How Your Breathing Pattern Affects Your Entire Body
Most people take about 20,000 breaths per day without ever thinking about how they breathe. Yet how you breathe affects nearly every system in your body. Chronic mouth breathing, which affects an estimated 30 to 50 percent of adults, is associated with a host of health problems. Nasal breathing produces nitric oxide, a gas that opens blood vessels, improves oxygen uptake by 10 to 20 percent, and has antimicrobial properties that help filter incoming air. Mouth breathing bypasses all of these benefits. The rate of breathing matters enormously. The ideal resting breathing rate is about six to ten breaths per minute. Most adults breathe significantly faster, especially when stressed. Slow breathing at about six breaths per minute maximizes heart rate variability, a key marker of nervous system health and stress resilience. Shallow chest breathing fails to engage the diaphragm fully and can contribute to neck and shoulder tension. Diaphragmatic breathing, sometimes called belly breathing, massages internal organs, improves lymphatic flow, and stimulates the vagus nerve. Many people with anxiety and panic disorders are chronic over-breathers, exhaling too much carbon dioxide which paradoxically creates the sensation of air hunger and triggers anxiety symptoms. Simple breathing retraining can be remarkably effective for these conditions.
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