Deep breathing has ancient roots as a centering practice across cultures.
Since the dawn of time, breath has been seen as our life force. In fact, the English word “spirit” is derived from the Latin “spiritus,” which means “a breath.”
We use our abdomen or diaphragm for breathing more than we realize. This breathing muscle flattens and contracts, helping us take air up into the lungs as we inhale.
When we exhale, the diaphragm helps to push air from the lungs.
Shifting our focus to our abdomen when practicing breathwork is known to strengthen the diaphragm, improve oxygenation, and boost lung capacity.
Moreover, abdominal breathing benefits include better stress management and improved overall well-being. But the perks don’t stop there.
Did you know that you can breathe your way toward a better mood?
Some studies suggest that abdominal breathing may help bring down stress levels while also reducing depression and anxiety.
In fact, a 2019 review discovered that diaphragmatic breathing has a direct effect on lowering stress hormone levels, blood pressure, and more.
Belly breathing has even been shown to reduce blood pressure when practiced for just five to nine minutes each day, which may contribute to the lowering of our stress response.
Beyond stress relief, abdominal breathing benefits include reduced pain.
Chronic pain is often linked to an increased stress response. Therefore, by using breathing techniques like abdominal breathing, we can lower pain levels.
A recent controlled study found that slow breathing is proven to alter our perception of painful stimuli, helping our muscles relax and lowering pain intensity.
As we breathe deeply for a better mood and reduced pain, our digestive system can finally relax.
When we’re stressed, our sympathetic nervous system is activated. In contrast, when we’re relaxed, the parasympathetic nervous system is in the driver’s seat.
When we activate the parasympathetic nervous system with diaphragmatic breathing, our “rest and digest” state is finally able to do its job.
Among some of the top abdominal breathing benefits? Relief from gastrointestinal issues.
Deep breathing encourages the body to relax, activating the diaphragm with a gentle massage felt by the internal organs with each inhalation and exhalation.
As a result, abdominal pain, bloating, and constipation relief follow.
In the midst of improved gastrointestinal function, lung function and posture follow suit.
As we’ve mentioned, deep breathing causes the diaphragm to contract. When the diaphragm contracts over and over, the muscle is strengthened.
The lungs themselves are also strengthened with an improved capacity to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body.
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Deep breathing is even known to strengthen our core muscles, which stabilize our spine and overall posture.
Therefore, abdominal breathing benefits include a straightened, tall spine with better posture than ever before.
With improved posture, more energy, greater self-esteem, reduced headaches, and boosted productivity follow.
Abdominal breathing benefits our biochemical and metabolic processes by protecting us from free radicals and boosting our antioxidant response.
In turn, our well-being, productivity, and performance all skyrocket.
Moreover, breathing deeply is known for boosting oxygen flow in the body. Our cells' ability to burn calories increases as a result, helping to boost metabolism and manage weight.
When our oxygenation improves, we can perform harder for longer with faster recovery times. That means more endurance when pushing it in the gym or on a run.
If your immune system needs a quick boost, abdominal breathing offers a simple, effective solution to safeguard your immunity.
If you’ve been skimping on your vitamin C supplement, diaphragmatic breathing may help.
Believe it or not, one of the most useful abdominal breathing benefits is a boosted immune defense.
While it may sound surprising that you can breathe your way to decreased illness, the research backs it up. A 2018 study found that deep breathing raised the production of lymphocytes, which are important for healthy immunity.
Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell known for helping the body fight off viruses, bacteria, and even cancer.
Beyond that, abdominal breathing benefits our sleep cycles - and better sleep is proven to boost immunity even further.
Sleep loss is known to hinder our immune system, while proper sleep patterns have been found to keep the immune system running strong.
Deep breathing before sleep tells our brain that it’s time to relax, helping the body follow.
Abdominal breathing before bed slows our breathing and heart rate, activating the body’s natural relaxation response. As a result, you’ll fall asleep with greater ease.
Now that we’ve walked through some of the most important abdominal breathing benefits, you might be asking yourself how to practice abdominal breathing exercises.
Abdominal breathing involves deepening the breath away from fast, shallow chest breathing toward slow, controlled breathing from the diaphragm.
To practice abdominal breathing:
Once you’ve relaxed before bed with abdominal breathing exercises, ensure that you stay relaxed throughout the night by addressing your airway health.
Abdominal breathing benefits are seemingly endless, and practicing abdominal breathing exercises before sleep is a surefire way to ensure you drift off easily.
But if you’re breathing dysfunctionally while you’re asleep, you may not stay asleep throughout the night. Moreover, your sleep may become fragmented due to snoring without you even knowing it.
When we mouth breathe during sleep, the airway becomes obstructed as tissues in and around the mouth fall backward. As these tissues vibrate together, the sound of snoring ensues.
Snoring leads to poor oxygenation, disrupted sleep, and (over time) even sleep disorders.
Nasal breathing, however, filters, humidifies, and warms the air we breathe – all while promoting a proper lip seal and tongue posture.
This combination makes mouth breathing and open-mouth snoring virtually impossible. But how do you ensure that you’re nasal breathing if you’re out like a light?
Mouth tape offers a gentle lip seal known to prevent mouth breathing and ensure nasal breathing as you rest.
As a result, you’ll experience pure, quality sleep thanks to the proper oxygenation achieved through nasal breathing all night long.
Any old tape won’t do, as most tapes feature harmful chemicals that irritate the skin within the adhesive. SomniFix strips, however, feature a hypoallergenic, gentle lip seal that feels silky, smooth, and gel-like.
Our strips are free from irritating chemicals known to cause rashes around the mouth.
Furthermore, SomniFix features a patented breathing vent, so a mouth breathing option is available if you happen to become congested overnight.
Take a deep breath with SomniFix before bed tonight!
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