How you breathe is a direct relationship to how you feel internally and externally. And if you have asthma you may be interested learning breathing and relaxation exercises.
A Newswise press release concerning an article on breathing techniques and asthma published in the British Medical Journal indicated specific breathing techniques can reduce the use of reliever and preventer inhalers required in mild asthma. The results from this research were published on line before print version.
People with asthma may be interested to learn this double blind randomized controlled trial of two different breathing techniques in the management of asthma did find specific breathing techniques can cut the use of reliever inhalers by more than 80 per cent and halve the dose of preventer inhaler required in mild asthma.
Two Types of Breathing Exercises
Researchers compared the impact of two breathing techniques on symptoms, lung function, use of medication and quality of life among 57 adults with mild asthma.
One technique focused on shallow, nasal breathing with slow exhalations, and the second technique used general upper body exercises, accompanied by relaxation.
The participants who used a preventer inhaler and required reliever inhaler at least four times a week were randomly assigned to one or other breathing technique.
Participants practised their breathing exercises twice a day for around 25 minutes over a period of 30 weeks. They were also encouraged to use a shorter version of their exercises in place of reliever, and to use their reliever if the exercises did not work.
This trial indicated the use of reliever medication fell by 86 per cent in both groups, a process which began within weeks of starting the exercises, and was maintained over eight months.
At the start of the study, participants used around three puffs of reliever each day, which fell to approximately one puff every third day by study's end. Preventer dose requirements were also halved.
Quality of life scores remained unchanged in both groups, but good asthma control was maintained even though inhaler use was reduced.
As both groups came to depend less on medication by the end of the study, despite the differences in the techniques used, the authors suggest that the processes involved were more likely to account for the results than the breathing exercises themselves.
Improve Your Lung Capacity
That said, many people use only a small portion of their lung capacity. By improving your breathing, you can tap into that feeling of calmness and increase your energy level.
You may be interested in learning a simple relaxation/meditative technique developed by Dr. Herbert Benson and a group of other doctors at Harvard's Thorndike Memorial Laboratory, in Boston, Massachusetts. You can learn more about this technique in Dr. Benson's book, The Relaxation Response, Avon Books, 1975.
The following are techniques from Dr. Benson's book:
- Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes.
- Relax all of your muscles, beginning at your feet and progress up to your face and scalp. Keep them relaxed.
- Breathe through your nose.
- Listen to every breath you take.
- Become aware of your breath.
- Count each breath silently in your mind - one in, one out, one in..... Relax with each and every breath.
- Let go of your worries, let your mind roam to the thoughts or places that please you, relax you, calm you.... smile to yourself.
Practice this for twenty minutes every day. Eventually you will notice yourself become more calm, more relaxed and elicit the positive health benefits you desire.
