Controlled Breathing: what it is and how to use it

Respiration is essential for any living organism. Thanks to it we obtain oxygen, which is a fundamental element to be able to manufacture the energy we need to face our day to day.

Without adequate breathing we are hindering the proper functioning of our body, that is why it is so important to train Controlled Breathing.

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The importance of using your lungs well

Surely many of you will think: why do I need to learn to breathe in a “different” way? As well, we may not breathe in the most efficient way for the body, and that can trigger some symptoms such as hyperventilation, fatigue, feeling that "the air is not reaching us" or shallow breathing, anxiety, and so on.

An interesting trick to see if we breathe slowly and regularly is to contemplate how a baby breathes, or at least imagine it. When you breathe in, does your belly or chest swell? How many seconds elapse between inspiration and expiration? Is it slow and relaxed or fast and rushed? Is it regular or irregular breathing?

It's funny to realize how, as a result of our rhythm of life or the demands of the environment, we “unlearn” to breathe. One of the objectives of this article is to analyze the way we breathe, to know what is the Controlled Breathing and acquire some guidelines to start training it, it will only take 10 minutes of your day.

What is Controlled Breathing?

Controlled breathing is a technique widely used in psychotherapy which helps to reduce physiological activation and, therefore, to cope with anxiety (important to note that does not eliminate anxiety, but helps to cope with it and can help reduce it as consequence). It is a simple application exercise that anyone can train and incorporate into their routine.

It consists of learning to breathe slowly: 8 or 12 breaths per minute (we normally breathe between 10 and 12 times per minute at rest), not too deep and using the diaphragm instead of just chest breathing.

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Why learn to oxygenate like this?

Controlled breathing is characterized by being slow and regular, by using the diaphragm, and by not being too deep. We are going to try to explain the scientific basis for why it is better to breathe this way.

It is important to breathe slowly and regularly because this habit is related to a decrease in vital signs (heart rate, muscle and blood tension). Let's remember the example of the baby: when we are sleeping or about to sleep we breathe more slowly and regularly than usual in our routine. If we feel more nervous or restless than normal, it is advisable to breathe more slowly.

It is advisable to use the diaphragm, a muscle unknown to many, since in this way we oxygenate our body better. When we are anxious we breathe very shallowly, and we fill our lungs little, which means that we are not providing all the oxygen that our blood needs.

On the contrary, if we breathe to the bottom of our lungs, more oxygen reaches the blood. By doing this the diaphragm contracts, presses on the abdomen and it rises. Controlled breathing is related to (and can stimulate) a parasympathetic response.

It is advisable not to breathe too deeply, otherwise there will be an excessive decrease in CO2 in the lungs and we may hyperventilate (and if interpreted negatively, we may experience an attack of panic).

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How can I start to practice this habit?

To start, the main thing is for the person to find a place where they feel comfortable and safe (lying on their back, reclining or sitting) and reserve 10 minutes. You have to gently close your eyes and place a hand on your abdomen, placing the little finger just above the navel.

With each inspiration the abdomen should rise, so the hand placed on top of the abdomen should rise. It is about bringing the air to the end of the lungs, not to take in a large amount of air (remember that if hyperventilation cannot occur).

Breathe in through the nose for 3 seconds using the diaphragm, and breathe out (breathe out) through the nose or through the mouth for 3 more seconds, and take a short pause to catch your breath. Some people find it useful to play relaxing background music, others find it useful to repeat themselves mentally and slowly the word "relax", "calm"... It helps the most imaginative people to imagine that tension escapes with the exhaled breath. There are people who find it more useful to pause after inhaling, that is: inhale - pause - exhale. But, in general, it will be as follows: breathe in (3 seconds) - breathe out (3 seconds) - short pause and start over.

We should try to breathe 8 to 12 times per minute. For those who find it difficult to keep track of seconds while practicing controlled breathing, they can record themselves before doing the exercise indicating when to breathe in and when to breathe out.

Since controlled breathing is an apprenticeship like any other, it takes practice. It is convenient to perform this exercise 2-3 times a day for 10 minutes to gain ease (preferably, in easy and calm), and thus be able to generalize it to other situations in which it is more difficult for us to relax or we tend to get more nervous (p. eg at work, in a traffic jam, after an argument ...).