Breathing is an essential, physiological process that we often take for granted. How we breathe plays a crucial role in our overall health and wellbeing. So it follows that when you understand what normal, optimal breathing looks like - and then what your current breathing pattern looks like - you can then make any necessary changes so that you're breathing at your very best.
Let's first take a look at what your breathing should look like...
What is normal breathing?
Normal resting breathing is a steady, rhythmic and effortless process that should primarily involve the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs that attaches to the lower rib cage and spine.
When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts, moving down from its dome shape to a flattened position. This movement creates a 360 degree expansion at the lower rib cage, creating more space for the lungs to expand evenly with air.
This expansion lowers the pressure in the lungs, creating a vacuum to pull air in. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes back to its dome shape, and the rib cage falls. This shift creates positive pressure, pushing air out of the lungs.
This process of inhalation and exhalation should be smooth, quiet, via the nose, and require minimal effort.
Breaking down the characteristics of optimal breathing
There are 4 main characteristics that indicate you are breathing optimally
Breathing through your nose
Nose breathing, rather than mouth breathing, is the first step. The nose acts as a natural filter, warming and humidifying the air before it reaches the lungs. This helps to:
Remove allergens and pollutants
Reduce the risk of respiratory infections
Improve oxygen uptake
Breathing using your diaphragm
Breathing from the lower chest (the diaphragm) ensures your lungs are able to fill uniformly with air. The diaphragm is extremely strong and it therefore withstands fatigue much better than the smaller muscles in the top part of the chest, which should be reserved for high oxygen demand situations only. These smaller muscles are also unable to expand the ribcage in the same way the diaphragm does, filling only the top part of the lungs.
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When breathing optimally, from the lower chest, you should see and feel:
The lower ribcage moving very slight outwards on inhalation
The abdomen expanding very gently on inhalation
The chest remaining very still
Minimal muscle activity at the neck and shoulders
The rate and depth of your breathing
In a relaxed state, each breath will be the same size and via the nose. Healthy adults should take between 10-12 breaths per minute. If your upper chest is moving it is likely your breath is too big. As a guide, healthy adult females should breathe at a volume of around 400mls, and men 500mls.
What does dysfunctional breathing look like?
If your breathing pattern is suboptimal, or dysfunctional, you may notice some or all of the following:
Mouth breathing
Visible upper chest movement even at rest
Frequent sighing, gasping or yawning
Noticeable neck tension
Breath holding or an irregular breathing pattern
Inability to get a satisfying breath
These changes to your normal breathing pattern may have developed over time, or they may have come on quite quickly. If you have become aware something isn’t quite right and you suspect you may have a breathing pattern disorder, it’s important to get specialist help to avoid the symptoms worsening.
What can you do if you feel your breathing isn't normal?
Book in for a Breathing MOT!
As part of our MOT service we will conduct a detailed breathing assessment where we can detect any abnormal breathing patterns early, equipping you with the tools you need to prevent BPD, or diagnose and treat it effectively before it spirals into more profound symptoms. Our screening process also means that if we feel your symptoms are related to another condition, we can promptly refer on to the most appropriate professional from our network of experts.Book your appointment today - https://air-physiotherapy.carebit.co/patients/bookings/newÂ
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