How Incorrect Breathing Affects You and How to Fix It

The way we breathe is something most of us pay little attention to. And if you asked the average person on the street, most would assume that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way they breathe.

But a large portion of the population is breathing incorrectly. Most of us are shallow breathers, and a lot of it has to do with stressors or environmental conditions. This is having many repercussions on our health as well. Let’s take a look at how breathing affects you, and what you can do about it.

It Affects Your Nervous System

You may not be aware of it, but breathing has a significant impact on your nervous system. When you breathe incorrectly, it throws your nervous system out of balance, and an unbalanced nervous system translates to an unbalanced body.

This is why therapists will work on breathing techniques when dealing with people suffering from anxiety. Poor or shallow breathing makes our bodies tense and increases stress.

You Have Tighter Airways

Poor breathing habits also tightens up your airways. Air will struggle to get from your mouth to the lungs. This means that your body has to work much harder to get oxygen.

This is not the only part of your body that will be constricted; poor breathing will also tighten your blood vessels. This will not only affect blood flow in the body but could also lead to higher blood pressure and put additional stress on the heart.

You’ll Have Less Oxygen Circulating

If you constantly feel tired, your breathing habits might be the cause. Oxygen plays an important role in energy production. When you breathe, the oxygen you take in is delivered to your blood cells. By starving your cells of oxygen, less of it gets dispersed in your body. The cells will also have to use the little oxygen they have to survive instead of developing.

Some of the organs that are the most affected by lack of oxygen are the heart, muscles, and brain. Lack of oxygen has a direct impact on athletic performance, and muscles will tire faster. The heart cannot work it’s best, which often results in cold hands and feet. And your brain can’t function at the same level either.

What Can Be Done to Correct Your Breathing?

The first thing you should do is look at how babies breathe. This is the natural way all humans should breathe, though we lose the habit as we grow.

The most important thing is to breathe in through your nose and expand both your belly and chest as you do. Your nostrils are responsible not only for filtering particles but for warming the air as it comes in. Deep breathing while expanding your diaphragm is the best way to get as much air in your lungs as possible.

Another thing you should watch out for is snoring. Bad breathers also tend to be snorers, and there are a few things that you can do to fix this.

The most important thing is making lifestyle choices. If you’re severely overweight, then you should try losing some weight, and smoking also increases the chances of snoring.

You should also try to train yourself to breathe through the nose at night, but it’s not always the easiest thing to do. One thing you could do, however, is investing in some mouth strips if you want to fix your snoring. These strips will gently adhere to your lips, and make sure that your mouth stays closed. This will not only result in less snoring but much better sleep as well.

Now that you know the importance of deep breathing, and how to fix it, make sure that you apply this advice to your everyday life. Just making a few minor adjustments could work wonders to improve your health, mood, and wellbeing.