People frequently do breathing exercises to manage stress or prevent panic attacks. 

They may be crucial because individuals who experience anxiety attacks frequently breathe quickly and shallowly from their chests. 

The oxygen and carbon dioxide levels that are generally maintained in balance while humans breathe could be disturbed by this pattern. 

Rapid breathing can cause a quicker heart rate, dizziness, muscle tension, and other symptoms of a panic attack. 

These signs and symptoms could lead to increased anxiety. 

The deep, even breaths that are characteristic of diaphragmatic breathing, an abdominal pattern that takes place when people are relaxed or asleep, are different from this thoracic (chest) breathing.

This article explains how consciously altering your breathing pattern might aid with stress and anxiety management. 

It describes different breathing methods and how to evaluate your own breathing pattern.

The signs of a panic attack 

Each individual experiences anxiety attacks differently.

Some common signs include:

• Feeling tense, uneasy, or afraid 
• Breathing too quickly, or hyperventilation 
• Insomnia, or difficulty falling asleep 
• Vacillation or irritability 
• Sweating, shaking, or both 
• Thinking and getting worried about one’s past or future 

While you learn to control and lessen these symptoms, breathing techniques might help you feel less anxious.

Breathing Techniques 
It’s easy to discover your unique breathing rhythm. 
Put one hand on the area of your upper abdomen closest to your waist, and the other on the centre of your chest. 
The hand on your abdomen should rise and fall with each breath if you are breathing normally. 
This type of breathing uses the diaphragm. The breathing is thoracic if the chest raises.

Breathing Exercises 

Breathwork can be something you’ve experienced in a yoga or fitness session. But, even if you’ve not, you should pick it up immediately.

You can learn a variety of breathing techniques on your own or with the help of a healthcare professional or wellness expert. 

Follow the advice of The American Institute of Stress (AIS) as you begin your breathwork journey. 

They incorporate both visualisation and deep breathing. Find out which ones work best for you by putting them to use.

Deep Breathing Exercises

Try a morning breathing practice before you get (or crawl) out of bed to start your day. It can start your day off right and peacefully by easing any muscle stiffness.

If you see a flare-up of anxiety, repeat it throughout the day: 

• Standing tall, bend your knees slightly, and lean forward from the waist. Your arms should hang at your sides. 

• As you stand back up, take a calm, deep breath and lift your head last. 
• You briefly hold your breath. 

• You should slowly exhale as you bend forward from the waist to get back to your starting posture.

Teddy Bear Breathing Exercises

Children can benefit from this method. Adults and teenagers alike can perform this exercise: 

• A teddy bear is placed on your belly button while you’re lying on your back with a hand on your chest. 

• With your eyes closed, rest your entire body. 

• Slowly inhale through your nose. The teddy bear should stand up, but not your chest. 

• Hold your breath after taking a long, deep breath, count to three, and then slowly exhale. 

• Continue until you feel at ease.

The Power of Breathing Exercises
What differentiates practising breathing techniques from “zoning out” on the couch? 
The American Institute of Stress claims this. Exercises that involve breathing help the body’s “relaxation response.” Heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension all decrease with relaxation.

4-7-8 Breathing Exercise

This breathing exercise is designed to facilitate sleep. The University of Arizona’s Centre for Integrative Medicine’s director, Dr. Andrew Weil, created it.

The 4-7-8 exercise, often known as the calming breath, acts as a natural nerve tranquillizer. 

To begin using the 4-7-8 technique, sit down with your back straight. Once you are comfortable with these procedures, you can also do the workout while resting in bed. You ought to: 

Put your tongue tip against the tissue ridge that is located behind your upper front teeth. For the duration of the workout, you’ll leave it there. 

Make a “whoosh” sound as you completely exhale through your mouth. 

Put your mouth shut and take a slow, deep breath through your nose while mentally count to four.

Count to seven while keeping your breath held. 

Make another “whoosh” sound while totally exhaling through your mouth, counting to eight.

People who experience anxiety or panic episodes can benefit from learning breathing methods. They can aid in reducing fast breathing and other anxiety-related symptoms. One thing they all have in common is that they emphasise the need for breathing regulation for relaxation.

Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing is another breathing technique to promote restful sleep and fend off insomnia. 

Controlling one’s breathing is crucial to awareness. Dr. Herbert Benson of the Boston-based Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine says this. 

• He suggests: Decide on a peaceful subject. The sound of “om,” your breath, and a little prayer are all suitable examples. Use “peace” or any uplifting word or phrase as your focus. 

• If you select a sound, repeat it while breathing in and out, either vocally or silently. Relax and let go. Simply take a deep breath or repeat to yourself, “thinking, thinking,” when you catch yourself daydreaming. 

This suggestion should gently bring your attention back to the area you’ve selected.

In one research of patients with insomnia, 49 middle-aged and older persons were split into two groups. 

They are halfway through a programme that instructed mindfulness techniques to help people concentrate in the present. 

The other half were taking a class on sleep education, where they learned how to sleep better. 

After six sessions, those in the mindfulness group experienced lower levels of depression, weariness, and sleeplessness than those in the sleep habits group.

Mindful breathing
Mindful breathing is a form of mindfulness. Living in the moment means paying attention to what is happening right now rather than obsessing on the past or the future. Being attentive includes paying attention to your breathing.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise

Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as abdominal breathing, encourages the use of the diaphragm. 

The muscle that divides the chest and the abdomen is this one. You can breathe more easily and with less effort thanks to this. Your breathing will slow down, lowering the body’s need for oxygen. 

Try this easy breathing exercise the next time you need to relax. A person can perform it while standing, sitting, or lying down: 

• Through your nose, take a calm, thorough breath. 

• Suspend tension in your shoulders. Your chest should barely raise, and your belly should enlarge. 

• Exhale gradually out of your mouth. 

• Slightly purse your lips as you exhale, but keep your jaw open. You might let out a gentle “whoosh” sound.

Keep breathing like this. Continue doing it for a while until you start to feel better.

Practise Is Crucial 
Even while breathing exercises seem easy, they take practice. The American Lung Association advises performing these once or twice a day, in a relaxed and comfortable state, for around 10 minutes.

Slow Breathing Exercise

Breathing that is hurried, shallow, and unfocused can be a factor in a variety of issues, including anxiety. 

If you improve your lung control, it might be good for your physical and emotional health. 

According to a 2018 assessment of the relevant literature, deep, slow breathing can lessen the signs and symptoms of anxiety and sadness. Additionally, it seems to aid in reducing sleeplessness.

According to experts, slow breathing is any breathing that occurs four to ten times per minute. Humans typically take between 10 and 20 breaths per minute in terms of respiratory rate.

Pursed-Lip Breathing Exercise

Your breathing should be more efficient if your lips are pursed. Your breaths will become slower and more deliberate as a result of this breathing practise. 

Puff up your lips after inhaling, and then exhale slowly, deliberately, and frequently while counting.

 It has been demonstrated that persons with anxiety related to lung illnesses can benefit from pursed-lip breathing. 

Emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are two examples of these illnesses.

Here is how to do it: 

• Relax your shoulders and neck. 
• For two seconds, softly inhale through your nose while keeping your mouth shut. 
• Exhale for four seconds via your mouth. 
• Remember that the extra time is crucial. 
• Make a kissing motion with your mouth as you exhale.Maintain a slow, even breath as you exhale. 
• Don’t exhale forcefully.

Resonance Breathing 

Resonance breathing, also known as coherence breathing, can help you avoid anxiety attacks by putting you in a peaceful, relaxed condition. 

A 15-person study looked at the benefits of yoga and coherent breathing at a rate of five breaths per minute on depressive symptoms. Additionally, it looked for the ideal yoga schedule for future studies on how yoga can benefit those with major depressive disorder (MDD).

 In a 12-week programme, MDD patients had a significant reduction in symptoms. Resonance breathing is performed as follows: 

Close your eyes as you lay down.

 For a count of six seconds, gently inhale through your nose while keeping your mouth shut. Do not breathe in too much air.

Allow your breath to leave your body slowly and gently for six seconds as you exhale. 

