Breathe Your Way To Wellness

Have you ever experienced health problems that made it hard to breathe? If so, then you know how hard that was on your body, mind and spirit. After all, humans literally need to breathe to live. Anytime our breath is compromised, that can lead to bad things.

The air we breathe is about 21% oxygen. Some people go inside what’s called a “hyperbaric chamber” in order to breath 100% pure oxygen. In this chamber, oxygen gets delivered to the body at pressures greater than 1.5 to 2.5 times the normal sea level pressure. This sort of oxygen delivery super saturates the body with oxygen deep into the tissues and all body fluids. It can help grow new blood vessels. Now this might be “extreme,” but for some people, it really helps their overall health and well-being.

Here’s a question: do you snore when you sleep? A lot of people have sleep apnea and don’t even realize it. You might want to take a “sleep test,” where you’re monitored for a couple hours. When you’ve got obstructions, you might actually stop and start breathing in a way that’s ultimately bad for you. For those with sleep apnea, a machine that delivers oxygen continuously at night, via a mask, can truly help their overall health.

Breathing in more oxygen helps decrease inflammation in the body. You can breathe your way to wellness, because the better you breathe, the more likely pain in the body will decrease. Furthermore, feelings of depression will decrease, memory will improve, and even short/long term effects of brain injuries or concussions will subside. Want to speak better, think more clearly, and feel better, overall? It’s all in your breathing!

When you breathe, it’s best if you can be in a relaxed and peaceful environment. Remove yourself from stressful situations as much as possible. Take time to breathe more slowly, really taking in “bucketfuls” of air. Breathe in slowly and confidently through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth. Spell the word “r-e-l-a-x” in your mind as you do this. And here’s something you might not expect: take vocal lessons… you know, “singing.” At vocal lessons a lot of what you learn includes breathing techniques!

The better your breathe, the better you’ll feel.