Health – Three minutes left to live

Breathing is obviously one of our most critical conscious bodily functions (although technically it is a mix of conscious and unconscious function). More than three minutes of oxygen deprivation usually results in brain damage/death, unless your name is William Truebridge and you can free-dive for over four minutes.

However, as critical as the essential process of breathing is, it is alarming how many of us perform it so poorly. It would seem that as our lives get busier and more stressful, the worse we breathe. I apologise to any avid reader of this column over the last few years as I have written about this subject before, and if that is making you anxious, then please, take a few slow, deep breaths! The reason for revisiting this subject is because I am seeing more and more of it in clinic, and I suspect that the ‘modern’ lifestyle is increasing the incidence. How have we got it so wrong? Probably a multi factorial problem I would  postulate, but the most obvious reasons are:
•     High stress, especially from lack of time and too many tasks to perform
•     Poor posture and body image
•     Anxiety and panic attacks
•     Too much ‘multi-tasking’ and not enough ‘living in the now’
•     Lack of balance in life

So what happens when we don’t breathe as designed? Any of the following may happen – weakness, fainting, dizziness, confusion, agitation, numbness and tingling (usually in both arms or around the mouth), spasms of the hands and feet, muscle twitching, chest pains or tenderness, shortness of breath, headaches, dilated pupils and even fainting. Chronic effects include general tiredness, lack of concentration, sleep disturbances, tingling, dizziness, chest pains and palpitations, irritable cough, breathing discomfort with frequent sighs and yawns, erratic blood pressure, upset gut and bloating, nausea, sexual problems, achy muscles, twitching and cramps, tension and panicky feelings, depression and anxiety.

If all this is freaking you out then take some slow deep breaths. The key is gently using your diaphragm and not heaving your shoulders up as you gasp for air. In fact, using your neck/upper chest muscles to assist with breathing should be reserved for high performance athletes only!

When you use your diaphragm to breathe the stomach will protrude as you inhale (probably another reason we get it wrong as we try to hold everything in!) but as you exhale, it retracts to it’s resting position again. If this is confusing you, then just watch a healthy six-month-old baby as it sleeps on it’s back. You will see the stomach swell as it inhales and drop down again as it exhales. A perfect demo from a human that couldn’t care less if it has a big tummy! But if you are having any of the above symptoms then I suggest you see someone who is qualified to assess and help with your breathing.

Eugene Sims www.wnt.co.nz