Help Myself Hypnosis

Control your breathing; control your stress!

 

 

Deep, slow breathing aids relaxation, reduces tension and gives a much greater sense of control over yourself as well as increased feelings of physical and mental well-being!  Experiment with my free self hypnosis download to experience the ‘feel good factor’ for yourself - you can access it here.

 

When you breathe in you take in oxygen to your lungs and the haemoglobin in the blood carries it to the tissues.  The body cells use the oxygen in their various functions producing carbon dioxide as a by-product.

 

If you breathe in excess oxygen by taking short, shallow breaths, the excess is exhaled along with any available carbon dioxide from the arteries.  This can cause an imbalance leading to a rise in the PH level of the blood.  This in turn can lead to vascular constriction resulting in diminished blood flow to the brain and other parts of the body.  Over time the kidneys may compensate by lowering the PH level but the person remains in a precarious balance, which in the presence of even a mild stressor can easily become symptomatic again.

 

About 60% of panic attacks are accompanied by acute hyperventilation, whilst about 30% of panic-ers chronically hyperventilate (18 or more breaths per minute while relaxed against a norm of between 12 and 16 breaths per minute).

 

Light headiness, giddiness, dizziness, shortness of breath and heart palpitations are all common symptoms of hyperventilation.  These in turn can lead to a vicious cycle in which anxiety and levels of stress are increased, causing further symptoms such as numbness, chest pain (from the muscles between the ribs going into painful spasm so that some people fear they are on the verge of a heart attack), dry mouth, clammy hands, difficulty in swallowing, tremors, sweating, weakness and fatigue.

 

In contrast, slow, deep breathing is more efficient.  The whole of the lung capacity is used and the lower part of the lungs, which are rich in blood vessels, are adequately ventilated.  Deep breathing also helps to maintain the correct balance between the gases in the blood whilst stimulating the body to produce mood-boosting endorphins.

 

Endorphins are morphine-like substances produced naturally in the body.  They have a wide range of functions - such as in the perception of pain and in helping to regulate the action of the heart.  It is probable that they are involved in controlling emotions, mood and motivation.

 

4 ways to stop hyperventilation 

 

1. Hold your breath.  Holding your breath for a long as you comfortably can will prevent the dissipation of carbon dioxide.  A period of 10-15 seconds, repeated a few times, is sufficient.

 

2.  Breathe in and out of a paper bag - you will be inhaling the carbon dioxide that you exhaled.  This will quickly restore the normal blood PH level.  However, there are many situations when it is not appropriate to use a paper bag - you could try breathing into your cupped hands instead!

 

3. Vigorous exercise - while breathing in and out through your nose.  Running, brisk walking, going up and down stairs will help.

 

4. Deep diaphragmatic breathing - slow deep breathing to the bottom of the lungs.  Breathing should be through the nose with the out-breath taking longer than the in-breath. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm and is filed under Help Myself Hypnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.