Your breathing is an indicator of your health, this is what you want to know about it

We breathe about 20,000 times a day. Mostly unconsciously. But that automatic action says a lot about how we are really doing. Too fast, shallow or high breathing can be a signal of stress, anxiety or illness. And vice versa: calm breathing is a sign of balance.

This is what your breathing can tell you about your health.

A healthy adult breathes between 12 and 20 times per minute at rest. That is enough to supply the body with oxygen and to remove waste products such as CO2. But many people – especially when stressed or tense – structurally breathe too fast. Sometimes even above 20 breaths per minute, which unnecessarily puts the body in a heightened state of readiness .

Your breathing is one of the body’s four vital functions , along with heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. The speed and depth of your breathing provide important information about your health. If you breathe too fast, it could indicate:

• Stress or panic
• Fever or infection
• Asthma or lung problems
• Heart problems

Breathing that is too slow can actually indicate:

• Sleep Apnea
• Use of alcohol or tranquilizers
• Brain stem problems (for example after a stroke)
• Thyroid problems

Stress directly affects our breathing . In stressful situations, your body switches to a higher breathing rate, intended to bring your body into action mode for possible fight or flight situations. But if this stress continues for a long time, you continue to breathe too high and too fast, even without a direct threat. This then keeps your body in a constant state of alert and can lead to fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations and even panic attacks.

So stress affects our breathing, but our breathing also affects our stress levels in its own way.

Where chest breathing is often shallow and fast, and is associated with stress or tension, deep abdominal breathing provides peace. With this form of breathing, the abdomen expands because the diaphragm moves down. This activates the part of our nervous system that promotes relaxation.

Chest breathing, on the other hand, can unconsciously put the body in a state of readiness, whereby the heart rate and breathing rate increase. Especially in cases of chronic stress or anxiety, people (often unconsciously) switch to this high breathing, which can lead to a vicious circle of tension.

A first step is awareness. How many times per minute do you breathe at rest? Do you breathe through your nose or mouth? Through your belly or chest?

Try this:

• Abdominal breathing : Place one hand on your stomach and inhale deeply so that your hand rises.
• 4-7-8 technique : inhale for four counts, hold for seven counts, exhale for eight counts. Repeat four times.
• Nasal breathing : breathe through your nose as much as possible, especially when resting.

By breathing consciously and slowly, you signal to your body that it is safe. You activate the nervous system that is associated with relaxation and rest.

Your breathing is always available and therefore a powerful tool for self-care. Those who learn to recognize and regulate their breathing gain access to a healthier body with more control over stress. Fortunately, there are more and more breathing coaches who can guide you in this. Because in the hectic pace of everyday life, a little breathing space never hurts.

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