
Breathing habits are related to physical and mental health - SirLJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-healing-power-of-proper-breathing-11590098696
======
neonate
[https://archive.md/NVWOo](https://archive.md/NVWOo)

~~~
Reelin
What is this site? Firefox gives me an invalid cert error - the page is
apparently presenting a certificate issued to cloudflare-dns.com. The site has
a Wikipedia article (archive.today) which mentions something about blocking
the Cloudflare DNS resolver, but the machine I'm on uses the default (ie my
ISP's) resolver. Does anyone know what's going on here?

~~~
robocat
Guessing you use CloudFlare 1.1.1.1 DNS and archive returns bad IP address.
Read through discussion here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19828317](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19828317)

~~~
Reelin
I don't use Cloudflare DNS though ... do I? Seriously, WTF is going on here?
The DHCP on my router is configured to distribute the DNS server provided by
my ISP!

~~~
carapace
Firefox switched to DNS-over-HTTPS recently and it uses Cloudflare. (I may be
talking nonsense here... This could have nothing to do with it.)

~~~
Reelin
It looks like you're correct.

* systemd-resolve --status -> 74.40.74.40 (my ISP)

* dig archive.is -> 212.80.216.76

* whois 212.80.216.76 -> Serverio technologijos MB

* Firefox -> Preferences -> Network Settings -> DNS over HTTPS: enabled

I don't recall doing that...

[https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2020/02/25/firefox-
continues-p...](https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2020/02/25/firefox-continues-
push-to-bring-dns-over-https-by-default-for-us-users/)

Unbelievable! Apparently Mozilla unilaterally enabled DoH in my browser
sometime within the past 2 months without so much as notifying me! WTF?! This
sort of thing is completely unacceptable no matter how pure their intentions
might be.

~~~
carapace
I feel ya. I just switched to Vivaldi due to the "megabar". (More precisely,
due to Moz _removing the option_ to disable the megabar.)

~~~
gpvos
I must have missed this change. Searching on the web did not give much
information. What's bad about the new address bar?

~~~
carapace
Really?

 _cracks knuckles_

Let me fire up the ol' rant machine...

Ah fuck it... It's too early in the morning.

\- - - -

In the great order of things the "megabar" isn't that big of a deal.

I personally hate it, but that's just me.

Objectively it's bad UI for a few reasons, but I don't want to write a big
screed about UI design.

At the root of the problem is what dude said above: their attitude stinks.

They activate it without consent.

They remove the option to disable it.

Mozilla has become a caricature of itself. They were already just a fig leaf
over Google's hegemony (They get 85%-90% of their money from Google and send
telemetry to them by default.) Now it seems like they are adopting the same
patronizing and distant stance.

I hate to say it because I used to really like Mozilla and I even have some
friends working there so I know it's a bunch of really good, committed folks
over there, but to me their progress and process have become retrograde along
the dimensions I care most about.

~~~
gpvos
Any lost functionality? New privacy issues? The main thing I noticed was that
the bar got some empty space to its left and right, which took some effort to
remove.

------
dayvid
I've been doing breathing exercises regularly for the past 8 years. Complete
game changer for emotional regulation. I've also organized and taught it in
schools, prisons, offices, etc. on a volunteer basis.

I like it because it's not a logical activity. Nobody has to be convinced that
it works or makes sense. If you breathe in a certain way, your feelings will
change (or something noticeable will happen) whether you believe in it or not.

I'm happy it's becoming more mainstream. Even if you don't do it regularly,
it's a good thing to learn.

~~~
fnord77
what sort of exercises? is there a particular technique?

~~~
hammock
The most basic one I have seen everywhere, in different forms, is to

A)focus on the breath, or a part of the body affected by breath like your lips
or chest or stomach B)diaphragmatic breathing in thru nose and out thru mouth
C)inhale for x seconds, hold for x seconds, exhale for x seconds, hold for x
seconds, repeat

And over time train x seconds to become longer and longer. You might start
with 4 or 6 seconds at first.

------
sg47
A while back someone on HN recommended Sivananda Yoga. The first part of it
includes some breathing exercises. I was suffering from repeated flu-like
symptoms, sinus, etc since the beginning of this year. I had some difficulty
breathing and actually had to get tested for corona thrice since my symptoms
were eerily similar. After I started doing these exercises, my sinus and other
breathing difficulties have disappeared. The exercises seem to give me a boost
of energy. I've been using them as a drug especially on the days I don't sleep
well. I do them first thing in the morning. This is anecdotal and might not
work for you. Thanks to the HNer that recommended it. It's been life changing.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUKjuni-6l8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUKjuni-6l8)
(the breathing exercises start at minute 9 and go up to minute 24 or so). I
don't do the exercises that follow it nor listen to the chanting before it.

