Is stress taking over and affecting your breathing?
Most of us might not even notice that we are stressed in our busy world with commitments and jobs around family, work, study, social life and physical activities. It is becoming the norm that our days are filled with appointments; we are constantly checking emails, texting, rushing and being available to everyone 24/7.
Fight or flight
We all have heard the term ‘fight or flight’ which is known as a stress response. Our body jumps into action if it senses a confronting situation and danger. The stress response will keep us alert and on our toes to react to the challenge ahead of us. Have you noticed that your breathing changes during those moments? It becomes faster and deeper to prepare us to react quickly in case we have to run, jump or climb a tree to avoid danger.
We can’t control and eliminate all the stress factors around us but we can be aware
and work on our breathing to avoid chronic hyperventilation and keep our breathing to a healthy norm.
Stress elevates our breathing rate
We are all familiar with situations when we get a sudden fright and have to face a stressful situation (stress).
Imagine we are driving in our car and someone unexpectedly pulls in front of us, we step on the break, our heart starts racing and our breathing becomes heavier and deeper (stress response).
The journey to work is quite slow (nothing new if you have to deal with the traffic in Auckland), we are running late for work and more stress creeps in.
Our breathing is still elevated from the car event earlier and it doesn’t help us sitting buckled up in our seat thinking about the meeting this morning and the important presentation we have to give to a potential new customer in the afternoon (stress).
Plus we better make it on time to the dinner reservation tonight (stress) and there will be again some late night study to stay on top of the game at work (stress) and so it goes on until we go to bed still breathing more than the healthy norm because we are stressed.
Imagine we are driving in our car and someone unexpectedly pulls in front of us, we step on the break, our heart starts racing and our breathing becomes heavier and deeper (stress response).
The journey to work is quite slow (nothing new if you have to deal with the traffic in Auckland), we are running late for work and more stress creeps in.
Our breathing is still elevated from the car event earlier and it doesn’t help us sitting buckled up in our seat thinking about the meeting this morning and the important presentation we have to give to a potential new customer in the afternoon (stress).
Plus we better make it on time to the dinner reservation tonight (stress) and there will be again some late night study to stay on top of the game at work (stress) and so it goes on until we go to bed still breathing more than the healthy norm because we are stressed.
Chronic stress
Trouble starts when our body is under constant stress and it turns into chronic stress. Health problems will start and as a result we might face high blood pressure which is a major risk factor for heart disease. The body’s immune system gets suppressed as a reaction to stress and we can notice an increase in colds and other illnesses. Furthermore, chronic stress can contribute to anxiety and depression.
As a result of chronic stress your breathing pattern might change and we are suddenly using the upper chest muscles to inhale and exhale instead of breathing from the diaphragm. We might develop mouth breathing and wonder why we are chronically tired and exhausted all the time. Or we notice the urge to take big, deep inhalations or an increase in sighing and yawning throughout the day. Those are signs of unhealthy breathing pattern which will hold us back to perform at our best.
Correct breathing is a key to relaxation and various techniques incorporate it. You want to avoid upper chest breathing and engage your diaphragm instead. Your breathing should be calm and soft by breathing in and out through the nose.
As a result of chronic stress your breathing pattern might change and we are suddenly using the upper chest muscles to inhale and exhale instead of breathing from the diaphragm. We might develop mouth breathing and wonder why we are chronically tired and exhausted all the time. Or we notice the urge to take big, deep inhalations or an increase in sighing and yawning throughout the day. Those are signs of unhealthy breathing pattern which will hold us back to perform at our best.
Correct breathing is a key to relaxation and various techniques incorporate it. You want to avoid upper chest breathing and engage your diaphragm instead. Your breathing should be calm and soft by breathing in and out through the nose.
Once stress becomes prolonged in life and our breathing stays elevated we are moving towards
a chronic stage of over-breathing / hyperventilation. Eventually this will result in symptoms
and is not supporting our health and wellbeing.
If you are hyperventilating (breathing more than the norm) less oxygen is released to your body tissue and cells. Less oxygen will signal more stress in your body. Let us show you how to make a change by applying the Buteyko breathing method and boosting your oxygen levels.
Do you suffer from
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Struggle to get a good night sleep?
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Contact us to assess your breathing.
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Upcoming Buteyko
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