5 minutes a day! After breathing like this, your sleep will improve quietly

We breathe every day, but have you ever thought that incorrect breathing methods may affect your health, and that changing your breathing methods can actually bring you many benefits?

Are you a chest or belly breather?

First, let me ask you, when you breathe normally, is it the chest that rises and falls more obviously, or the stomach? In medicine, breathing is divided into thoracic breathing and abdominal breathing. Thoracic breathing mainly relies on the contraction of the intercostal muscles to drive the chest to move, and the stomach basically does not move; abdominal breathing is mainly based on the up and down movement of the diaphragm, with the help of the intercostal muscles, and the belly rises and falls more obviously.

The emergence of chest breathing is related to human evolution. In the past, when people encountered danger, they would unconsciously speed up their breathing and use their backup respiratory muscles to get more oxygen to the body and escape quickly. But now, many people are under long-term stress and keep using chest breathing, which is a problem.

The body secretes too much stress hormones, such as cortisol, which is related to poor sleep and anxiety . In addition, the body releases inflammatory substances, such as histamine. If there is too much histamine, the skin will itch easily.

In addition, chest breathing has a small ventilation volume each time, and over time, the body is prone to lack of oxygen, which can cause dizziness and weakness . If the brain senses lack of oxygen, it will also use the shoulder and neck muscles to help with breathing, which will cause the shoulder and neck to become tight and painful.

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Change to abdominal breathing, the benefits will come naturally

In contrast, abdominal breathing has many benefits! Professor Zhu Weimo, a member of the American Academy of Sports Medicine, said that abdominal breathing is like a powerful health "toolbox". It can return the body to a state controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system, that is, a state of rest and digestion, and stop the sympathetic nervous system response responsible for "fight or escape".

Consciously changing chest breathing to abdominal breathing has great benefits for health:

1. It can improve lung capacity and make the body absorb and supply oxygen more smoothly;

2. Less stress hormones are produced, cortisol levels are lowered, blood pressure can be lowered, and anxiety will be relieved;

3. The autonomic nervous system responds better to stress, arterial blood flow increases, and sleep quality improves;

4. Immunity will also be enhanced.

You don't have to practice abdominal breathing all day long. You can practice it when you have insomnia, are nervous, anxious, sleepy, dizzy, or are under a lot of pressure . Take insomnia for example. Many people's minds are like a movie playing before going to bed and can't stop. At this time, do abdominal breathing, relax your whole body, focus on your belly, feel its rise and fall, and you can drive away those messy thoughts, relax your nerves, and slowly fall asleep.

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How to do "abdominal breathing" correctly?

First, you need to find the diaphragm, which is the diaphragm. It is at the bottom of the lungs, the boundary between the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity, and the largest and most important respiratory muscle in the human body. When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and presses down, and air enters the lungs; when you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and rises.

The specific method is to put one hand on the chest and the other hand on the abdomen (below the ribs). Close your mouth and inhale through your nose to make your abdomen bulge . At this time, it is best not to feel the hand on the chest, but the hand on the abdomen can feel the expansion as the air comes in. When exhaling, exhale slowly through your mouth, tighten your abdominal muscles , and expel the air. Practice more, and when you are proficient, both hands will be free, and you can practice anytime and anywhere.

Once you have mastered the basics of abdominal breathing, you can also try the "advanced version" - the "square box" abdominal breathing exercise . Doing this when you are stressed can calm your nerves and improve your concentration. You can do it while sitting, standing, or lying down.

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First, take a deep breath through your nose, expand your lower abdomen, and imagine going up along the left side of the box, counting from 1 to 4 in your mind;

Then hold your breath, keep your lungs full, and count to 4 along the top edge of the box from left to right;

Then exhale slowly and deeply through your mouth, counting to 4 along the right side of the box from top to bottom;

Finally, hold your breath, empty your lungs, and count to 4 along the bottom edge of the box from right to left.

Repeat 3 times, or practice for 5 minutes each time.