Physiological effects of breath control

Jinzang · Oct 22, 2020

The ancient medical techniques of fasting and breath control are finally getting the attention they deserve. Here is a paper on the physiological effects of breath control.

Key points

Slow breathing practices have gained popularity in the western world due to their claimed health benefits, yet remain relatively untouched by the medical community.
Investigations into the physiological effects of slow breathing have uncovered significant effects on the respiratory, cardiovascular, cardiorespiratory and autonomic nervous systems.
Key findings include effects on respiratory muscle activity, ventilation efficiency, chemoreflex and baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate variability, blood flow dynamics, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, cardiorespiratory coupling, and sympathovagal balance.
There appears to be potential for use of controlled slow breathing techniques as a means of optimising physiological parameters that appear to be associated with health and longevity, and that may extend to disease states; however, there is a dire need for further research into the area.

Nelson Vergel · Oct 22, 2020

Interesting. I need to research this topic more.

Vtail · Oct 23, 2020

I recently read a pretty interesting book on this topic.
"Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor

Nelson Vergel · Oct 23, 2020

Vtail said:
I recently read a pretty interesting book on this topic.
"Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor

Tell us more please

Vtail · Oct 23, 2020

It's available on Amazon. Here's a part of the description:

It changed the way I think about breathing. For example when I go for a run, I now consciously try to breathe less. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it actually improved my performance/endurance. The author explains in detail what happens in the body and how less is more when it comes to breathing.

Well worth the read - in my case I did the audio book. Between my wife and I, we buy so much on Amazon I somehow have collected a bunch of audio 'credits'.

bixt · Oct 26, 2020

"We already discovered that people with chronic diseases have ineffective or heavy breathing pattern 24/7 with deep breathing 24/7 (for clinical studies, visit the Homepage of this site). While considering carbon dioxide effects, we also found that chronic overbreathing leads to reduced oxygen transport to cells. As a result, ineffective breathing patterns cause tissue hypoxia, chronic inflammation, immunosuppression, and many other negative effects caused by low body-oxygen levels and hypocapnia (reduced CO2 levels).

Meanwhile, it is known that tissue hypoxia is the driving force of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, chronic fatigue and many other health conditions. Hence, the more people breathe, the more severe health problems, diseases, and symptoms they are going to experience. "