~~~
gramerc
Love this - thank you for the share!

------
simsla
I've been overbreathing (essentially, chronic hyperventilation that you don't
notice) ever since I had a bit of a health scare.

It's horrible.

Your CO2 levels drop, which inhibits your body's blood pH regulation. An
increased blood pH leads to fuzzy thoughts, pinpricks all over your body,
headaches, etc. Longer term, all kinds of aches start popping up. (Bloating,
acid reflux, etc.)

It's difficult to fix something that you did unconsciously before. If
anything, paying too much attention to your breathing works against you.

I have no real point here, except: breathing is important. And, if someone
happens to read this and has some advice: let me know. :-)

~~~
ALittleLight
Have you tried an incentive spirometer? They're about fifteen dollars on
Amazon. I got one recently to track (what I assume is) my lung volume to use
as a possible indicator of covid, but after reading the directions it seems
like the device is purpose made for your problem.

You practice breathing with this thing 4 times a day, ten breaths a session,
and track the volume of your inhalations. In order to get the number to go up
you need to take long, deep, and slow breaths.

It will give you a clear numerical result to track. 4 sessions a day, 10
breaths each, record your measurements, plug them into Excel, get an average
going and work on driving it up.

I also feel like there's potentially a market for a digital incentive
spirometer that could help people do these things. Especially if problems like
this are somewhat common.

~~~
tartoran
I came to the conclusion that poor breathing habits are somehow connected to
poor posture, mainly of the neck and the ribcage. I've had some poor breathing
habits myself and doing deep breathing exercises incorrectly actually messed
me up even worse for about a week or so. Yeah, that wasn't fun at all but it
went away eventually. In the end I ended up concentrating more on posture and
that seemed to correct the breathing as well. I find myself sitting in a poor
posture from time to time and notice the breathing becomes limited and shallow
as well.

~~~
hnick
It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. For years I had poor posture
(typical nerd-neck) to the point where standing up straight I couldn't
actually breathe properly so I slouched around everywhere instead. My chest
and neck were too tight to fully inhale otherwise. I had to fix both at the
same time.

~~~
verdagon
How did you fix it? I'm going through that exact thing. I think I have to
retrain myself to relax my chest and stomach muscles and breathe deeply at the
same time, but it's super difficult and I can only do 2/3.

~~~
hnick
I got a bit fat and my wife suggested we got to the gym together (pretty much
the first time ever for me, age 30+). I had no idea until she mentioned it, it
creeps up on you.

Pilates/yoga were good for core strength and stretching. If you want to start
at home Yoga by Adriene on YT is very beginner friendly. I was never a fan of
cardio or strength training but I did a bit of that too (it was a gym with
various classes and instructors).

Also got a dog, it's a great excuse for daily walks.

One day I realised I was actually resting my head on the headrest in the car
and wasn't uncomfortable. Until then it'd never felt right and made my throat
feel tight at the front. I still have a way to go though, I have back issues
and you don't fix 15 years of bad posture in 3 years.

Edit: I'll add after reading the other reply, at the start it's a struggle
just knowing what good posture is. It doesn't feel right and natural, because
your version of natural has been modified. You don't know how it's meant to
feel. I found that exercises which exhaust certain muscle groups helped a lot.
They gave up some of their grasp and let other muscles work. After a really
heavy workout sometimes my back felt looser and more mobile and this helped me
learn how it could feel.

------
quickthrower2
I did pretty well at running a race, a few years ago as a typical sedate
developer, but training for 3 months. I was sick (i.e. flu-ey a lot, nothing
uber serious) at the time too - I was running to help see if I can fitness my
way out of it.

And I put a lot of it down to reading about breathing in for 2 steps then out
for 3 (the total is an odd number so you change sides, so 3/4 is good too).
Thanks for whoever wrote that blog post! The process really focuses me and
it's like a drumbeat in my mind. If I sprint it changes to 1/1 or less though,
and I stop using the nose!

~~~
gen220
I run daily, about 20-30 miles a week.

My "regular" breathing pattern (i.e. the one I use to run at medium-hard paces
for long distances) is:

nose-in, mouth out: in, out-out, in-in, ooout.

1/4, 1/8, 1/8, 1/8, 1/8, 1/2.

