You might think breathing is second nature, right? You’re doing it right now as you are reading this. But did you know that there are different kinds of breathing and that what is called deep breathing can have important health benefits? Read on to learn just three of the most important reasons you should add deep breathing to your daily routine.

Manage Anxiety and Depression

Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is also known as the “rest and digest” system. The job of the parasympathetic nervous system is to conserve energy that is then used for bodily functions like digestion and urination. Deep breathing helps to activate the vagus nerve which oversees mood, digestion, and even heart rate. 

Improve Focus and Reduce Stress

Taking a minute to check in with yourself, especially in times of stress or when you feel like you can’t focus, is a great way to incorporate deep breathing. Here’s how to stop and take just a few minutes to incorporate deep breathing. 

Your diaphragm is the small muscle just below your lungs. If you breathe correctly, it contracts and moves downward so your lungs expand to take in fresh air. When you exhale, the opposite occurs, and your diaphragm relaxes and slides further up your chest cavity. 

First, put one hand over your heart and one hand on your stomach. Breathe in through your nose, allowing the air to fill your stomach. Notice how the hand on your stomach moves while the hand on your heart doesn’t. Draw your navel toward your spine as you exhale. If it helps, pretend you are blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. Notice how the hand on your stomach slides back to its original position. Repeat these steps three to five times to start paying particular attention to how you feel after each breath.

This process will improve your focus and lower your stress levels the more you incorporate it into your day. Maybe set an alarm on your phone to stop once in the morning, once during lunch and once in the evening to practice deep breathing. 

Improves Sleep

If you find yourself in high stress situations and suffering from anxiety or depression, then you probably aren’t sleeping very well either. Use these steps to slow yourself down before bed to clear your mind and slow your heart rate. Keep a journal once you begin deep breathing regularly and you may notice that the more you do it the better you find yourself sleeping. 

And just like almost everything in life, there is an app for that! There are several apps available to help you manage your breathing. If you own an Apple Watch, you already have access to a breathing app, perfectly named Breathe. The app will check in with you, prompting you to take one-minute breathing breaks and guiding you when to exhale and inhale. There are other apps available so a quick search in your app store will help you find the one that is right for you. 

The best part about incorporating deep breathing into your daily routine is that you can do it anywhere and nobody even realizes that’s what you are doing. When you know you are going to head into a situation that is stressful or gives you anxiety, practice deep breathing ahead of time and during the event. 

Deep breathing is a fantastic tool for your mental health toolbox so take the time to incorporate it into your daily routine and pay attention to how you feel before and after. Adjust how often and what time of day you might practice deep breathing and watch your body and your mind adapt to that increase in oxygen throughout the day.

Meditation has a reputation for several health benefits but here are the top eight reasons establishing a regular meditation routine can improve your overall health and wellbeing. But first, what is meditation? It is defined as the regular process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts.

Stress Buster

Research proves that meditation can really be a stress reducer. Too much stress in your life can cause sleep issues, depression, anxiety, and even high blood pressure. An 8-week study published in 2013 found that “mindfulness meditation” actually reduced the inflammatory response caused by too much stress.

Reduce Anxiety

As mentioned previously, as stress levels decrease, so does anxiety. A 2014 study examined the transcendental meditation technique and found that it reduced anxiety significantly. However, that’s not the only technique that reduces anxiety. Additional research has found that a variety of techniques can reduce anxiety levels. It doesn’t matter what technique you try, just get started! 

Emotional Health

After the pandemic, we all know just how important it is to maintain our mental health. Regular meditation has been shown to reduce the symptoms of depression by decreasing the levels of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which are released in response to stress. It can also help people experience fewer negative thoughts. 

Improve Attention Span

Studies also show that regular meditation practices can lead to enhanced performance on visual tasks and a great attention span than those who don’t regularly practice meditation. And you don’t need to set a goal of meditating for hours on end. Other studies have indicated that even short periods of meditation each day can be a benefit. One study found that just 13 minutes a day of meditation enhanced attention and memory after just eight weeks.

Reduce Memory Loss

And, in case you haven’t noticed yet, each of these benefits just continues to cascade to additional benefits! Now that you know that regular meditation can lead to improvements in attention and clarity, you might be happy to hear that both benefits lead to keeping your mind young and healthy overall. 

Studies have found that in addition to fighting the normal age-related memory loss that comes from getting older, meditation can at least partially improve memory in those suffering from dementia. It can also help to control stress and improve coping skills in caregivers.  

Better Sleep 

Healthy sleep patterns lead to a host of health benefits and one study found that people who meditated regularly not only remained asleep for longer periods of time, but also have improved insomnia severity. And as previously mentioned in the other benefits above, meditation can help you relax and release tension, thus placing you in a peaceful state that allows you to fall asleep quickly and more easily. 

Pain Relief

And the research continues to show the benefits of regular meditation with one review of 38 studies concluding that mindfulness meditation could not only reduce pain, but also improve quality of life, and decrease the symptoms of depression in those suffering from chronic pain. 

Keep Blood Pressure in Check

The dangers of high blood pressure are common knowledge and include heart disease and stroke among other issues. A 2015 meta-analysis of 12 studies with nearly 1,000 participants found that meditation helped to reduce blood pressure. 

The bottom line is that meditation is something that everyone can try to improve their mental and emotional health. You don’t have to have a particular level of athletic ability; it doesn’t require a special location or equipment and you don’t have to buy a membership to a gym to try it. A simple Google or YouTube search can get you started. Trying out a variety of styles to see what might work best for you is a great way to begin your meditation journey!