Abdominal breathing is a common breathing training method, also known as relaxation breathing and pranayama training.

Abdominal breathing can achieve the purpose of self-regulation by consciously prolonging the time of inhalation and exhalation and carrying out deep, slow and regular breathing exercise.

Abdominal breathing can reduce the excitability of sympathetic nervous system, make endocrine and autonomic nervous system work in harmony, reduce stress level and effectively relieve tension and anxiety.

Abdominal breathing and chest breathing

abdominal respiration

Abdominal breathing is mainly diaphragmatic movement. When breathing, the diaphragm will drop and the abdominal pressure will increase. It feels as if air has entered the abdomen directly. At this time, if you put your hand on your navel, you will feel your hand slightly lifting up and down.

thoracic breathing

Most people, especially women, use chest breathing, but the ribs move up and down and the chest expands slightly. Many alveoli at the bottom of the lung have not fully expanded and contracted, so they can't get good exercise. In this way, oxygen cannot be completely delivered to all parts of the body. After a long time, there will be different degrees of hypoxia in various organs of the body.

What are the benefits of abdominal breathing?

To the lungs

Abdominal breathing training can increase the range of motion of diaphragm, and the movement of diaphragm directly affects the ventilation of lung. With the increase of ventilation, the oxygen supply of the body increases, and the lung tissue can be stronger, thus better resisting respiratory diseases such as colds, bronchitis and asthma.

On the other hand, because the diaphragm and intercostal muscles are also exercised during breathing, our vitality and endurance will increase accordingly and our energy will be more abundant.

Relax

When people are under great pressure, their blood pressure will rise and their heart rate will accelerate. Some studies have found that abdominal breathing can reduce the excitability of sympathetic nerves and alleviate tension and anxiety.

There are also studies on using abdominal breathing to control test anxiety, and candidates with abdominal breathing training have improved their rankings to some extent.

For functional dyspepsia

Patients with functional dyspepsia have symptoms such as abdominal distension, anorexia and constipation, but there is no obvious abnormality in organs. The onset of functional dyspepsia is mainly related to patients' mood and stress. It is found that abdominal breathing has a positive effect on the regulation of psychology and organ function.

Yeah, delivery.

Tension, anxiety and depression are the most common stress reactions of pregnant women. Abdominal breathing can not only regulate the stress psychological state and organ function of pregnant women, but also has the characteristics of simplicity, convenience, no toxic side effects and no economic burden. Pregnant women are easy to accept and use, which has a positive effect on promoting natural delivery rate and maternal and child health.

For essential hypertension

Essential hypertension is a typical physical and mental disease, which is related to long-term tension and anxiety. It is found that if patients with hypertension can insist on abdominal breathing exercise for a long time, it can effectively relieve clinical symptoms and reduce drug consumption.

Relax the pelvic floor muscles.

Clinically, after pelvic floor screening, many patients' pelvic floor electromyography reports show that the resting value before and after pelvic floor screening is beyond the reference range, and some patients are accompanied by symptoms of pelvic floor pain and spasm, especially after pelvic floor muscle exercise.

At this time, the clinician will advise the patient to change the breathing mode from shallow and fast chest breathing to deep and slow abdominal breathing, which can effectively relax the pelvic floor muscles.

How to do abdominal breathing

Step 1

Lie still (or sit still), put one hand on your abdomen and imagine that your body is completely relaxed. You can completely relax for five minutes first.

Second step

Inhale slowly, feel the abdomen bulge with the increase of air intake (just like a balloon), and lift the hand placed on the abdomen until the air intake is maximum. This inhalation process takes about 3~4 seconds and lasts 1~2 seconds;

Third step

Breathe out slowly, and feel that the gas in the abdomen is slowly discharged from the body with the respiratory tract (like a deflated balloon), and the hand placed in the abdomen drops with the decrease of gas volume. Imagine that the abdomen is attached to the spine due to the discharge of gas. This exhalation process takes about 3~4 seconds;

Fourth step

Repeat 2~3 steps for 5 times, and the pelvic floor muscles contract with abdominal breathing. For pelvic floor muscle tension is too high, contract pelvic floor muscles when exhaling and relax when inhaling; For pelvic floor relaxation, pelvic floor muscles contract when inhaling and relax when exhaling.

Abdominal breathing rhythm should be deep, long and slow, and try to reach the limit every time you breathe and inhale;

You can inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth and feel the gas flowing in your body;

Imagine that all parts of the body are relaxed and can cooperate with pelvic floor muscle contraction;

People with strong constitution can hold their breath longer, take a deep breath and breathe slowly. People with poor health can not hold their breath, but they should absorb enough;

Abdominal breathing does not require training time, but it should be persistent, 5~ 15 minutes each time;

If the chest and abdomen tighten when inhaling, but bulge when exhaling, it means that the breathing mode is wrong.