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Diaphragmatic Breathing: A Key to Properly Reduce Stress

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Maybe you are a curious person who wants to know which of the different breathing exercises helps to improve the health of your lungs. Well, thank you stars because your search has brought you to the right place. Have no fear. We do not intend to bore you with all the breathing exercises here, only the ones people commonly practice. The common ones that are practiced are diaphragmatic breathing and chest breathing. We will also give our focus to breathing mechanics in general.

This blog post will help to unravel the patterns of belly breathing vs chest breathing. 

Belly Breathing vs Chest Breathing

A simple breathing activity involves drawing air in and out of your lungs. This varies in pressure though. Inhalation, also called inspiration, happens when you draw air into the lungs. This act you do causes a fall in air pressure. Exhalation, which is also referred to as expiration, occurs when air is breathed out of your lungs. There is an increase in pressure in this situation. With this you can tell that inspiration and expiration are the two breathing mechanisms.

When inhalation takes place, wonders happen that you cannot see. The rib cage contracts to pull the ribs out and expand the chest cavity. The diaphragm contracts following this. What follows shortly after the contraction is the downward movement of the diaphragm and the contraction of its muscles. This causes the chest cavity to expand and a vacuum to be produced. 

The exhalation process almost takes the same way as inhalation in the sense that the muscles attached to the ribs also contract. Unlike in the inhalation process, the abdomen is relaxed. In addition, the air pressure is increased. This makes air to be released through the lungs. 

The two processes described above govern the exchange of gases in one’s respiratory system. 

When you draw in minimal breath with the use of intercostal muscles, this is what chest breathing involves. As the name suggests, chest breathing makes use of one’s chest to breathe. In upper lobar breathing, air is drawn into the chest by raising the shoulders and collarbone and contracting the abdomen during inhalation. This way, a maximum amount of air can be drawn for short periods of time. 

Let’s take a look at another breathing pattern in opposition to chest breathing. This is the belly breathing. This one uses the diaphragm to breathe. This allows air to enter the lungs. However, in this breathing pattern, the intercostal muscles in the chest do little. The belly expands to make room for this contraction.

Read Also: Seiza Meditation: A Complete Guide to This Buddhist Sitting Posture

Amazing Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing Unleashed

Tips on How to Effectively Practice Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing 

If you are sitting upright: 

–  Practice these in short sessions (5 mins) 1-2 times per day and notice how you feel when you do.

Sample Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises

Benefits of Proper Diaphragmatic Breathing Unlocked

Tips on How to Make Diaphragmatic Breathing a Daily Routine

What is chest breathing? An Overview

Chest breathing has been given so many names. You may have heard of shallow breathing, thoracic breathing or costal breathing. They are all the same thing. Chest breathing refers to the drawing of minimal breath into the lungs using muscles in the upper chest wall and rib cage (also known as the intercostal muscles) instead of the diaphragm. It is a normal breathing for many people.

Basically, chest breathing focuses on the rising and falling of the chest. It uses the movement of ribs to draw in and draw out air. The main muscles used when you inhale are the intercostals. Other muscles include spinal erectors, levator costartum and the serratus posterior. Chest breathing can be used to improve ribcage awareness and mobility and improve control of your breathing.

Chest breathing offers some benefits such as providing good foundation for the shoulders. It also provides awareness that diaphragmatic breathing is easier to learn. It may also improve neck posture and general posture. Another benefit is that it can help to differentiate movements of the chest or ribcage from those of the shoulders.

However, this pattern of breathing is considered less efficient and beneficial. It brings in less air as you inhale and it requires more effort. There are certain conditions that causes chest breathing or are caused by chest breathing:

Abdominal breathing – An overview

“Belly breathing” or “diaphragm breathing” are other words for abdominal breathing. It is also called deep breathing. It is basically concerned with the movement of the diaphragm to aid respiration. 

The benefits of abdominal breathing is bigger than you can imagine. It can help you manage your stress levels, lower blood pressure and help with other important body functions. This kind of breathing helps to calm the body and to help one concentrate on a person’s breath. When you do abdominal breathing, the abdomen expands with teach breath rather than the chest. 

It also warms the hands and feet, boosts motivation and promotes good energy. When your muscles are tensed, abdominal breathing can reduce tension in the muscles. It is widely known that it can boost blood oxygenation while expending less effort.

There are certain health conditions that has been improved by abdominal breathing. These conditions include lung disease, diarrhea, constipation, asthma, stress and anxiety. It is easy to practice. It can be done anywhere in the home, the office, while you are walking or even running. 

Of course, to learn how to do it properly, you will need some lessons. You can check out some helpful tips in this article. You may feel uneasy after practicing diaphragmatic breathing for the first time. When this happens, breathe more rapidly. Allow yourself to settle for some time after practicing it. If you are sitting, do not get up too soon as you may experience lightheadedness.

Breath Work for the Nervous System

The function of the diaphragm affects the central nervous system. Breath work techniques have shown to benefit the nervous system, sending signal to the brain to keep you calm. Some of these techniques include:

Read Also: This 5-Minute Breath work Controls Your Nervous System like a Remote

How an Altered Breathing Pattern Causes Pain

Breathing, as simple as it is or as it may sound, has implications if not done right. In case you do not know, there is a right and wrong way to breathe. An altered breathing pattern can bring you neck pain, core stability issues and other serious problems that you wouldn’t have thought of. There are evidences to show that breathing pattern disorders contribute to problems such as motor control deficits which can result in diaphragmatic dysfunction.

Some persons who breathe the wrong way experience chest pain, chest tightness and breathlessness. They even suffer from poor posture and often have panic attacks.  This often happens when chest breathing is practiced.

To conclude the debate of belly breathing vs chest breathing, it has been confirmed that belly breathing does more good for you than the latter. You should keep this mind and start paying attention to how you breathe. 

FAQ’s:

Q. Which is better between belly breathing vs chest breathing?

A. Belly breathing is better as it properly fills your belly with air and creates negative pressure in the chest.

Q. What would you say is the most efficient breathing pattern?

A. Without a completion, diaphragmatic is the most efficient way to breathe. It is efficient because it gives you more stamina and endurance and regulates your heart rate.  

Q. What are the side effects of chest breathing?

A. Some side effects associated with chest breathing include neck pain, headaches and even risk of injury. We could experience posture changes as well.

Q. Which do people say is better between diaphragmatic breathing vs chest breathing?

A. It is diaphragmatic breathing. Think of benefits such as blood pressure, circulation of oxygenated blood and energized feeling. 

Q. Is it your goal to improve your general health?

A. Of course, everyone would love that. One good way to achieve that is to practice proper breathing pattern like the diaphragmatic breathing.

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