- Image courtesy of the-linden-method.net
As living creatures, breathing is arguably our most basic function, but most humans breathe inefficiently. Possibly due in part to the faster-pace, higher-stress lifestyles that are common-place today, many people can be found breathing such that their upper chest expands and their abdomen caves in during inhalation. There are many potential issues with this type of breathing pattern.
According to Diaphragmatic-Breathing.org, chest breathing tends to lead to the majority of the oxygen inhaled only filling up about half of the total volume of the lungs (Diphragmatic-Breathing.org/Diaphragmatic-Breathing-Benefits/). If someone is only filling half the space in their lungs every time they inhale, they are potentially breathing twice as frequently as if they were to fill their lungs to capacity with every inhale. This increased respiratory rate has many potential effects on many different levels, ranging from altering the frequency of muscular participation during respiration to shifting which subsystem of the autonomic nervous system is dominant in an individual to a decreased ability to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the organs and other tissues of the body.
- Image courtesy of way2bliss.com
Compare this to diaphragmatic breathing, during which an individual expands their abdomen outward as they inhale, with very little motion occurring in the chest. As the name implies, this puts a greater emphasis on using the diaphragm muscle throughout the respiration process. The diaphragm pulls downwards into the abdomen during inhalation, creating a pressure disequilibrium, which forces oxygen down into the lungs. According to Diaphragmatic-Breathing.org, the lower portion of the lungs is where the greatest amount of blood flow is within the lungs. With chest breathing, oxygen is rarely ever able to reach this lower portion of the lungs, leaving less oxygen-rich blood within circulating within the body. With diaphragmatic breathing, however, oxygen is easily able to reach this blood, potentially allowing for greater health of the tissues and organs.
Personally, I have found diaphragmatic breathing to be a great method of relaxation during stressful times. When I feel myself starting to get stressed, I stop and check my breathing. More times than not I have been chest breathing, so I take a moment to refocus my breath to diaphragmatic breathing and usually begin to feel better after a few moments breathing into my belly. I have also noticed that it is has been a great tool if I need help falling asleep. I don't sleep much by choice, so when I do finally get to bed I am usually able to crash right away, but every once and a while I have difficulty sleeping because my mind won't stop running through ideas and to-do lists, at which point refocusing my breath towards diaphragmatic breathing helps tremendously.
Now that you've been introduced to diaphragmatic breathing, I will expand on this subject in future posts to cover both how this applies to training and how I incorporate in mine and my clients' training as well as a basic progression to improve somebody's ability to diaphragmatically breathe.
Charlie Cates, MATs, CSCS
Self Made®, Owner and Founder
Charlie Cates is a Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is the owner and founder of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive athletes and everyday people of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP’s to 85-year-old retirees. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.
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