What happens when we breathe deep?

Breathing is something that happens automatically, all day every day. It’s an automatic process driven by the brainstem, an area of the brain which controls life-sustaining functions like heartbeat, hormone release, and sleeping patterns. We can move through life without giving it much thought. However, we know it changes as we move through various emotions. When we’re stressed, it can become very slow and shallow, when we’re anxious it can be fast and relentless. On the contrary when were calm & focused it becomes deep and elongated. Amazingly humans are the only species who also have conscious control over this automatic system, we can change our breathing pattern just by thinking about it. This gives us access to parts of our brain that are not normally under our conscious control. We can tell our bodies to slow and deepen our breathing thus triggering a cascade of positive feedback loops in both the brain and the body. We all know we feel better when we take a deep breath, but why? What’s really going on that makes us feel more grounded, less anxious & relaxed. What does our breath have to do with your brain or how we feel?

In simple physical terms

Let’s start with what happens physically when we breathe. As you breathe in your diaphragm contracts and moves downwards along with your intercostal muscles, expanding your chest cavity and allowing your lungs to draw in new oxygenated air. The highly oxygenated air travels from your mouth, down your windpipe, into the bronchial tubes and finally into the alveoli (tiny air sack’s) in the lungs. The walls of these tiny air sacks are thin and here hemoglobin (a red blood cell protein) helps move the oxygen from the air sacs into your blood.  At the same time, carbon dioxide gas (waste produced from cells and muscles) moves from a network of capillaries into the air sacs. Through this same network, the now oxygen-rich blood from your lungs is carried to your heart which pumps it around the body. The oxygen in the blood then moves into the surrounding tissues and is used up by the cells in the body.

As we breath out your diaphragm relaxes, moving upward into your chest cavity along the intercostal rib muscles. This decreases space in your chest cavity and therefore pushes the carbon dioxide-rich air out of your lungs, windpipe and finally out of your nose or mouth. 

Breathing in its most basic form is for the intake of oxygen to fuel our muscles and the exhalation of carbon dioxide the waste product produced my muscles. However, its effects go far beyond this…. 

Affect on Cardiovascular system

Deep breathing allows efficient gaseous exchange to occur, meaning our cells are getting the nutrients they need at the best rate. The brain is the biggest consumer of oxygen in the body, using 20% of all our intake. When we are not breathing properly our brain is starved of oxygen and unable to function properly…..brain fog kicks in. Lethargy happens not only for the brain but for every cell in the body as cells are starved of oxygen and waste products aren’t properly removed. Short term shallow breathing leaves us slow and sluggish, long term it can lead to chronic health problems, such as digestive issues & heart disease as our cells don’t have the oxygen they need to function optimally. Retraining ourselves to breathe deeply can lead to natural vitality and well-being.

Affected on our Nervous System

Our breath is the magic key opening the door to the usually lock world of the nervous system. It gives us access and control over physical responses to stress, anxiety, and overstimulation. When you take a deep breath in, your heart rate quickens slightly. As you exhale, your heart rate slows. Repeated deep breaths will naturally bring your heart rate more in sync with your breath. This triggers your brain to switch over into the “relaxation response” also known as the parasympathetic nervous system. This turns off the overactive sympathetic nervous system (a.k.a fight or flight, or the “stress response”).

The sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight response) serves a purpose, but you don’t want it switched on all the time. It directs the body’s rapid involuntary response to dangerous or stressful situations. A flash flood of hormones boosts the body’s alertness and heart rate, sending extra blood to the muscles. Breathing quickens, delivering fresh oxygen to the brain, and an infusion of glucose is shot into the bloodstream for a quick energy boost. This response occurs so quickly that people often don’t realize it’s taken place, for instance, a person may jump from the path of a falling tree before they fully register that it’s toppling toward them. However, once the ‘threat’ has passed we need to return to baseline. The parasympathetic system encourages the body to “rest and digest.” Blood pressure, breathing rate and hormone flow return to normal levels as the body settles into homeostasis, or equilibrium, once more. These systems usually happen without conscious control.

Deep breaths give us access to the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing us to consciously control our heartbeat, blood flow, hormones release, and food digestion.

The parasympathetic nervous system is linked to stimulation of the vagus nerve, a nerve running from the base of the brain to the abdomen, responsible for mediating nervous system responses. The Vagus nerve releases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that catalyzes increased focus and calmness.

Deep breathing also affects the production of noradrenaline in an area of the brain called the locus corals. Noradrenaline is produced in the brain when we are curious, focused and relaxed, breathing deep gives us a short cut to producing these feelings in the brain. Noradrenaline is also believed to act like a brain fertilizer, promoting the growth of new cells, pathways, and structures. Studies have shown those with a strong mediation & breath practice have ‘younger brains’, with more gray matter which usually becomes thinner as we age. 

Another amazing research finding is that deep breathing can alter the expression of genes involved in immune function, energy metabolism, and insulin secretion. This means the benefits of your breath practice can ultimately be passed on to your offspring through genetics. 

If you needed any convincing to start a breath practice I hope this has fuelled your motivation. Our breath is key to keeping us alive, but its also key to living a full, happy and long life. 

Go ahead and try it now: 

-Put both hands right above your belly button near your lower ribs and diaphragm. Take 5 deep breaths with a 3-second inhale and 6-second exhale. 

-Feel the movement under your hands.

-Close your eyes.

-Take another 5 deep breaths with a 3-second inhale and 6-second exhale.

-Focus on the rise and fall of your chest, the sensation in your nostrils, and the sound the breath makes in your throat.

-Then return to your normal breath and continue to observe.

Do you feel the profound difference from that simple exercise?

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