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, and muscle tension).” The relaxa=on response can cause the following changes in your body: • Your heart beats slower • Your muscles relax • Your breathing slows • Your blood pressure decreases • Your metabolism decreases • Your levels of nitric oxide are increased (important molecule in numerous processes in your body) !
If prac=ced regularly, these benefits can be long las=ng. !
When you focus on your breath, as you can in medita=on, it can help induce this therapeu=c state, ac=va=ng your parasympathe=c nervous system. Your parasympathe=c nervous system s=mulates rest and diges=on: the opposite to the sympathe=c nervous system which s=mulates your fight or flight response. Your parasympathe=c nervous system therefore can protect your from stress-­‐related condi=ons. !
The two essen=al steps to evoking the relaxa=on response are: !
1. Repe==on of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular ac=vity. (This is where breath focus comes in.) 2. Passive disregard of everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and the return to your repe==on. !
Nine detailed steps are available on the Benson-­‐Henry website here. !
Take home point: Focusing on your breath can induce a relaxa=on response. !
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3. The perkiness of your chest matters
!Side Note:
Your diaphragm is a parachute-­‐shaped muscle that lives in your ribcage. It is the dividing line between your lungs and your abdominal organs. When you inhale, your lungs fill with air and it lowers. When you exhale, your lungs deflate and your diaphragm elevates. !
When you s=ck your chest out like a proud peacock or you hunch forward like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, you decrease the space available in your thorax for your diaphragm to descend when you inhale; this limits your lungs’ expansion capacity. !
When your ribcage posi=on is op=mal, adequate space is available as men=oned above for your lungs to fill and your diaphragm to migrate downwards, but this posi=on also allows for the greatest amount of vacuum to be developed in the chest cavity. This vacuum increases the amount of air that can enter the lungs. !
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Op=mal breathing paCerns and rib cage posi=on will make your core s=ffer and therefore, your lower back more stable. This s=ffness is created by your diaphragm lowering as it increases the pressure within your abdominal cavity. This increased pressure produces increased s=ffness through your core, essen=ally making you more stable due to the func=on of a hydraulic system and not your core muscles. Take home point: align your ribcage over your pelvis and you will breathe beCer and be stronger through your core. !
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4. Cardio-respiratory fitness improves core stability
!Side Note:
Cardio-­‐respiratory fitness is exactly what it sounds like: the integrated fitness between your cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) and your respiratory system (lungs and air exchange). It is essen=ally the fitness you think about when you run, bike or do anything else that steals your breath from you. !
Without proper coordina=on between your diaphragm and your core muscles, you are at risk of spinal instability. The diaphragm is our most important breathing muscle, but it is also a fundamental muscle in maintaining postural stability. If when your breathing is laboured, your brain has to choose between telling muscles to provide postural stability or ensuring that you con=nue breathing, which do you think it is going to choose? !
With this muscular balancing act in mind, consider the effects of greater aerobic demand during exercise on spinal stability; the brain tells these dual-­‐purpose muscles to focus breathing rather than providing postural and spinal stability. If your body is too busy figh=ng for breath while you are simultaneously trying to stabilize the spine, your power, strength and endurance will be significantly compromised. This is of great concern during physical exer=on, whether during sport or running around with a child who immediately demands to be picked up. !
Take home point: By improving your cardio-­‐respiratory fitness, your breathing will be less laborious and your core stability will be op=mized. !
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5. Breathing, Bathrooms & Bedrooms Are Connected
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Breathing and peeing go hand-­‐in-­‐hand? What does that even mean? Well, it means that op=mal breathing paCerns are =ed to op=mal pelvic floor func=on. Therefore, the beCer you breathe, the beCer you pee, poo and have sex. !Side note:
The pelvic floor essen=ally refers to the muscles that support your undersides. For women, this includes your urethral opening (for urine), your vagina, and your anus. For men, this includes your urethral opening (for urine), the area between your scrotum and anus, and your anus. Let’s be serious… these muscles are important! Most men pay liCle to no aCen=on to the words ‘pelvic floor’ as they associate it with the other gender; however, pelvic floor func=on is important whether you are a man or a woman. !
When you breathe in, your diaphragm (a vital breathing muscle that sits like an umbrella inside your ribcage) should descend along with your pelvic floor. As the diaphragm pushes your abdominal contents down, your abdominal contents push your pelvic floor down. When it is =me to exhale, your pelvic floor snaps upwards as does the diaphragm, returning both the diaphragm and pelvic floor their original posi=ons. !
This paCern is excellent when your posture is ideal; however, if your ribcage and pelvis are not in line with each other as discussed in ‘Cool Fact #3’, the efficiency of this piston-­‐like system decreases drama=cally. Not only will these areas lose efficiency, they will call to other areas of the body to jump in and compensate for their lack of proficiency. This will lead to repe==ve strain issues, overly =ght muscles and excessively weak muscles. !
Take home point: make sure you read ‘Cool Fact #3’ to understand the basics behind the connec=on between your breathing, your bathroom and your bedroom func=ons. !Side Note:
Are You Breathing Properly? !
Breathing assessments can be very detailed and complex and a good manual prac==oner will be able to help you fine-­‐tune your paCerns. However, the following are common dysfunc=onal tendencies you can assess on your own: !
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Significant upper chest movement with breathing Inward belly movement with inhala=on Holding your breath Omen producing a sigh Rapid breathing Omen, subtle restric=ons in joint movement or muscular =ssue kindle abnormal breathing paCerns. Removing these issues can improve respira=on. !
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Find more great ar=cles here: drcarlacupido.com