Avoid pushing it. Keep going for as long as 10 minutes. Spend some more time in stillness, paying attention to how your body feels.

Yoga Breathing 

The ancient yogis discovered that they could change their mental state by controlling their breath through a technique known as pranayama. 

The technique promotes slow, regular breathing while utilising the parasympathetic nervous system’s calming and soothing properties. 

The parasympathetic nervous system is the portion of the neurological system that regulates the heart muscles and glands. 

People usually breathe too quickly when they are under stress. Changes in carbon dioxide levels may result from this, which may then affect the blood’s acid-alkaline balance chemistry. 

Symptoms that could result from this include:

• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Irritability
• Lightheadedness
• Muscle twitching
• Nausea

Breathing Transmits a Signal
Deep breathing involves more than just taking in and releasing air. Your brain receives a signal telling it to unwind. The message is then sent to your body by your brain. Yoga breathing can assist you in finding harmony in your body and mind.

They have been connected to remedies for illnesses brought on by stress. To experiment, take the following actions: 

• Sit upright in a chair or lay on your back on the ground. Just above the pubic bone, place your fingertips lightly on your lower belly. 

• Try to breathe into this area, extending the belly each time you inhale. 

• Your fingertips should now be in the areas below your collarbone. 

• Spread out the rest of your fingers to the sides and place the tips of your pinkies on either side of the sternum (breastbone).

• Check to see if you can gradually widen the areas you are touching for a few inhalation breaths. 

• As you do this, be cautious to maintain the most relaxed throat possible. It will prevent you from tensing your upper chest as you breathe in. 

• Breathe as deeply as you can into your back body, feeling how it expands and contracts with each breath cycle.

Breathing and Yoga
Many of the breathing exercises that have been proven to ease anxiety are inspired by or related to yoga poses. They are made to support you in maintaining a healthy balance between your body and mind. They emphasise controlling and being deliberate with your breathing to relieve tension and stress and feel in control.

Breathing Through Different Nostrils 

One variant of the breathing exercises that can be practised as part of a yoga or meditation routine is alternate nostril breathing (ANB). 

It can be done to aid in mind-calming. In one study of 100 participants, the effect of ANB on pulmonary function in healthy young adults with stressful lives was examined. 

The researchers discovered that applying this strategy significantly enhanced it

Sit comfortably, keeping your spine long and your hips loose. 

You should relax your jaw and close your eyes. 

• Put your left hand, palm up, on your left knee.
• Put the tips of your index and middle fingers on your forehead, between your brows, using your right hand. 
• Place your thumb on the right nostril, your ring and little fingers on the left. 
• To open and close the left nostril, use the ring and little fingers. 
• For the right nostril, use your thumb. With your thumb, cover the right nostril as you exhale. 
• Exhale from your left nostril. 
• Take a deep breath in through both nostrils, close your right nostril, and exhale through your left. 
• Close your left nostril while inhaling by using your ring finger. 
• Right nostril breathing is accomplished by releasing the thumb from the nostril. 
• Breathe in from your right nostril, then exhale.
• Exhale via the left nostril after releasing the ring finger from the left side.

When to Consult a Medical Professional 

Remember that going through a significant life shift can cause considerable stress. But if you’re experiencing frequent panic attacks or other signs of anxiety, you might want to visit a doctor. 

If your worry interferes with daily living, this is especially true. The same is true if you believe that your stress and worry may be the root of any future health problems or if they are connected to current medical conditions. 

You may be able to better understand the source of your stress and lessen its symptoms with the help of psychotherapy (often referred to as “talk therapy”). 

Depending on the root of your anxiety, a doctor may also recommend medication that can be helpful.

In conclusion 

There are many causes of stress and anxiety episodes in people. Each person’s symptoms are distinctive, just like they are. 

Nevertheless, it’s typical for people to experience physical symptoms like hyperventilation, difficulty sleeping, and unpleasant thinking. 
These signs and anxiousness can be diminished by breathing exercises. People who battle with anxiety as well as those who have other medical disorders that add to their disquiet can benefit from taking slow, deep, purposeful breaths.

Also read: 10 powerful ways to cure the effects of sleep deprivation