4 Deep Breathing Exercises | Reduce Anxiety, Sleep Better, Boost Immunity

The Bottom Line

Your breath sends your body signals. Breathing exercises that change the frequency, deepness, and inhale/exhale ratio of your breath, will change your mind and body.

Summary

Take a deep breath in and breathe out fully. Your breath may be more powerful than you think. The simple act of breathing sends all sorts of signals to your brain and body. These signals can be positive (breath is slow, everything is ok) or negative (breath is erratic, something must be wrong). If you can control your breath, you can control the signals your body receives. Try one of these breathing exercises and watch your mind and body change.

There are four-ways altering your breath changes your physiology. Heart rate variability. Brain wave patterns. Oxidative stress. Immunity.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a way to measure your body’s ability to handle stress. It measures how well your parasympathetic nervous system is functioning. The parasympathetic nervous system is the portion of the nervous system responsible for the rest and digest response. It basically undoes the work of the sympathetic nervous system after a stressful situation. It slows the heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and helps you relax. The better your parasympathetic nervous system is functioning, the better and quicker you will be able to recover from a stressful event. HRV is a measure of this functionality.

HRV measures the variation in time between heartbeats. The higher your heart rate variability, the better your parasympathetic nervous system is functioning, and the better your body can handle stress. Slow breathing, 6-10 breaths per minute, can increase heart rate variability while reducing feelings of anxiety and depression (Li et al. 2018).

Brain Wave Patterns

The brain contains billions of neurons. All our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are determined by how these neurons communicate. Our neurons communicate using electricity. When our neurons fire together, they create an electrical activity called a brain wave. There are five types of brain waves, each associated with a different mental state. 

Delta waves are the slowest and are related to deep, dreamless sleep. 

Theta waves also occur during sleep. 

Alpha waves dominate when your mind is clear of unwanted thoughts and are associated with creativity. Alpha waves are also associated with decreased depression and anxiety. 

Beta waves dominate our regular waking hours and are associated with cognitive tasks. 

Gamma waves are the fasted waves and are associated with information processing.

Your breathing affects your brain wave patterns. Slow breathing, six breaths per minute, can increase alpha waves associated with improved emotional control and psychological well being (Zaccaro et al. 2018).

Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress happens when the balance of free radicals in the body is higher than the body’s antioxidant defenses ability to fight them. Free radicals occur as a normal byproduct of life and metabolism and can increase in times of physical and emotional stress.

Stress causes a rise in cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. Cortisol inhibits enzymes responsible for the body’s antioxidant defense systems, reducing your body’s ability to fight free radicals, which increases oxidative stress. Breath regulation decreases stress and cortisol, allowing the body’s natural antioxidant systems to combat oxidative stress (Martarelli et al. 2011).

Furthermore, breath regulation in the form of 4:7:8 inhalation/hold/exhalation can decrease oxidative stress, possibly due to the control of oxygen intake. Oxygen is highly reactive and a significant cause of oxidative stress (Bhattacharya et al. 2002).

Immunity

One study found that Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam, two rhythmic breathing styles, can decrease stress while increasing natural killer cells in the immune system (Kochupillai et al. 2005). Natural killer cells are an essential part of the innate immune system and are responsible for rejecting tumors and virally infected cells.

How To Implement

When it comes to altering your breath, there are three components of the breath to consider, frequency, deepness, and inhale/exhale ratio. How you choose to change these components in a breathing exercise will affect your whole body. Select the method that aligns with your goals and start improving your mind and body by merely altering the breath.

4 Deep Breathing Exercises

Breathing Exercises For Anxiety

Slowing down the breath to less than ten breaths per minute can increase comfort, relaxation, and alertness while decreasing anxiety, depression, and anger. Slow breathing increases heart rate variability along with increasing blood flow to brain regions associated with emotional control and psychological well being. Try taking only six breaths per minute.

Breathing Exercises For Sleep

Inhaling, followed by holding the breath before exhaling, can help you sleep better, decrease oxidative stress, and boost the body’s natural antioxidant defense systems. Try the 4 7 8 breathing technique to control the inhale to exhale ratio. Start by breathing in for a count of 4. Then hold the breath for a count of 7, and finally, breathe out for a count of 8. Repeat the cycle four times.

Breathing Exercises For Stress

Resonance frequency breathing is a form of slow diaphragmatic breathing that increases heart rate variability and reduces stress. Resonance frequency breathing is when your heart rate and breathing become synchronized. 

When you breathe in, and there is maximal oxygen in the lungs, your heart rate tends to increase. When you breathe out, and there is maximal carbon dioxide in your lungs, your heart rate tends to decrease. Heart rate and breathing are optimized when your heart rate starts increasing at the beginning of the inhalation, and your heart rate starts going down at the beginning of exhalation; this is your resonance frequency. Everyone has a slightly different resonance frequency for breathing. It can range from 4.5 breaths per minute to 7 breaths per minute, depending on the person. This study used a resonance frequency of 6 breaths per minute and found improvements in HRV, a reduction in blood pressure, and an improvement in mood.

To reduce stress and improve HRV, try breathing at a rate of 6 breaths per minute for 15 minutes.

Breathing Exercises For Immunity

Rhythmic breathing practices such as Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam can boost immunity and decrease stress. Start by sitting comfortably. Raise your right hand, fingers pointing up and use your right thumb to block your right nostril, so no air goes in or out. Inhale through your left nostril and hold the breath for a count of one. Breathe out through your left nostril. Repeat four times and take a break before starting the cycle again.

Pick one of these breathing exercises and stick with it. Practice it daily for best results.

Changing your breath is not the only way to improve your biology. Find out how mindfulness practices such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi can change your biology.