I attenuate the BPM to my pace: on high intensity runs, I usually can get away
with raising the BPM, but the last 1/2 is very hard and I sometimes break it
into 1/4 out, 1/4 in (more oxygen). For sprinting, any pattern goes away, and
it's 1/4 in, 1/4 out. Still nose to mouth, but I think the optimal solution
here depends a lot on the shapes of your nose/mouth. :)

And most people think running is just putting one foot in front of the other!
:)

To some extent it is of course, but these kinds of cadences are necessary to
run _effectively_ , which I guess is different from _just_ running.

------
tlapinsk
Highly recommend "box breathing" as well. I've found this app to be great for
both meditation and breathing exercises: [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/oak-
meditation-breathing/id121...](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/oak-meditation-
breathing/id1210209691)

Additional links:

\- [https://time.com/4316151/breathing-technique-navy-seal-
calm-...](https://time.com/4316151/breathing-technique-navy-seal-calm-
focused/)

\-
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJJazKtH_9I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJJazKtH_9I)

\-
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZzhk9jEkkI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZzhk9jEkkI)

------
stanislavb
For those of you that haven't heard of the Wim Hof method, that's a breathwork
that can tremendously improve your health. It is also, kind of scientifically
proven.

[https://www.wimhofmethod.com/](https://www.wimhofmethod.com/)

~~~
ryeights
This smells like BS. I scrolled through the entire home page and it doesn’t
even attempt to explain what the “Wim Hof method” _is_.

~~~
Ididntdothis
It's not BS although a little too much selling. It's basically breathing
exercises and exposure to cold by cold showers and ice baths.

~~~
tozeur
That’s like saying paying for a trainer to help you run 10 miles is like
paying someone to tell you to run in around a track N times. There’s nuance at
all levels: safety, motivation, guidance etc

~~~
Ididntdothis
I don't understand the comment. Wim Hof has a very specific program.

------
TopHand
How you are breathing is also a part of your body language. I don't know how
much of your breathing is recognized by other humans, but having been around
animals most of my life, I've realized they perceive how you are breathing at
the moment as a signal of what you are thinking. If you suddenly hold your
breath, you are tense. You may not even be aware you are doing it. If you
release the air in your lungs and breath out, you are relaxing. These are 2 of
the strongest cues that animals react to. If you're curious, the next time
your around an animal, experiment with it. Try steady in and out breathing,
then subtly hold your breath for a moment, then exhale loudly, and see if and
how the animal responds.

~~~
artsyca
Totally 100 million %

All conversation starts with breathing and we pick up on all sorts of signals
even when people are trying to pretend otherwise

I've often said whoever controls the breathing controls the conversation and I
say this as a former professional conversation instructor

People don't take hardly enough advantage of their lung capacity maybe with
COVID we'll start taking this into consideration

I have a story to relate

I was working at a large private software company, the largest in north
America think SalesForce but not SalesForce

The CTO was giving what was intended to be a pep talk but for some reason
maybe nerves maybe he wasn't warmed up on the mic we could hear his wheezing
breath

Nobody paid any attention to the message all anyone could talk about was the
quality of his breath -- anything he had to say was completely lost

This article is another example of the mainstream only now catching up to
things which we all know and have known for ages

People communicate on the level of subconscious and physiological signals and
it's useless to pretend otherwise

------
nishnik
The book : Oxygen advantage[1] makes similar points. It points out to the
research of why swimmers have higher life expectancy than the average
athelete, why almost all of us are hyperventilating. Then he outlines simple
exercises to improve your breathing habit.

Few points: 1\. Always breathe through your nose. Even when you are
jogging/cycling heavily. 2\. Try to hold your breathe for elongate period of
time. 3\. Try doing 2 while walking/running/cycling. 4\. Swim! 5\. Pushing the
breathe out and then holding is better than taking the breathe in and holding.

[1] [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26533127-the-oxygen-
adva...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26533127-the-oxygen-advantage)

~~~
amiga_500
I have fairly narrow nostrils and have a hard time imagining this!

~~~
mckirk
I feel the same, and honestly, I think it's a major disadvantage. Being able
to breathe through your nose exclusively even while exercising seems insane to
me.

~~~
amiga_500
The general principal may be fine. My narrow nostrils are one of several
genetic reasons why I would be more likely to be eaten by a tiger than many.
So I'm not in the upper percentiles that this advice is likely aimed at!

