Controlled slow breathing produces relaxation, and a calming effect, to reduce the stress and tensions of daily living, and set the conditions for falling asleep. In conjunction with breathing techniques you will be shown the method generally known as "Progressive Relaxation."
Breathing control to produce deep relaxation, as a condition for meditation, has been practiced by various Eastern religious for at least the past three to four thousand years. For example, breathing control is an integral component of Yoga exercises, and much of Yoga is oriented to enhancing mind-body harmony and tranquility. Yoga teachings emphasize that inspiration is a time for activity and doings things, and that expiration is a time for total and complete relaxation. Scientific verification of this breathing influence notes that with breathing and relaxation techniques one may induce Brain Wave (Electroencephalogram or EEG) changes that are characteristic of a relaxed condition. The precise mechanism whereby these EEG changes are induced is debated.
To better understand the importance of correct breathing, you need to understand proper chest and diaphragm movement, and correct breathing patterns generated by the chest and diaphragm movements.
To understand what this is all about, you need to have an understanding of how the chest wall "bellows mechanism" that pumps air in and out of the lung works. There are two distinct but overlapping mechanisms.
The major organ of inspiration is the diaphragm, two dome shaped muscles on both sides of the chest between the chest and abdomen, that are attached to the back and lowest ribs. On inspiration these muscles contract, and the dome shaped structure is pulled down into the abdominal cavity, thereby making the chest cavity larger and creating a negative pressure, therefore pulling air into the lungs. On expiration the diaphragm relaxes, and rises upward into the chest, therefore pushing air out of the lungs.
With the diaphragm attached to the lowest ribs, proper diaphragm action is a complex interaction dependant on coordination with proper rib movement. The lower rib movement on inspiration is one of swinging outward and upward, pivoting about the anterior rib attachment of the Sternum ("Breast Bone") and posterior spine. This is the so-called "bucket handle" movement, as indeed this movement resembles the excursion of a bucket handle. This movement enlarges the chest, mainly in a lateral direction, and puts the diaphragm into a position of more efficient operation. This is called "Diaphragm or Diaphragmatic Breathing."
The other major chest movement involves the upper ribs, with a movement that swings straight upward and forwards, the so-called "pump handle" movement, as indeed it resembles an up and down pumping movement. This movement is an emergency accessory chest movement, which can be easily seen in someone short of breath after heavy exertion, with a heaving chest movement as they try to regain their breath.
This same type of upper "pump handle" chest movement is also typically seen in people who are tense, anxious or angry, even though they are not physiologically short of breath. In some uncertain manner this seems psychologically linked to the physiologic emergency accessory function. Empirically, and for uncertain reasons, it has long been known that eliminating this type of chest movement by breathing training is associated with improvement of tension, anxiety and anger.
Therefore, eliminating the upper chest "pump handle" movement and switching to a dominant lower chest "bucket handle" movement, i.e. "diaphragmatic breathing" has an independent benefit in stress reduction, regardless of any slowing of the respiratory rate or other components of the breathing pattern.
This proper diaphragmatic chest movement may be learned by placing your finger tips or the palms of your hands directly over the lowest ribs beneath your arm pits. You should be able to feel the ribs and the top of the abdomen. As you breathe, press gently against the lower ribs, to give them a sense of proper direction. Feel the chest move laterally and slightly upward, and encourage and expand that movement until it feels natural. With a little practice you should be able to feel and reproduce this movement without having to place your hands on the ribs.
A common method to teach Diaphragm Breathing involves placing one hand over the upper-anterior chest, and one hand on the upper abdomen, with instructions to stop the upper hand from moving, and to make the abdominal hand rise on inspiration. It is suggested you not attempt Diaphragm Breathing in this manner, as it may induce a so-called "mal-adaptive substitution" or "trick movement" of inefficient "Belly Puffing." Concentrate on the lateral chest movement as noted above, and the upper chest movement will usually stop naturally. And with proper lower chest movement as noted above, the lower ribs will first move, and slightly later the abdominal expansion will follow, reflecting true natural diaphragm decent.
And now you need to understand something about breathing patterns.
An average sized adult with normal lungs has an approximate resting breathing pattern as follows:
Tidal Volume - 600 to 900 cc.
Respiratory Rate - 10 to 12 breaths per minute.
Inspiration Time 40% (therefore Expiration Time is set to 60%).
End-inspiration Breath Hold - 3 to 4 %
End-expiration Breath Hold - 7 to 10 %
Set up the Breathing Trainer ™ and inhale in a steady manner so that the time of inspiration exactly matches the prompting signal. If you do so you should achieve an approximation of your actual breath volume.
Practice with this pattern, and experiment with and adjust the parameters until you are optimally comfortable. First adjust the Tidal Volume, and next the Respiratory Rate. The Inspiration and Expiration Times and the Breath Hold Times should require minimal, if any adjustments. The Tidal Volume size of breath should then give you an indication as to whether you need to set a relatively larger or smaller breath volume for other training.
Practice with this normal breathing pattern until it becomes perfectly natural. And as you practice, feel the sensation of chest and lung movement as the air moves in and out. If you know that sensation, it is then easy to reproduce that breathing pattern by feeling it within your chest, anywhere and any time, and without the need of the Breathing Trainer prompting signal. In situations where you are stressed or anxious, this breathing pattern is often all that you will need to gain relaxation.
