Hello and welcome to this week's update.
Most people,
Or most of us,
Myself included,
Have heard the same advice our entire life.
If you're stressed,
If you're anxious,
If something feels overwhelming,
Take a deep breath.
Sounds like good advice,
But here's the strange part.
For many people,
Taking big breaths is actually the opposite of what the body needs.
Because the real issue for most people isn't that they breathe too little,
It's that they breathe too much.
Researchers estimate that a relaxed adult should breathe somewhere between six to eight breaths per minute.
Most of us,
When we're not thinking,
Breathe between 12 to 20 times per minute.
That means millions of people are breathing two to three times more than their body actually requires.
And when breathing becomes excessive,
Something important happens.
Carbon dioxide levels begin to fall.
Now,
Carbon dioxide is often misunderstood,
As the seasoned listeners know.
We think it's just a waste gas,
But in reality,
Carbon dioxide plays a crucial role in helping oxygen release from the blood and into the tissues.
So when we breathe too much,
Carbon dioxide drops,
And oxygen becomes less available to the body,
Not more.
This is one of the reasons breathing patterns are now being studied in relation to things like anxiety,
Sleep,
Quality,
Fatigue,
And even physical performance.
The goal of healthy breathing isn't bigger breathing,
It's more efficient breathing.
Nasal breathing,
Quieter breathing,
Calmer breathing,
Breathing that works with the body instead of against it.
And when breathing becomes more efficient,
The nervous system often becomes more stable as well.
Your breathing happens about 25,
000 times every single day,
Which means even small changes in how you breathe can quietly influence your health over time.
