Are you taking a deep breath? A fit and healthy person breathes about 18 times per
minute, 1.080 times per hour and 25,920 times every 24 hours. People do not give
the breathing process a second thought and are not aware of how vital its role is.
Breathing well provides many health benefits and is as important, if not more important
than exercise and diet which are all essential for optimum health.
Breathing well confers many health benefits from calming stress, boosting energy
and vitality, making the transfer of gases more efficient (taking in oxygen and expelling
carbon dioxide)), assisting in providing quality sleep. Many people for different
reasons develop a shallow breathing habit such as bad posture, a sedentary lifestyle,
mobility problems, breathing without conscious thought. Shallow breathing creates
the situation whereby you don’t take in sufficient oxygen or expel carbon dioxide
efficiently.
Breaking bad breathing habits and learning good breathing habits takes time, it requires
conscious thought and the realisation that the effort is as important as having a
good dietary and exercise regime.
Simple – Breathe in slowly through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth as
you do so mentally slowly count up to four as you breath in and slowly count down
to four as you breathe out.
Posture is important – shoulders back, straighten the spine allowing it to take up
a healthy ‘S’ shape and mentally visualise open, wide and slow deep breathing. You
will not fill and exercise your lungs by breathing into the upper part only and the
mistake some make is judging deep breathing by the rise and fall of their chest area.
As you breathe in and out rest your hands on your stomach it is the rise and fall
of this area that indicates that the lungs are being filled to capacity not the expansion
of the chest area alone.
People who experience mobility problems may say “How am I going to achieve this”?
The answer is “with difficulty”. Many of them are confined to a chair or wheelchair
during their waking hours and it is easy to become slumped over without realising
it, other people will have limb movement problems.
There is no easy answer. Taking the opportunity to exercise the lungs while lying
flat on your bed will assist some of you. Before sleep and after waking would provide
the opportunity. Remember any exercise is better than no exercise. It is the same
process as sitting.
Breathing well and taking your time to do so releases endorphins, your body’s natural
opiates which produces a sense of well being and assists in relieving pain. So before
you reach out for a pain killer or medication for depression try breathing well.
It is not a cure but it helps.
There is a further problem - Many people with autoimmune diseases such as multiple
sclerosis live their lives alone with little or no social contact except for the
attending carer’s and occasional brief visit from a health professional, health professional,
nurse, social worker. Without support they have little or no opportunity to follow
any regime that would enhance their quality of life. Unfortunately many sufferers
deteriorate not because of the course of their disease but because of muscle atrophy
and lack of stimulation. We do not have an answer to this problem we wish we did.
The use of a “SaltPipe” may assist in keeping the lungs healthy and encourage you
to maintain your breathing regime.