Use this breathing pattern if you have more severe stress and anxiety, and if you are doing the Progressive Relaxation technique.
An average sized adult approximate anti-anxiety / anti-tension breathing pattern is as follows:
Tidal Volume - 1500 to 2000 cc.
Respiratory Rate - Less than 10, and gradually working down to 6 breaths per minute.
Inspiration Time 25 - 30% (therefore Expiration Time set to 65 - 70%).
End-inspiration Breath Hold - 10 to 15 % (or more)
End-expiration Breath Hold - 10 to 20 % (or more)
On inspiration you will need smooth and gentle effort to increase your inspiration lung volume. This should end at the beginning of the end-inspiration breath hold pause. This breath hold pause should be a distinct pause (which you may want to extend even longer than 15 %) and it should be very relaxed. Inspiration is associated with sympathetic nervous system dominance and excitement. It is therefore important to quiet this activity. Begin exhalation just before the end of the end-inspiration pause, to allow for mechanical lag of the breathing apparatus and permit coordination with the expiration prompting signal.
On expiration you should focus on total relaxation of your entire body. Expiration is associated with parasympathetic nervous system activity. Exhalation should be completed by the start of the end-expiration pause. During the end-expiration pause you should try to achieve a deep and profound state of relaxation. With practice, you may even wish to extend this pause longer than 20 %. Begin the next inspiration just before the end of the end-expiration pause, to coordinate your breathing with the next inspiration prompting signal.
You may also use this breathing pattern to reduce stress, or to help you fall asleep.
Simply stated, the Progressive Relaxation method involves having selected areas of your body totally relax. If you are tense, it may be very difficult or impossible to have your entire body relax. Headache and associated neck tension pain may be difficult to control directly. However, it should be possible to have small areas of your body relax, and then move on to other areas, until finally the area of major tension is relaxed, or your entire body is relaxed. It is easiest to learn the technique while lying in bed. From there you can learn to do the technique while sitting, or even while standing. So, we will begin by lying in bed, and trying to relax and go to sleep.
Ideally you should be lying flat on your back (though some are more comfortable in a habitual side-lying or other comfort position), and at most with only a slight elevation of the head of the bed. Be sure your head and neck are comfortably supported by a pillow, as neck and shoulder tension is common. You may find your lower body is more comfortable with a pillow under your knees.
When comfortably settled, feel your breathing, and settle into your Relaxation Breathing Pattern. Concentrate on breathing in gently and rhythmically. Then, while breathing out, concentrate on total body relaxation. And in the end-expiration pause, try to have total and profound relaxation.
After breathing and relaxing in this manner for a few minutes, try to feel your left foot, and tell it to totally relax. After a minute or two you may get a sensation of vague numbness and limpness in your foot, and you may feel this spreading up your leg.
Then, with the left foot relaxed, do the same for the right foot.
Then, with the feet relaxed, do the same with your left hand.
Then, with the left hand relaxed, do the same with your right hand. You may feel some heaviness or numbness spreading up your arms.
Then, with all extremities relaxed, make your neck and shoulders relax. (This may be the most difficult component to do, and particularly if you have a headache.)
Then, with your neck and shoulders relaxed, get your chest and entire body to relax. (By this time, many will have fallen asleep.)
If you find that you can't fully relax some of your extremities, or your neck and shoulders, repeat the sequence again, starting with the left foot.
There are many variations to these relaxation steps. For example, some will cause both feet, and then both hands to relax at the same time. Some will try to feel the sensation of limpness and numbness progressively spreading up their extremities. For difficult upper extremity relaxation, some try to relax each finger one by one. Experiment, and see which method suites your needs best.
Another trick to promote relaxation is to first, firmly tense various portions of your body. This will focus you on the region to be relaxed. For example, tense all the muscles of one (or both) legs for a few seconds (generally not more than 10 to 20 seconds), and then suddenly and completely relax. (A variation of this is to selectively tense and relax individual parts such as the feet, the calves, the thighs). Then do the same with one (or both) arms. (A variation of this is to selectively tense and relax the hands, the forearms, the upper arms.)
Then work on your central body, by tensing your buttocks, followed by your back, and then your abdominal muscles, and finally your shoulder and neck muscles. (A variation of this is to selectively tense and relax the lower and then the upper back.) If you are troubled with anxiety related to a headache, the shoulder and neck tension and relaxation trick may be particularly helpful.
Once you have mastered the basics of relaxed breathing combined with Progressive Relaxation, it is easy to translate this experience into your own personal General Relaxation and Stress Management program. And you can do your program while sitting, or even standing, and in a manner such that nobody knows you are doing these techniques.
In this manner you can bring some tranquility into a hectic business day, or other stressful situation.
And for those with desk jobs, a regular brief hourly break, with some ergonomic stretching exercises, combined with relaxation breathing control and progressive relaxation, can make a big difference to your work day.
And if you have a computer at your desk, it may be capable of a reminder function, to automatically remind you to take that brief but important hourly break in your busy day. This should not only make your hectic day easier, but also improve your work productivity.