BIOFEEDBACK AND BREATHING FOR HEALTH

By Gary Green, M. S.
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66112
Published in The RBMA Bulletin August 1996

Breath is life. It has been said we are given life one breath at a Time. Breathing is often taken for granted. We can live for weeks without food or water, but without breath we would survive only minutes.

Breathing appears simple enough. Everyone does it, but unfortunately when stress is introduced to the human body, breathing patterns are altered and physical changes take place. The next time you get a chance, look at a sleeping infant. Their breathing pattern is unstressed. They unconsciously breathe in through their nose. Their abdomen rises with every breath. The diaphragm pulls oxygen into the lower part of their lungs and they are completely relaxed. Everyone of us breathed this way. But, over the course of time and because of external stresses, our internal organs stopped working in a relaxed manner. Our breathing patterns became more restricted, reducing not only the amount of oxygen we exchanged in our lungs, but also restricting the amount of oxygen in our blood cells, which in turn restricted movement in our muscles, causing an overall sensation of tension throughout our bodies.

It's amazing to think that the majority of the tension and stress in our bodies can be reduced by just learning to breathe properly. Proper breathing is effective in reducing anxiety, depression, irritability, muscle tension and fatigue. It also increases the amount of red blood cells and overall circulation throughout the body. If you suffer from cold hands and feet (another side effect of poor circulation due to stress), you can learn to breathe in such a way as to increase the blood flow to your hands and feet.

The major muscle involved in proper breathing is called the diaphragm. This is a dome-shaped muscle located beneath the ribs and above the stomach. In order to inhale, the diaphragm tightens and flattens. This activity displaces the liquid contents of the abdomen and thereby creates a larger space in the chest. As this space is created, the pressure in the atmosphere exceeds the pressure in the chest and air flows in to balance these pressures out.

To exhale, the diaphragm must relax and be raised upward, compressing the air in the chest and allowing the air to be expired. Thus, inhalation requires that the abdominal area relax and expand, while exhalation requires the abdominal area to decrease in diameter. The chest and shoulders should stay relaxed throughout the breathing cycle.

All our physiological processes are controlled by the nervous system. One branch of the nervous system, called the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), is strongly affected by how we breathe. 'When we breathe rapidly, shallowly, and in our chests (thoracically), the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated. This results in increased heart rate and blood pressure, cool hands and feet, sweaty palms and other symptoms. People who habitually breathe this way may experience a sense of panic, symptoms associated with hyperventilation, and even an increased risk of heart attacks.

Slow diaphragmatic breathing, on the other hand, decreases the sympathetic nervous system activity and encourages regeneration. Slow diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to reduce the occurrence of a coronary event in people who have already suffered a heart attack. It also results in lowered blood pressure and heart rate, warm hands and feet, a decreased sweat response and a general sense of relaxation and well-being.

By consciously altering your breathing cycle you can profoundly affect your energy level and open yourself to expanded states of awareness. And since breath is closely associated with life itself, changes in your breathing patterns can influence your subconscious mind, which is intimately linked with the natural healing processes of your body-mind.

Altering breath is one of the easiest ways you can establish and interface between the voluntary and involuntary nervous systems that together coordinate the functions of every system of the body.

Patterns of breathing reflect emotional, mental, and physical states. Each emotion and significant thought has an associated breathing pattern. When stressed or fearful, we chest breathe with shallow, rapid breaths, sometimes even holding our breath. When acting agitated we may, over breathe, that is, we hyperventilate. When being cautious we under breathe. When we are startled we gasp, and when we are relieved we sigh. If we are suppressing sadness or grief we exhale incompletely and may limit our breathing to control the deep emotions we're feeling.

It is possible to change your breathing patterns consciously to influence your thoughts and feelings, stress levels and even alter your state of consciousness. In addition to enhancing the healing process, controlled breathing can be a valuable complement in stress management and health.

"Breathing into deadened or disconnected parts of our body image is perhaps the surest way to awaken and reanimate them.” -Ralph Metzner

If you are experiencing the following kinds of stress related symptoms:

  1. difficulty in sleeping - tire easily;
  2. muscular aches - sore to touch;
  3. upset stomach;
  4. accelerated heart beat;
  5. lack of energy - yawning;
  6. "sleepy eyes" when driving;
  7. headaches - often in afternoon;
  8. sighing often;
You may want to try the following stress coping suggestions.

1) "Four-Fours" of Breathing. Breathe in slow and easy and deep for a count of four. Hold the breath for a count of four. Then breathe out for a count of four. Do that four times, then repeat the repetition four times daily.

2) "Dead Body" Pose. Lie down on your back on a comfortable surface. Place a book on your abdomen, near your belly button. As you inhale, allow your stomach to push against the weight of the book. The book should lift with the inhalation. As you exhale, allow the pressure of the book to push your stomach in. Continue to exhale and let your stomach fall until you have expired the air. Repeat for ten minutes. Allow the air to flow evenly and slowly. Be sure you observe the book rising and the abdomen expanding during inhalation and the book sinking and the abdomen decreasing during exhalation. Allow this breathing to go slowly. You may observe that the breathing rate decreases (breaths per minute). If your attention drifts, bring it back to observing the breath and the movement of the abdomen. Observe how over time your skill improves in breathing slowly and effortlessly. Observe also how your attention and mindfulness is becoming trained, a skill which is applicable in all phases of our lives. This slow breathing encourages regeneration.

3) Mental and Emotional Balance. This very simple breathing exercise creates a relaxed, broad mental view that
is very centering, and has been used in the treatment of angina.

Sit with your spine straight, close your eyes and focus them on the point where your nose and eyebrows meet. Use your right thumb to cover the end of your right nostril, rest your left hand in your lap and inhale slowly through your left nostril. Then remove your thumb, place your right little finger over the end of your left nostril and exhale slowly through your right nostril. Then inhale through the right and exhale through the left. Repeat this alternating pattern. Do not hold your breath in once you've inhaled; begin to exhale immediately. Also, once you're done exhaling, inhale immediately.

The more powerful the breath, the more powerful the effect, so start moderately at first. Continue for a maximum of 11 minutes, less at first if you like.

4) 10 Biofeedback Commandments:

  1. Thou shalt always be aware of your bodily "going-ons."
  2. Thou shalt constantly be breathing deeply.
  3. Thou shalt relax all your muscles daily.
  4. Thou shalt lie down in imaginary green pastures for twenty minutes daily.
  5. Thou shalt not eat junk.
  6. Thou shalt run and soar with eagles for 2 miles daily (or walk briskly).
  7. Thou shalt be loving to thyself and others.
  8. Thou shalt "let" thy body do its "thing" by rest and relaxation daily.
  9. Thou shalt see thyself as being more and more in control everyday.
  10. Thou an what you thinketh.

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