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Stress and anxiety (and a lack of sleep) are contributing factors for many common health problems.
Stress and anxiety can also affect your immune system — leading to frequent infections, coughs, and colds.
Believe it or not, something as simple as doing deep breathing exercises can help improve things like high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, migraine, arthritis and chronic pain, and other health issues.
Learning to relax and use breathing exercises helps to combat the negative impact of emotional stress and helps you fall asleep faster.
You’ll See Results Quickly!
While you might think it’s difficult to make time for relaxation, these simple deep breathing exercises can be performed in mere minutes and provide you with an instant calming effect.
The best part: you can do them anywhere — at home, at work, or in the car!
Here are 4 deep breathing exercises to try…
#1 – Bellows Stimulating Breath Exercise
This stimulating breath exercise, also referred to as the Bellows Breath, is very effective. It is a vigorous breathing exercise that can raise energy and alertness — perfect for pulling out of an energy slump.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Your breaths in and out should be equal in duration, but as short as possible. (This is a noisy breathing exercise.)
- Try for 3 in-and-out breath cycles per second. This produces a quick movement of the diaphragm, suggesting a bellows. Breathe normally after each cycle.
- Do not do for more than 15 seconds on your first try. Each time you practice the Stimulating Breath, you can increase your time by 5 seconds or so, until you reach 1 full minute.
#2 – 478 Breathing Exercise
The name of the 4-7-8 breathing exercise refers to how long you inhale, hold the breath, and exhale.
Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.
Source
Ready to try the 478 breathing exercise? Here’s what you do:
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.
This is 1 breath. Inhale again and repeat the cycle 3 more times for a total of 4 breaths.
#3 – Quick Breathing Exercise
The aim of this exercise is to balance carbon dioxide levels by breathing out for longer periods.
Practicing the exercise several times a day will also help to encourage calmer breathing habits.
This exercise is most effective when you follow these 3 simple steps:
- Start by sitting comfortably in an upright position and allow your shoulders to relax.
- Breathe in normally for a count of 3, hold your breath for a count of 2, then breathe out slowly for a count of 6.
- Repeat the exercise 10 times, gently extending the length of the out breath each time.
This deep breathing exercise can also be used in times of stress to bring instant relief from tension and anxiety. To gain maximum benefits, combine the exercise with visualization techniques, such as imagining yourself on a beach, in a park or other safe place.
#4 – Sleep Relaxation Breathing Exercise
Getting a good nights sleep is important for you and your continual health. Sleep relaxation exercises help you fall asleep fast.
When you utilize a deep breathing exercise, you are helping to regulate carbon dioxide levels in your body which leads to a deeper sense of relaxation.
Here’s how you should prepare for a great night of sleep:
- Inhale through the nose for a count of 6
- Hold for a count of 3
- Exhale through the nose for a count of 6
- Hold for a count of 3
- Repeat this series 4 more times
- Next, inhale through the nose for a count of 6
- Exhale through the nose for a count of 6
- Repeat this series 4 more times
By slowing down your breathing and increasing the length of your out breath with this deep breathing exercises, your body’s carbon dioxide levels can return to normal and physical tension will be released.
More Ways Deep Breathing Helps With Sleep & Stress
- How The 478 Relaxing Breath Technique Helps You Sleep
- The National Sleep Foundation’s Recommended Breathing Exercise
- Change This One Little Thing & Fall Asleep Faster
- Here’s What Happened To Me When I Tried The 478 Breathing Method
- Mindful Breathing Can Reduce Stress More Than You Thinkbe
Professionally, I pursued my Masters Degree in Family Therapy at Texas Tech — where I obtained invaluable expertise and experience helping people with a wide variety of physical and emotional health issues. Personally, I think it's useful when people realize that they're not the only one going through a difficult time. So any time that I think my personal health experiences would be helpful to someone else going through the same thing, I will share my story here. With health issues that I've personally experienced (like Endometriosis, Lyme Disease, Hysterectomy, Skin Cancer, Ganglion Cysts, Autism, and other topics that very few people enjoy talking about) and health products that I've found beneficial (like sleep aids, essential oils, and medications)… I do my best to provide my own raw and honest firsthand experiences that I think others would appreciate hearing about and (hopefully) find helpful. I'm grateful that I have a number of friends who have also been willing to share their very personal stories here — regarding their own physical and emotional health. When I'm not writing about health topics, you will find me sharing Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
