Breathing Exercises for Improved Cognition and Mental Health

Did you know that breathing exercises can improve mental health? Simply taking a few minutes out of your day to focus on your breathing can profoundly impact your mood and cognitive function.

If you are stressed, anxious, or feeling down, breathing exercises are a simple and effective way to calm your mind and improve your mood. Research has shown that breathing exercises can effectively treat anxiety and depression.

There’s a bit to unpack about breathing exercises and mental health, including how they work, how to do them, and types of breathing exercises to try. Let’s start with the science behind it all.

How do Breathing Exercises Work? 

The connection between breathing and mental health is well-documented, and research has shown that breathing exercises can help to improve conditions like anxiety, depression, stress, and even chronic pain.

Breathing exercises help to oxygenate the blood and clear the mind. When you breathe deeply, your lungs fill with air, which signals the brain to release dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and positive emotions. Additionally, deep breathing helps you to relax and reduces stress levels.

In addition to releasing dopamine, breathing exercises help lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone. When cortisol levels are high, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and even weight gain. By lowering cortisol levels, breathing exercises can help to improve mental health.

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How to do Breathing Exercises

There are several breathing exercises; the best way is whatever works for you. Some people prefer to do them lying down, while others find it easier to sit or stand.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when doing breathing exercises:

• Make sure that your stomach is expanding, not your chest. This means that you should breathe from your diaphragm, not your chest.
• Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Focus on your breath and count to four as you breathe in, then count to four as you breathe out.
• Repeat the exercise for a few minutes.

What is the Purpose of Breathing Exercises?

Breathing exercises are a great way to improve overall lung function. When you apply breathing techniques, you are teaching your lungs to take in more air and to use that air more efficiently. This effort makes your lungs more robust and more efficient, which can help with conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

In addition to improving lung function, breathing exercises have been shown to improve cognitive function. These exercises can increase executive functioning and memory recall. Additionally, it helps to improve focus and concentration.

Breathing exercises help by lowering cortisol levels. Breathing exercises help to relax the mind and body, which can help to reduce stress and anxiety. One study found that deep breathing exercises were just as effective as medication in treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Finally, breathing exercises can also improve sleep quality. Poor sleep is often associated with increased stress and anxiety levels, so improving sleep quality can positively impact mental health. Breathing exercises can help relax the mind and body, leading to a better night’s sleep.

Regulating the HPA Axis

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is responsible for part of anxiety’s fight-flight or freeze responses.

Research shows that breathing techniques can improve HPA dysregulation because of their ability to reduce cortisol. Decreased cortisol levels remained after 16 weeks, and PTSD symptoms were decreased from mindfulness-based stretches and deep breathing.

Types of Breathing Exercises for Improved Mental Health

Box Breathing

This exercise is also known as square breathing. To do it,  visualize a box in your mind as you breath slowly

1. Breathe in for a count of four
2. Hold your breath for a count of four
3. Breathe out for a count of four
4. Then hold your breath for a count of four. 

Practice this technique a few times daily.

Alternate Nostril breathing

Alternate nostril breathing is a popular yoga breathing exercise. To do it:

1. Close your right nostril with your thumb and breathe in through your left nostril.
2. Close your left nostril with your ring finger and release your thumb from your right nostril to breathe out.
3. Repeat the pattern a few times.

4-7-8 Breathing

This exercise is also known as the relaxation breath. To do it:

1. Exhale completely through your mouth.
2. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.
3. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
4. Breathe out slowly for a count of eight.
5. Repeat the cycle for a few minutes.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

This exercise is also known as belly breathing. To do it,

1. Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest.
2. Breathe in through your nose and allow your stomach to expand.
3. Then, breathe out through your mouth and feel your stomach deflate. 

Do it again a few more times.

Sitali Breath

Sitali breath is a cooling breath that can help to calm the mind and body. To do it:

1. Curl the sides of your tongue up and back to form a tube.
2. Breathe in through your mouth and then out through your nose.
3. Repeat the cycle for a few minutes.

Visualization Breathing

This breathing exercise helps improve focus and concentration. To do it:

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
2. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply.
3. Visualize a peaceful scene, such as a beach or the woods, as you breathe in.
4. As you breathe out, visualize your stress and anxiety leaving your body.

Pursed Lip Breathing

This breathing exercise helps reduce shortness of breath. To do it:

1. Sit or stand in a comfortable position.
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of two.
3. Pucker your lips and breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
4. Repeat the cycle.

Breathing Exercise Cautions

• Do not do any breathing exercises if you are pregnant.
• Do not do any breathing exercises if you have a respiratory infection.
• If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, or epilepsy, consult your doctor before doing any breathing exercises.

Get The Most Benefit

Deep breathing combined with yoga and mindful stretching can not only decrease HPA dysregulation, but it can also release trauma stored in the body. Trauma often is held in the body even if the mind tries to forget it; it is stored in parts of the body and may present itself as soreness and tightness. Somatic therapies, deep breathing, and grounding exercises help alleviate this stored trauma.

Additional Tips

Breathing exercises can be done in therapy, especially if it is something you mention you want to do with your therapist. They are helpful when discussing challenging topics and coping with stress.

Closing Thoughts

Breathing exercises are a simple and effective way to improve mental health. Oxygenating the blood and releasing dopamine can help improve conditions like anxiety, depression, stress, and chronic pain. There are many different breathing exercises that you can try, so find one that works for you and start reaping the benefits.

Originally posted 2022-08-11 15:14:28.

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Megan Santiago

Owner at Holistic-Momma

Hello! My name is Megan Santiago, B.S in Psychology, I have a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling and I am currently seeing clients as a Mental Health Counselor Intern. I am the Owner and Founder of Holistic-Momma.com. A little bit about me, I am OBSESSED with all things holistic health. I believe we can heal our physical bodies if we first heal our minds. I am a psychology major; I've worked alongside Naturopathic Doctors, Chiropractors, and numerous practitioners. I was a health educator for a well-known supplement brand, and now I share my experience and knowledge. I hope you learn something while on my site, and feel free to contact me with any questions!

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