“Anxiety is often excitement and anticipation without the breath.”
- Michael Port
Hi all,
It seems like everywhere we look stress and anxiety are on the rise.
For example, did you know that 1 in 3 adolescents meet the criteria for anxiety in the United States? Or that 14% of active duty military report anxiety?
Not only are these stats devastating in general, but they also have negative implications for long-term health and well-being.
Let’s look at the numbers:
Anxiety increases the incidence of cardiovascular disease by 52%.
Stress-related conditions increase risk of autoimmune disease by 36%.
Thus, anxiety isn’t just bad in the moment, it also subjects you to chronic illness.
This is where breathing can help. Slow, deep breathing improves both subjective (e.g., questionnaires) and physiological (e.g., heart rate variability, parasympathetic activity, brain wave activity) indicators of anxiety, stress, and depression.
That last part is critical.
This isn’t some woo-woo, “just take a deep breath” stuff. Correct breathing changes your physiology to promote relaxation and focus. This reduces anxiety and improves your ability to deal with stress. All of which reduces your risk of disease.
Of course, breathing won’t fix everything. But, with essentially no side effects, it seems like slow breathing should be the first place we turn in the treatment of stress and anxiety.
In good breath,
Nick
P.S. If you haven’t heard of the Health & Human Performance Foundation (HHPF), you should check them out. They are a nonprofit organization conducting scientific research on the effectiveness of breathing for stress and anxiety. Click here to learn more about HHPF.