Even if you’re healthy and fit, you may find it hard to relax and reduce your overall stress. It’s not good to be wound up all the time and rush around from one task to the next. A significant factor in how you feel and your levels of anxiety have to do with the breath.

Given all this, you may now be curious to know how you should be breathing. The best part is that there are many benefits that come with breathing right and that there are several proven techniques to help you succeed with this task. Continue reading to learn more about how to breathe to improve your health, life, and endurance. 

Work of Breathing & Your Health

Each system in your body no matter how big or small relies on oxygen. Breathing slowly and deeply not only can improve physical health but mental health and reduce anxiety as well. The vagus nerve is one element that comes into play here and can impact how you feel. So, what is it? It’s very important as it plays a primary role in helping to calm you down. It’s not only the most complex but the longest nerve. The upside is that when you stimulate this nerve then you can ignite a relaxation response in the body. The key here is to move and use the diaphragm more often, which gets the parasympathetic nervous system going.

Benefits of Breathing Right

There are many benefits of breathing right that make doing so well worth it. Belly breathing or using your diaphragm more can reduce your heart rate and blood pressure as well as simply help you feel more relaxed. What it does is increase the amount of oxygen in your blood, which then can also lead to improving muscle function and athletic abilities and prevent strain and injury. You’ll keep your lungs strong this way and can improve your overall mental and physical well-being. Another benefit is that if you’re someone who does public speaking or you need to calm your body down quickly and effectively, you can turn to your breath for help. 

How You Should be Breathing

What this all means is that there are ways to breathe right and tips for how you should be breathing to apply in your everyday life. In some cases, you may want to participate in a conscious breathing technique such as the Wim Hof Method or Buteyko breathing. Other times, maybe you just want to be more mindful of your breathing in general or as you meditate and to purposefully use your diaphragm when performing deep breathing exercises. There are also additional options depending on your interests such as singing and doing yoga that can help train you to breathe right. 

Conclusion

You now know how you should be breathing and the benefits of doing it properly. You’ll feel better, have better athletic performance, and can minimize your chances of long-term negative health conditions this way. When in doubt or if you’re feeling anxious, then you can turn to doing some deep breathing exercises to regroup and improve your mental and physical health.