5 Benefits of Deep Breathing Exercises According To Modern Science
Breathe in and out. Breathe in and out. This likely sounds familiar to you. Breathing is life — literally.
You’ve heard there are health benefits to controlled breathing that can lead to weight loss, that there are physiological benefits of deep breathing and benefits of deep breathing relaxation — and more.
It’s true.
If you learn to control your breathing, you can experience a better and healthier you. Use this guide to discover breathing exercises and their benefits to you.
What Deep Breathing Exercises Are We Talking About?
There are breathing exercises to help with anxiety, and breathing exercises to help you deal with stress. There are more breathing exercises to help you lose weight. The benefits of each exercise are similar.
Here are some of the breathing exercises a few of the top breathing experts use to help promote a healthier mind and body.
Wim Hof Method Deep Breathing
Wim Hof has developed breathing exercises to help you keep your body in optimal condition and to deal with a variety of situations.
What Do You Do During Wim Hof Deep Breathing Exercises?
Wim Hof has a four-step breathing method that is simple and easy to follow.
Get comfy. You can sit or lie down, whichever is the most comfortable for you.
Take 30-40 deep breaths. Concentrate on your breaths while inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. When you inhale through your nose, allow the air to fill your belly, then move into your chest, and out through your mouth — but not in a forceful way.
Hold your breath. After you exhale for the last time, take as deep a breath as you can. Exhale. Then, hold your breath for as long as you can, up until the point you feel like you need to breathe again.
Take a recovery breath. When you are ready to take a breath again, take in one big breath — filling your lungs, belly, and chest and allowing them to expand. Hold the breath for 15 seconds and release.
Dr. Joe Dispenza Deep Breathing Exercises
Dr. Joe Dispenza says the purpose of deep breathing exercises is to pull the mind out of the body. He believes that deep breathing is about changing your energy.
What Do You Do During Dr. Joe Dispenza Deep Breathing Exercises?
Close your eyes.
Breathe in one long steady breath from your perineum, through your abdomen, into your chest, through your throat, into your brain, and through the top of your head.
Pull your muscles in (starting with your pelvis and then working your way up to your diaphragm, chest, etc.) as you inhale your breath.
Set the intention to pull the mind out of the body.
When your breath gets to the top of your head, hold your breath, and squeeze your muscles a little bit more.
Exhale and relax.
Yoga Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing in yoga is also referred to as Pranayama. Proper deep breathing while practicing yoga, requires some specific steps.
What Do You Do During Yoga Deep Breathing Exercises?
Inhale. Inhale deeply and slowly using your diaphragm. As you inhale, fill your belly with air.
Retain the air from the inhale.
Exhale. Slowly and steadily exhale. As you exhale, pull in your abdomen as you release the air from your lungs.
Pause. Once your lungs are empty, suspend or pause before going back to step 1 to inhale.
The 5 Health Benefits of Deep Breathing
What is deep breathing good for? Science tells us that there are a countless number of reasons to practice deep breathing exercises. However, there are five main reasons that it will benefit you. What does deep breathing do for the body?
1. ‘Controlling’ Your Immune System
The Wim Hof Method teaches that you can boost your immune system in a variety of natural ways. One way is to reduce stress, which the Wim Hof Method says you can do by deep breathing.
Science That Proves This: PNAS
Radboud University Medical Center conducted a study of the Wim Hof method effects on the immune system. The group of participants trained in the Wim Hof method showed they were able to activate their sympathetic nervous system showing:
Fewer flu-like symptoms
Increased levels of plasma epinephrine
Lower levels of proinflammatory mediators
2. Reduces Inflammation
Using deep breathing exercises to fully oxygenate your body can help to reduce inflammation.
Science That Proves This: Science Daily
Inflammation requires an energy source. Researchers from the Department of Medicine 3 — Rheumatology and Immunology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) found that the body uses oxygen as a source to distinguish inflammation.
Reducing inflammation may help to control conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and sinitus.
3. Mitigates Stress
Concentrating on deep breathing helps to reduce stress and anxiety levels.
Science That Proves This: Dr. Axe
When you focus on your breathing and oxygenate your body, it activates your parasympathetic system. Activating this system guides your body away from the fight-or-flight response we often have when we get stressed.
Thus, reducing stress.
4. Improves Brain Function
Deep breathing benefits brain function. A highly oxygenated environment is good for your brain — helping to improve the function of the most important organ in the body.
Science That Proves This: Lung Institute
The Lung Institute says that oxygen levels and brain function go hand-in-hand. The brain needs oxygen to function. The body needs messages from the brain to function.
When your brain has more oxygen, it works more efficiently and effectively. When your brain is working at its optimal level, the rest of your body is too.
5. Promotes Weight Loss
Another one of the benefits of deep breathing is weight loss. Deep breathing creates a fully oxygenated environment for your body and promotes weight loss.
Science That Proves This: OxygenWorldwide
Higher levels of oxygen in your blood help to thin out the blood and increase blood flow. Faster blood flow helps to speed up metabolism, helping your body to burn calories at a faster rate. Ultimately, promoting weight loss.
