Medical Facts About Losing Weight With Breathing Exercises

Obesity is an epidemic in the United States, with approximately one out of three of Americans with a body mass index greater than 30, which indicates obesity. The complications of obesity include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Recent scientific evidence has indicated a relationship between obesity and breathing. In light of several respiratory complications of obesity, including sleep apnea and obesity hypo-ventilation syndrome, researchers have explored the link between weight and breathing. The autonomic nervous system appears to be the connection between breathing exercises and weight loss.

Autonomic Nervous System

Composed of a sympathetic and parasympathetic branch, the autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling many systems throughout your body on an unconscious level. Your heart rate, digestion and blood pressure are all controlled by the autonomic system. The sympathetic nervous system is commonly referred to as the "fight or flight" branch, which becomes more active during periods of excitement and exercise. The parasympathetic nervous system is typically associated with rest and relaxation and becomes active during periods of digestion.

Obese Autonomic Activity

According to a 2006 article by researchers at Athens University Medical School, "Sympathetic system activity in obesity and metabolic syndrome," obesity is characterized by activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Normally when you are eating a meal, sympathetic activity decreases, but this is not observed in the obese because the sympathetic system is overactive. The overall system of autonomic control is altered in obese individuals. Interestingly, this study showed that weight loss reverses sympathetic over-activity.

Changes in Autonomics with Breathing Exercises

There is ample scientific evidence supporting the connection between breathing exercises and changes in autonomic activity that reverse the sympathetic over-activation observed in obese individuals. According to a 2009 article from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the types of breathing exercises practiced during meditation and yoga reduce blood pressure in test subjects. Also known as hypertension, elevated blood pressure is strongly linked with sympathetic over-activation, and the breathing exercises modulate sympathetic activity.

Mechanisms

According to a 2006 article in the journal Medical Hypotheses, pranayamic breathing, or manipulation of breath movement, may reset the autonomic nervous system by synchronizing the heart, lungs and brain. According to the researchers, stretching lung tissue during controlled breathing exercises produces signals that modulate the over-active sympathetic nervous system.

Applications

The medical community has concluded that obesity is an incredibly complex disorder, which is strongly affected by autonomic over-activation. Breathing exercises have been shown to modulate sympathetic activation in patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions. By calming down the "fight or flight" branch of your autonomic nervous system, breathing exercises may contribute to weight loss in obese individuals.