Breathing Right Matters
By Eric Winder, DC
Recently, a patient I will refer to as Betty was surprised to report her latest improvements from fascia release therapy. At her last visit, we had focused on altering her forward-slumped shoulder posture because it likely contributed to her lower back pain by causing lumbar muscle tension. She remarked that she hadn’t realized her chest was so tight, but now she found it easier to breathe. She also slept better and felt less anxious. Betty did not know it, but she had been suffering effects of a common unhealthy breathing pattern.
Certain patterns of breathing can harm our health by causing unhealthy responses in our nervous system, bloodstream and, ultimately, the body as a whole. Learning to be aware of proper breathing—and how to improve it with exercises or therapeutic treatments—can improve stress management, pain levels, sleep quality and other aspects of health. Let’s take a look at the most common problem breathing pattern—accessory, or chest breathing—how it affects health and how to change it for the better.
In normal breathing, we mainly use our diaphragm and rib muscles. The lower chest and stomach expand as the lower lungs fill with air. When we need more air, we can also use the neck and shoulder muscles to expand the upper chest. It becomes a problem, however, when we breathe mainly with the upper chest without much diaphragmatic breathing.
Chest Breathing
Chronic chest breathing as a habit causes several different effects in the body. The upper lungs don’t circulate oxygen as efficiently, so we receive less oxygen and a build-up of carbon dioxide. Chest breathing also fires up the sympathetic nervous system which causes a fight-or-flight stress response in the body. The use of neck and shoulder muscles to breathe on a constant basis causes tension in these muscles which could even affect posture. As a result of all these changes, a we can experience many physical symptoms.
Possible Symptoms with Chronic Chest Breathing
Poor quality sleep or waking frequently
Anxiety or poor stress management
Heart palpitations
IBS, gut pain or nausea
Non-cardiac chest pain
Feeling “winded” or out of breath easily
Fatigue
Achy joints and muscles
Brain fog
Pelvic pain (diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles function or dysfunction together)
Irritability
There are a number of modern causes for accessory breathing. If we spend much of the time sitting, this often leads to poor breathing habits because sitting tends to inhibit lower chest expansion—particularly if we lean forward to work at a desk. In addition, low fitness levels can lead to weakness of the diaphragm and rib muscles, causing them to fatigue easily and tighten. Prior injuries to the spine, rib cage or pelvis can create fascia (fibrous connective tissue) restrictions that impair the diaphragm and rib muscles. Stress and anxiety can trigger chest breathing which is ironic because chest breathing can promote poor stress management and anxiety, making this a self-reinforcing cycle.
Breathing Better
Correcting an unhealthy accessory breathing habit involves addressing the causes. Consistent exercise that includes both aerobic fitness and resistance training can increase strength and stamina of the breathing muscles. Sitting less often and improving sitting posture to allow for easier lower chest and abdomen expansion is also important. Positioning a computer screen at the correct height is also useful to avoid slumping forward.
For many of us, seeing a healthcare practitioner who can address physical restrictions such as fascia stiffening can make a tremendous difference. These restrictions could be the results of prior injuries, medical stress or repetitive trauma. In most cases, exercises to retrain our breathing patterns can make a tremendous difference. While there are many advanced exercises to address specific issues, it is important to start with exercises that build awareness of a faulty breathing pattern and start to gently correct it.
Simple Home Breathing Exercises
Place one hand on the abdomen and one hand on the upper chest, then gently work to make your lower hand move in and out more than your upper hand moves up and down—more abdomen expansion, less upper chest lifting.
With your hands on the sides of your rib cage (at the bottom), practice breathing so that your hands move apart as much as possible when breathing in. The lower ribs should be expanding outwards on the left and right.
Position your hands behind the head with the fingers interlaced, then breathe in a slow and relaxed manner. Note, this position makes it difficult to chest breathe and encourages lower chest and abdominal breathing.
For some of us, the first two exercises demonstrate a faulty breathing pattern but are not strong enough to make a change. The third exercise, with hands on the back of the head, is generally more effective than the first two at helping to retrain lower chest and abdominal breathing. It’s important to start gradually with breathing exercises—doing just one or two minutes of practice at first, a few times a day. Breathing in through the nose, rather than mouth breathing, is also critical because it promotes better oxygenation.
Correcting a faulty chest breathing pattern can lead to optimal health benefits which include better sleep, a clearer mind and decreased bodily pain. At our office we assist people in addressing problematic breathing patterns with the use of fascia release therapies, low-level laser therapy and advanced exercises. Breaking our faulty breathing habits can take time, but is more than worth the effort.
Dr. Eric Winder has 23 years in practice, and focuses on relieving pain and restoring alignment and motion through fascia release therapies without forceful manipulation. For more information, visit GentleBay.com. Monthly educational programs in our office are currently cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus.
