Can deep breathing Help You de-stress?
The last thing I want to hear when I’m mad, stressed or overwhelmed is “take several deep breaths.” Like that’s going to do anything but irritate me further. BUT what’s annoying is it actually helps… and you have your vagus nerve to thank for that.
What is your vagus nerve?
Your vagus nerve travels from your brain through your neck, chest, heart, lungs, abdomen and digestive tract. It carries signals from your brain to your respiratory and digestive systems. It’s a giant part of your parasympathetic nervous system - the “rest and digest” side of things. It controls a lot of involuntary bodily functions - like breathing, blood pressure, your immune functions - and also contributes to mood, skin/muscle sensations, and even urine production.
How does deep breathing affect stress relief?
Deep diaphragmatic breaths slow your heart rate, which stimulates your vagus nerve. When the vagus nerve is stimulated, it activates the relaxation part of your nervous system, basically telling your brain things are ok and that it’s safe to relax.
This stimulation drives your body into more of a relaxed state which can lower blood pressure, relax tense skeletal muscle, make the digestion process smoother, and even help ease anxiety.
Even just two minutes of this type of deep breathing has been shown to help you make better decisions in life and business afterward.
Making it a habit.
Stressed at work? Overwhelmed at home? Can’t sleep in the middle of the night? Try taking 10-20 deep breaths and just focus on counting the reps. It may not magically solve all your problems in the first session, but making it your go-to first step may help you in the long run.
How else can you stimulate the vagus nerve?
You can’t spend your whole day taking deep breaths, but practicing meditation, exercising, getting a massage (or using self massage tools), trying cold water immersion, and singing/humming have all been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve. So if you’re doing some of these things on a regular basis, that will definitely help.
The bottom line:
Yes, deep breathing can help you de-stress. A session (even a couple minutes long) of diaphragmatic breathing will figuratively and literally slow you down. This not only allows your brain to tell your body to relax, but forces you to focus on yourself, which is something we forget to do in times of high stress.
Trying this once a day for the next week can be a great way of testing it out. Some smart watches have breathing apps on them to help you time your inhales and exhales. There are also countless meditation apps out there designed to bring attention to your breath. Give it a try yourself and see how it goes!