Benefits of Deep Breathing

What do people tell someone to do when the person is anxious, angry, frustrated, sobbing uncontrollably, or otherwise experiencing overwhelming emotions? Take breaths, deep breaths. It turns out that this is not just trite advice. There is science that suggests deep breathing has benefits, for regulating emotions, and more!

What does it look like to take a deep breath? In times of stress, most individuals breathe shallowly, with their upper chests (Victoria State Government Department of Health, n.d.). This is part of the stress response. When breathing deeply, however, individuals use the diaphragm and or breathe with the abdomen. How does a person make sure to engage the diaphragm? Most individuals find that they can discover how to do this type of breathing by lying down on the back and placing one hand on the upper chest and the other hand below the rib cage, where the diaphragm resides (Cleveland Health Clinic, 2022). Breathing in slowly through the nose should cause the hand on the stomach to rise, and the hand on the chest to remain still. Breathing out should force the stomach muscles to contract, lowering the hand on the stomach while keeping the hand on the chest still. This style of deep breathing may feel uncomfortable at first, but with practice, such breathing can become second nature.

Taking deep breaths, or breathing with the diaphragm, has many benefits. Specifically, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that calms the body (The University of Toledo, n.d; Zaccaro et al., 2018). Deep breathing increases oxygen to the thinking brain, allowing for more clarity of thought (Yu, 2017). Deep breathing serves to remind the body that it is safe and secure, rather than gearing up for a fight/flight/freeze/fawn response (Magnon et al, 2021). Safety and security encourage cognitive and emotional stability instead of the hypervigilance and anxiety that occur when under threat.

Studies have shown deep breathing to have other beneficial effects for health as well. It can be used in treating eating disorders, constipation, high blood pressure, and migraines, and improve quality of life for individuals with chronic conditions such as cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GRD), and heart failure (Hamasaki, 2020; Tavoian & Craighead, 2023). Diaphragmatic breathing can help reduce digestive issues caused by stress (Henry Ford Health Staff, 2024). Studies have shown that deep breathing can decrease tiredness and daytime sleepiness in adults with obstructive sleep apnea (Bonavitacola, 2022). Conversely, practicing slow, deep breathing before bed can help treat insomnia (Jerath et al., 2019). Current and future studies may show even further benefits of deep breathing.

In short, deep breathing is good for humans, regulated and dysregulated. It can help promote increased functioning, as well as improve health. Adults and children alike can practice it. Practicing deep breathing regularly can make the skill more easily accessible, so that the brain can engage in deep breathing almost on autopilot. After all, that is what the body was made to do: regulate itself and remain in a state of homeostasis.