Proper breathing habits help to normalize your blood pressure and heart rate, which can be beneficial for patients with arrhythmia, angina or heart failure. Unfortunately, stress causes shallow rapid breathing with negative affects on blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm as well. The University of Maryland Medical Center, Drexel University and Washington University School of Medicine all recommend breathing exercises for heart patients to reduce stress and its harmful impact on the heart.
Breathing Mechanics
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that divides the chest from the abdomen. The connective tissue of the diaphragm connects to the lungs. When the diaphragm tightens, it gets flatter, pulling down on your lungs and making room for air. At the same time it pushes on abdominal organs, moving them down and forward. As you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, pushes up on the lungs and allows the abdominal organs to move up and back into their resting places.
How to Recognize Proper Breathing
When you inhale you should feel your chest rise and your ribs and abdomen should expand. You can test your own breathing easily. Lie down or sit and focus on how deep breathing feels. As you slowly inhale feel your chest and ribs expand. As they fill, begin to feel your abdomen expand as the diaphragm tightens and presses down on the abdominal organs. Think of filling your upper chest, lower chest and abdomen gradually as you inhale and then feel them collapse and relax as you exhale.
Purpose of Breathing Exercises
The purpose of breathing exercises is to make you more conscious of your breathing habits, train your respiratory muscles so that you breathe fully into your chest, ribs and abdomen and train you to breathe slowly and evenly under stress. Breathing exercises may make you feel lightheaded at first, so begin with exercises you can do seated or lying down to avoid falling.
Simple Breathing Exercise with Arm Movements
Seated or standing, raise your hands straight out in front of your chest as you inhale to a count of two. As you continue to inhale move your arms straight out to the sides, to another count of two. Finally raise your arms straight overhead as you count two. As you exhale bring your arms around in an arc to your lap or hanging down at your sides. This exercise, recommended by the University of Missouri Center on Aging Studies will help you expand your chest, ribs and abdomen as you breathe.
Straw Breathing
Straw breathing is another simple exercise. Use a plastic drinking straw. Inhale normally through your nose. Then exhale completely through the straw. Be sure to blow through the straw until your lungs feel completely empty. Repeat the exercise for up to five minutes. While slowly inhaling and exhaling, pay attention to the movement of your chest and abdomen. This exercise teaches you to fully fill and then empty your lungs so you can get out of the habit of shallow breathing.
References
- Drexel University College of Medicine: Heart Palpitations
- University of Missouri Center on Aging Studies: Breathing Exercises
- Indian Journal Med Res: Effect of short-term practice of breathing exercises on autonomic functions in normal human volunteers
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Angina
- Washington University School of Medicine Department of Surgery: Living With Heart Failure
