Have you ever thought about why some days you wake up from a full night’s sleep and do not feel rested at all and on other mornings you feel like you have had the most restful night’s sleep? This could be due in part, if not all related to the way in which you breathe during the day and while you sleep. The Biology of Breathwork Made Simple was presented in the Breath Notes dated December 12, 2022, and so I refer you to return to those notes to fully understand what happens to your body when you mouth breathe (hyperventilation) vs. nasal breathing (promotes good health, wellness and longevity). The Galapagos tortoises of the archipelago live to 175 years…they breathe slowly as do other animals that live long life spans!
You can quickly measure your breath hold time (BHT) each morning. It is a measure of your cellular oxygen. Follow the BHT method below each day for 1-week to see if it improves. Things that will positively impact your BHT is to do 10-minutes of nasal breathwork 3-times per day each day for one week or 1 Daily Dose breathwork Practice and to get a good night’s sleep. Things that will negatively impact your BHT are alcohol, stress/anxiety and a poor night’s sleep.
The Practice:
The Practice – Within the first 5-10 minutes of waking up AND just before bed (watch for patterns). Have a stop watch ready for when you release the air from your lungs.
1. Sit up in your bed with your back straight (relaxed spine). warm climate, dig your feet into the cool grass or into fresh earth from your garden.
2. Breathe into your diaphragm through your nose in for 4-seconds and out through your nose until all of the air is released from your lungs and when the air has been released hold your breath and press the stop watch.
3. Hold until you cannot hold it any more comfortably, but not so that you are gasping for air when you are done.
4. Record how many seconds you were able to hold your breath comfortably. Do this in the morning when you first wake up and before bed each day for at least 1 week.
5. Reflect and journal and describe any patterns you notice over the week.
NOTE: After your BHT each morning, drink 2 glasses of water to rehydrate. You may want to take an additional 15 minutes to put on relaxing music or a meditation and do a “reduced nasal breathing practice” to start your day. Reduced breathing practices calm your nervous system and this is when your exhale is twice as long as your inhale!
An average BHT is 30-seconds. Below 30-seconds is of concern and requires improvement, below 15-seconds is of medical concern, a BHT of 30-40seconds represents good health, while above 40-seconds is excellent!
Weekly Breath Challenge:
I invite you to incorporate this technique at least once each day this week or challenge you to do it when you first wake up and just before bed. You can determine how you are breathing and pay attention to how you breathe during the day or while exercising. I invite you to make conscious attempts to breathe in through the nose and then out through the nose or mouth throughout the day to transform and develop daily healthy breathing habitats to improve your overall health and wellness!
With love and gratitude …just breathe and let peace be your guide!
Serenity
Wellness & Coaching