Humans can survive 2 weeks without food, months without exercising but only minutes without breathing….. Why then, do we pay almost zero attention to how we breathe? Why is almost all of our current “health focus” centred on what we are eating and how we are moving, in order to improve our wellbeing. 

We can eat well or eat poorly, we can move well or move poorly. We know this and we are becoming more and more aware of the importance of these factors ….. But, did you realise that you can breathe well or breathe poorly?? 

Did you realise that the effect of breathing poorly is basically having the life sucked out of you…. How then do we know if we are breathing poorly?

1 - You SNORE 

Snoring is not normal, EVER. Snoring and sleep apnoea are massive signs that your breathing during the day and the night needs attention. While there are many options promoted to assist with snoring and sleep apnoea (dental appliance, mask, get fit, lose weight etc) breathing retraining is proven to be one of the most effective at permanently resolving snoring and sleep apnoea. Yes that’s right, no mask, no mouthguard, no grumpy sleep-deprived partner. Read more detailed information about the link between snoring and breathing HERE

 2 - You breathe through your MOUTH

The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for speaking and eating - let’s give it a break from breathing. The human nose is an incredibly complex organ, specifically engineered to carry out more than 20 functions to assist our breathing efficiency ( think warming and humidifying the air, trapping pollens and germs, slowing down the airflow, producing nitric oxide, assists the diaphragm to work and many many more). When we breathe through our mouth, we miss all these benefits and quickly move to breathing 2-3 times as much air as we need. The effect on your body as it processes and deals with all this additional air is huge - way too much of a good thing! Read more about getting your nose working for you HERE.

 3 - You (or those around you) can HEAR your breathing

Our breathing SHOULD be quiet, rhythmical, gentle and calm. We should not be able to see, hear or feel our breathing, day or night, even when we are sitting next to someone on the couch. When you are enjoying some light-moderate exercise, your breathing should still be calm, relaxed and quiet. Just ask your workmates, partner, children if they haven’t already told you.

4 - Yawns, coughs and sighs are a common part of your day

Have you ever counted how many times you sigh or yawn in a day?? When you are breathing well, this count should be close to zero…. Every day! More than that and we can tell that your breathing has become irregular and is definitely sucking the life out of your afternoon. Bouts of sneezing and throat tickles are not always a sign of allergy - they too usually stem from poor breathing. 

5 - You suffer from HAYFEVER or ASTHMA

Breathing poorly and hayfever and asthma go hand in hand….. Our lungs are incredibly sensitive and when we over-breathe (through our mouth) we expose the sensitive tissue to a huge amount of toxins and materials that inflame and irritate our airways. No amount of drugs will change your long-term susceptibility to asthma and hayfever, but changing the way you breathe most definitely will. Read more about the connection between hayfever and your breathing HERE.

6 - A good night's SLEEP is a distant memory

When did an uninterrupted night of sleep become so rare? You spend all afternoon feeling like you could fall asleep in an instant and then when your head hits the pillow, you just cannot drop off to sleep. Or maybe you get to sleep ok, only to wake at 2am and toss and turn for hours. It would be ok if you didn’t have to get up to use the loo - this is NOT a normal part of middle-age, we should be able to sleep 6-8 hours without needing the loo. Sleep is critical to our health and problems getting to sleep and staying asleep are a sure sign that your breathing (during the day and night) is out of whack. Read more about the link between sleep and breathing HERE.

Now there is no need for a fancy scoring system here…. If ANY of these 6 are a part of your life, then your breathing needs some attention. Yes you can probably ignore each (or all) of these issues and still survive….. But do you want to live life surviving, or thriving?? 

Breathing well allows your body to run efficiently and to thrive.  Breathing well is a pleasure and will allow you to achieve so much more with your life.  Breathing well will affect how you sleep, how you focus, how you enjoy life and how you turn up for those who are important to you. 

If you want to change your breathing and change your life, reach out today and let’s get you started on a Breathing Retraining Program that will change your life, forever. If you would like to follow some of my clients through their Breathing Retraining journey, click HERE