Learning to breathe correctly can lead to a long life
Life cannot be separated from breathing. People are breathing every minute, but you may not breathe correctly. A British study showed that more than 90% of adults do not consciously regulate their breathing. According to statistics from our country's respiratory experts, more than half of the people in cities have incorrect breathing methods. Short-sighted breathing not only makes many people lack oxygen in their brains and makes them tired, but also easily induces a variety of diseases!
The average human lung is two football sizes.
"Breathing is one of the most important human life activities." Liu Youning, chairman of the Respiratory Diseases Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and director of the Respiratory Department of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, told the Life Times reporter that breathing includes not only lung ventilation, but also the transportation and exchange of gas in the blood. "The breathing that people usually understand refers to breathing movements, that is, the rhythmic expansion and contraction of the chest to complete inhalation and exhalation. This can provide oxygen to the body, expel carbon dioxide, and ensure the normal operation of life."
The lungs are the main place for gas exchange in and outside the body. Although they are not large in size, the alveolar wall area is about 70 square meters. A British yoga master once pointed out that on average, a person's lungs are as big as two football balls, but many people have too short breathing, which prevents the air from reaching the lower end of the lungs, resulting in small ventilation. Therefore, most people only use 1/3 of the lungs in their lives.
There are actually many ways to simply breathe and breathe, mainly divided into abdominal breathing and chest breathing.
Liu Youning pointed out that because modern people often sit in the office and lack exercise, many people breathe shallow and short, and only use chest breathing. Wang Zheng, swimming coach at the Capital Institute of Physical Education, pointed out that this breathing method has a very small amount of air exchange per time. Insufficient ventilation at normal breathing rates will cause carbon dioxide to accumulate in the body, leading to hypoxia in the brain and symptoms of dizziness and fatigue. "In order to better realize the potential of the respiratory organs, people should consciously deepen their breathing and avoid fast and shallow breathing." Wang Zheng said.
Yu Ryumura, president of the International Integrated Yoga Japan Association and director of the Ryumura Yoga Institute, said that although people often don't realize that they are breathing, this "breath" can affect a person's physical and mental state. Breathing is equal to vitality and is also the power of renewal and metabolism. "The way you breathe is the way you live. For example, people with violent personalities will not breathe smoothly." He found from teaching that many modern people's breathing has become shallow and weak, and the oxygen content in the blood has dropped. Coupled with unbalanced diet and insufficient exercise, various chronic diseases have occurred. If you can correct your breathing habits and cultivate good breathing quality,"you can have a passport to move towards physical and mental health."
Several benefits of deep breathing
So, what are the benefits of abdominal deep breathing? First of all, deep breathing can prevent and treat respiratory diseases. Common respiratory diseases include chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, etc. The lungs of these patients are inelastic and dilated, affecting vital capacity. Deep breathing can gradually increase muscle contractility, facilitate the effective expansion of the chest and lungs, enhance the vitality of the intercostal muscles, and gradually restore their elasticity and vital capacity, thereby achieving the purpose of treating and alleviating the condition.
Secondly, deep breathing can also prevent and treat high blood pressure. This is a deep breathing method to lower blood pressure tested by Professor Yuku Kitamura of Japan Autonomous Medical University. The principle is that there are about 300 million small pockets called alveoli in the lungs. Under normal breathing, only 80%-90% of them can work fully, and the remaining alveoli are in a state of waste. If you take deep breathing, you can get the remaining alveoli to work. When deep chest breathing is used, the alveoli in the upper lung open; while when deep abdominal breathing, the alveoli in the lower lung also open. All alveoli at work are producing prostaglandins, and deep breathing can also cause 80%-90% of the alveoli that are already working to produce more prostaglandins than before. In this way, more prostaglandins enter the blood vessels, causing them to dilate and lower blood pressure. Three times a day in the morning, noon and evening, and the effect takes 10 minutes each time.
Third, deep breathing can help people relieve stress and relieve insomnia symptoms. Lu Yifan, a professor of sports medicine at Beijing Sport University, said that when people actively adjust the depth and frequency of breathing, they can effectively relax tight nerves and relieve anxiety. Some neck pain caused by stress will be reduced through breathing practice during yoga. People with insomnia can also use breathing to help them fall asleep. By reducing the breathing rhythm and smoothing breathing, insomnia symptoms can be alleviated.
Most importantly, deep breathing can promote a long and healthy life. American scholar Hill pointed out in his article "Getting Vitality from Breath":"Controlled deep breathing practice can eliminate fatigue in the brain as soon as possible, adjust the nervous system, and make people feel relaxed and comfortable. The reason why deep breathing has such a great effect is that the amount of gas inhaled and exhaled by normal people is only 400 - 500 ml each time. However, when taking the deepest breath, men can reach 3500 ml and women can reach 2500 ml., equivalent to 8 times the usual inhalation, thus giving life a lot of energy."
How to learn to breathe correctly
How can I learn to breathe correctly? There are two most critical points. Lu Yifan pointed out: First, we must slow down the breathing, that is, when inhaling, we must breathe evenly and slowly, and inhale deeply as much as possible to allow the gas to fill the alveoli; second, we must spit hard and spit it cleanly, so that we can expel all waste from the body to ensure that more gas is exchanged. The most scientific breathing method is: the breathing form of "inhale-stop (hold your breath for 10-20 seconds)-breathe", which can enhance the excitability of the parasympathetic nerve and increase the number of bowel sounds, which is conducive to digestion and absorption., thereby benefiting health and longevity.
The breathing method advocated by Ryumura Xiu is a "whole breathing method" based on deep abdominal breathing, gradually moving the lungs, ribs, diaphragm and other muscle groups to the maximum extent during breathing, allowing air to fill the lungs. "Although we had to practice deliberately at first, the ultimate goal was to integrate into life. All postures and movements were combined with breathing methods." Ryumura said that in this way, we will be able to better control the strength and rhythm of the body and improve efficiency. For example, when climbing mountains using breathing methods, mountain symptoms such as headaches are less likely to occur; when playing golf, you can swing farther. This breathing method can be practiced on the bus, while walking, during work, or facing trees in the park. Especially when faced with sudden negative situations, breathing can more timely regulate the body and mind and stabilize emotions.
Outside with fresh air, you can also consciously take more deep breaths. Wang Zheng introduced that the specific method of breathing is to slowly inhale through the nostrils. During the inhalation process, the thorax will be lifted up and the abdomen will slowly bulge. Then continue to inhale to fill the entire lungs with air. At this time, the ribs will be lifted and the chest will expand. This process generally takes 5-10 seconds, then hold your breath for 5-10 seconds, pause for 2-3 seconds, and start a new breathing. Repeated practice will become a correct breathing method.
Lu Yifan also pointed out that if you persist in physical exercise for a long time, your breathing can also be improved. For example, swimming can make a person's lung capacity as high as 5,000 - 7,000 ml; it is much larger than the average person's 3,000 - 4,000 ml; long-distance running has the most obvious improvement in the maximum oxygen intake; push-ups can improve the muscle capacity around the chest wall and increase the strength of the respiratory muscles. (Editor in charge: Teng Yun)