Science & Breath

The breath serves as a link between our body and mind. Deep breathing exercises & breathwork courses aid in calming us down by activating our parasympathetic nervous system.

Diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, slows breathing, and directs blood flow to the reproductive and digestive systems.

The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) becomes less active when the Parasympthetic Nervous System (PNS) is active; they work in opposition to one another. In preparation for a fight or flight scenario, the SNS increases heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate while diverting blood to the brain and skeletal muscle.

We may break the vicious cycle of adrenaline and cortisol, which raises our levels of ongoing stress and puts us at risk for panic attacks and anxiety, by turning off or overriding the SNS.

Therefore, it is feasible to shift the signals being delivered from the body's respiratory system to the brain by actively altering the pace, depth, and pattern of breathing. We may be able to alter our breathing patterns through the autonomic communication network using breathing practises. This shows that we can communicate with the brain in a way that it can understand and respond to by using the body's natural language.

Online breathwork courses in the UK that you can try for free with the Breath Sensei can help show you how you can use breathing techniques and breathwork exercises to help with stress, anxiety, poor sleep, asthma and also improve focus and concentration. Try a free breathwork course today with the Breath Sensei.

Making Friends with Stress

Stress causes bodily reactions that have an impact on our physical, mental, and emotional responses. Our bodies, our minds, and our environment all contribute to stress. It is a necessary and entirely normal component of our life, and it isn't always a terrible thing.

Stress can help us stay vigilant and prepared to avoid danger. It aids in our productivity and only turns harmful when we are continuously faced with difficulties without breaks or downtime in between. We end up overworked as a result, and tension brought on by stress begins to rise.

The main hormone used in fight or flight, adrenaline is largely to blame for the quick response we have while under stress. Think about a vicious dog chasing you. Your muscles tense up, your heart races, your breathing quickens, and you may start to sweat. A cascade of chemicals in the brain causes the production of adrenaline and cortisol when a terrifying stimulus is present. In preparation for a fight or flight scenario, adrenaline speeds up your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and blood flow to your skeletal muscles and brain.

Adrenaline also causes you to sweat (to manage the heat created by the muscles working hard) and contracts the pupils to sharpen your vision. Cortisol actually causes glucose to be released from glycogen stores which is what gives you the ‘surge of energy’ that is needed for fight or flight.

Amit Sood, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine to explains:

‘Primarily, the part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for emotions and survival instincts, recognises a threat. It then sends a message to the part of the brain called the hypothalamus – which produces many of the body’s essential hormones – to produce corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). CRH then tells the pituitary gland to release another hormone, which tells the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.

‘In survival mode, optimal amounts of cortisol can be life saving, aiding the maintenance of fluid balance and blood pressure while regulating some body functions that aren’t crucial at that moment, like reproductive drive, immunity, digestion and growth.

‘But when you remain in a heightened state of anxiety or chronic stress, the body continuously releases cortisol and chronically elevated levels can lead to serious issues. Too much cortisol can become toxic, suppressing the immune system, increasing blood pressure and altering sugar levels.’

How Stress Affects the Brain

As Madhumita Murgia explains in his TED Talk, stress isn’t always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you’re playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it’s continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Murgia shows how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the level of your genes.

 Try a free breathwork course for stress today!

Functional Breathing for Stress - Free Taster – TheBreathSensei