STRESS = PAIN = STRESS = PAIN PART 4: DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

Lie down on your back.

Take some deep breathes in your nose and breathe out through your mouth.

Film yourself doing this.

Go. I’ll wait...

....

Play that video back – what do you see?

Do you see your chest rising with each breath?

Do you see some stomach action but nowhere near as much as your chest?

How long does each breath take you to complete?

Here's what it might have looked like:

When you’re under stress the CNS gauges this stress and perceives it a something negative. In times of negative stress the body will go into conservation mode and down regulate whatever it can if it can find a more efficient way to do so.

The easiest way to alter your breathing rate is to shift the focus from long and full belly/diaphragmatic breathing to short and shallow shoulder/chest/neck breathing.

When you do this for long enough then your body becomes accustomed to this form of breathing and eventually makes it your dominant breathing pattern. This decreases the work of the diaphragm, weakening it and compromising oxygen delivery throughout the entire body which results in tiredness, poor blood flow which can result in high anxiety.

Loud sounds and bright lights/screens also feed sympathetic dominance which is why screen time needs to be decreased around bed time and is why you find it so hard to get to sleep even when you’re tired.

Short and shallow breathes is an indication of sympathetic nervous system activation which is what we need to use in times of stress. What can happen in this situation is that the brain goes into full protection mode which means it wants to decrease energy output which it can do by shutting off main muscle groups and altering posture by moving to a ‘fetus” like posture with rounded shoulders, collapsed rib cage and slumped spine.

Poor breathing can also drive us into a state of constant inhalation which again increases sympathetic NS activation.

Pain, pain killers and anxiety all feed sympathetic dominance as well.

Do you constantly feel like you’re movement is restricted?

Do you sleep poorly?

Are you a busy, A type personality?

Do you have a lot of health issues?

Have you worked on your posture but to no avail?

Poor posture can be a symptom of a tired body which is a symptom of high stress.

Shifting from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance will result in faster recovery from times of stress, greater immunity, less chronic pain and the ensuring happiness!

Lastly, an overexcited/tired CNS can also overreact to small stressors.