Difference Between Wrong and Right Breathing Pattern and Its Effect On The Body

By Akshay Sharma July 31, 2019 Meditation

Our nasal breathing is directly connected with our cognitive functions. A study shows that people are more likely to remember things and they can quickly recognize fearful situations when they do proper breathing. Improper breathing patterns make you absentminded and emotionally judgemental. Keep reading to find about breathing pattern.

Breathing is a very negligible pattern but have you ever wondered what the right way of breathing is. If you want to observe the correct method of breathing, you should observe a child, we might see only chest and belly rising but actually they take a deep breath and use their diaphragm, and muscles under the lungs to pull air. Want to know the correct breathing pattern and why it’s important to keep reading.

Shallow breathing or wrong breathing

For many of us, shallow breathing is no longer natural. We choose to breathe with a shallow chest and inhale by our mouth by taking less air. With time our breathing pattern gets affected by environmental stressors like pollution, temperature, anxiety, and noise. Your desire to have a flat stomach can tighten your muscles and encourage holding our breathing.

Shallow breathing not only makes stress response but also stress becomes a habit and our mind locked in it. When we do shallow breathing, our body comes in the cyclical state. Our stress causes shallow breathing; our shallow breathing cause stress. This turns off the branches of the nervous system and the autonomic nervous system that leads to activity and responses.

Consequences of shallow breathing

A study shows, when you do shallow breathing for a long time it can affect your white blood cells known as a lymphocyte, which defend our body from the alien viruses and avoid the chances of having any acute diseases, these cells are also known as immune cells. Our body is designed to suspect acute illnesses, exasperate medical conditions, and extend healing times. There are fair chances that shallow breathing might turn to panic attacks, the problem of dry mouth and fatigue can persist, you may face reparatory problems, and you may also face cardiovascular issues. These are the consequences of shallow breathing:

Imbalanced nervous system:Our breathing practice immediately affects our nervous system and plays an important role in maintaining the balance of the body. If you do short or forced breathing, it can cause a higher level of stress and tense the body.
Blocked airways:If you don’t follow a proper breathing pattern as a result, air struggles to travel from mouth to lungs, which can cause fast breathing, and your body has to work harder.
Blockage in blood vessels:Improper breathing patterns can lead to blockage in blood vessels, which results in higher blood pressure, and your heart has to work harder to pump blood in your vessels.
Improper breathing means less energy:Improper breathing causes a decrease in the ability to deliver oxygen in the blood. The cells don’t get enough oxygen, and they prioritize survival instead of development.

Organs which needs plenty of oxygen

Our brain:Our brain consumes 20% of the total oxygen we exhale. If there’s is a shortage of oxygen, brain cells start working slow, and since the brain is the main part of our body, it regulates many organs, they also get affected by the shortage of oxygen.
Our heart:Our heart beats around 100,000 times a day, and it needs a massive amount of oxygen to work functionally. The shortage of oxygen means the heart cannot supply blood effectively. This leads to interrupted blood circulation and coldness in feet and hands.
Our muscles:Shortage of oxygen causes stiffness in the muscles, and they become tired, tense, and have negative effects on athletic performance.

What is the right process of proper breathing?

Proper breathing simply means breath in the way that it is physiologically optimal to your body. You have never been taught how to, but you’re designed to breathe like this. If you’re facing breathing issues like chest breathing, over breathing, these habits can lead to a shortage of energy and oxygen in your body and may cause stress. If you want to avoid these problems, you should start breathing consciously and try reshaping the way you breathe. Let’s learn about the 5 basic and simple principles of proper breathing:

Breath from your nose:Make sure you inhale and exhale breath from your nose. You can imagine your nose like a little factory which refines and prepares the air we inhale suitable for our body. When we breathe through our mouth, our lungs receive unfiltered air which is raw, dry, and cold with full of bacteria and viruses. When you start breathing through your nose, you might feel stiffness, and difficulty in the start and that is most probably because you’ve been breathing through your mouth for a long time and your nose has accepted this pattern. This might look difficult at the start but, if you follow this regularly, you’ll get good results.
Breath from your diaphragm:Make sure when you breathe through your nose, you will sit upright so that, the air will go deep in the belly. Try to do 70-80% breathing through your diaphragm to ensure deep and nice breathing. Keep reading to find out its advantages:

• This pose is beneficial for your lower part of the lungs and helps those exchanging gases.

• Our diaphragm gives rhythmical balance to organs like liver, intestine, and stomach.

• It reduces the pressure on the belly and chest so that our heart can relax.

Relaxed breathing: You must be relaxed if you want to do anything efficiently. You must know that your breathing reflects your feelings and thoughts. So when you’re stressed, it can affect your breathing pattern. Improper breathing can lead to a lack of oxygen in the essential organs, which can be a reason for the stress in the body and brain. So it’s necessary to be relaxed so that your energy is high and your health is good.
Rhythmic breathing: Every natural thing has a rhythmic pattern like seasons, waves, and moon. Your body is not different from them. We can measure the rhythm of our heart through EKG and the brain through EEG. Our hormones also work in a rhythm, so if your breathing is in rhythm, your body can function better.
Silent breathing:Snoring, coughing, and sniffling are examples of suboptimal breaths. When the breathing patter loses its rhythm, we face all these issues which we neglect easily. When we cough or sigh we usually take a breath which leads to irregular breathing patterns. You must notice that few of us breathe quickly and louder when they talk. All these noises are signs of incorrect breathing patterns.

How to breathe properly

• Put your tongue up on your palate, close your mouth, and breathe through your nose.

• Ensure that you sit upright. Be relaxed and let go of all the tensions with your breath.

Benefits of doing proper breathing

Boosts inner space:When you do meditation breathing, you achieve your control over your thoughts and breathe. It allows your mind to keep calm and do work more peacefully and attentively, which results in self-satisfaction and inner peace.
Boosts enlightenment and relaxation:When you become aware of your breathing pattern, it leads to relaxing your mind. When you achieve the stage of mindfulness, it helps to control your thoughts and actions.
Helps reducing negative thoughts:It is normal for us to have negative thoughts, bad memories, and unsaid feelings. If we don’t control these thoughts, they can leave a negative impact on our health. Proper breathing methods can help us in achieving positivity.

Author Bio :

Manmohan Singh is a passionate Yogi, Yoga Teacher and a Traveller in India. He organize 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh. Manmohan Singh conducts Yoga Teacher Training in India in different cities. He loves writing and reading books related to yoga, health, nature, Himalayas and Trekking in India.