------
lattalayta
For some reason, I find this GIF really relaxing. I have it bookmarked and
match my breathing to it every once in awhile
[https://i.imgur.com/Huou7Gh.gif](https://i.imgur.com/Huou7Gh.gif)

------
helij
4 seconds breathe in -> 4 seconds hold -> 4 seconds expel air -> 4 seconds
hold and repeat 4+ times...

...works for me every time

Some call it zen, some call it breathing exercises or whatever. Try it.

~~~
quickthrower2
Is this for all awake time, or during a practice that you do for so many
minutes a day?

~~~
chiefgeek
I use this several times a week to help me get to sleep. I count to 112 or so.
75% of the I'm usually asleep within five minutes of finishing. Not always,
though.

~~~
hnick
Have you tried counting backwards from a big number like 5000? I had a guided
meditation once that used this method. The longer number and slightly higher
cognitive load is apparently useful to distract your brain from distracting
thoughts and imagery. Just enough work to keep it busy but relaxed. I lost
track a lot, they said just pick the last number you remember without trying
too hard and continue.

~~~
chiefgeek
Haven't tried that. Sounds cool! Thanks.

------
throw1234651234
There was a related study of "Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST)"
breathing exercises which showed a huge decrease in blood pressure with 5 mins
of training for 6 weeks:

[https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/02/25/novel-workout-
impr...](https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/02/25/novel-workout-improves-
health)

More on that topic here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22656799](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22656799)

Does anyone have a guide to how to actually do these exercises?

~~~
elric
First you need a inspiratory muscle trainer device and nose clips/plugs. It's
basically just a valve that can be tightened with a knob. You can get them on
Amazon and whatnot.

The actual exercise just involves inhaling through the device, for a couple of
minutes, and over the course of days/weeks/months working up to higher
resistance levels. It's hard work, and it bugs me that it forces you to mouth-
breathe, but it will strengthen the muscles.

The linked study does 30 inhalations per session.

~~~
throw1234651234
Yea, thanks, I bought the device used in the study, wasn't sure if there was
more to it.

------
onemoresoop
Always when im zoned out drawing or painting i notice the pattern in my
breath, it’s much slower and holds a bit at the end. The effect is super
calming. I wonder what other activities people do to get this type of
breathing. For coding Im so concentrated at times that I zone out 100%, dont
even notice that im breathing. However, coding while stressed out makes the
breathing shallow, quick and unsatisfying.

~~~
tomjakubowski
When I consciously take long, deep breaths, it feels almost like an easing
function is applied to it.

------
elric
A lifetime of lung problems (asthma, and many cases of pneumonia as a child)
and martial arts has made me very conscious of my breathing. Spent a lot of
time with physiotherapists working on breathing. In part just to strengthen
muscles, but also to learn airway clearance techniques. Started practicing
martial arts as a child, where there is often a strong focus on breath. Tried
the Buteyko method for a while, but never fully internalized it.

There is, anecdotally, definitely some underappreciated value in slow
breathing. Feeling anxious (for whatever reason)? Check your breathing and
slow it down. Maybe throw in some alternate nostril breathing, though I'm not
sure if it's the distraction that does it or the breathing. Light asthma
attack and wheezing? Check your breathing, slow it down, maybe add some pursed
lip exhalations. Major asthma attack? Inhaler :-).

But in spite of the improvements I've made to breathing while I'm awake, I
still managed to develop sleep apnea. You win some, you lose some ...

~~~
Mirioron
It makes sense that controlling your breathing would help with asthma. After
all, asthma is triggered by stressing your airways. If you can somehow do it
less then that will help. I find it odd that this isn't taught to everyone who
suffers from asthma. It could potentially save their life.

------
rudolph9
I help out with a festival literally called “Breathe”
[https://www.discoverbreathe.com/](https://www.discoverbreathe.com/) It
started largely focusing on Slacklining and has since branched out to many
other things but it quite remarkable how much the way we breath affects us
mentally and physically!

------
chrisweekly
Related tangent: over 7 years ago, in recovery from emergency medical
treatment, I started "sitting zazen" (doing Sato Buddhist Zen -based seated
meditation) for 10 minutes every morning. It's been transformational. It's so
simple. And so powerful. Being able to connect with your breath, return to the
present moment, and quiet your possibly-noisy mind... it's practically a
superpower. I'm a much, much happier and better person for it. Highest
possible recommendation to find a breath-related habit that works for you.

~~~
throw1234651234
I meditate ten minutes a day. It does absolutely nothing for me.

~~~
bluishgreen
When you start meditating, 10 mins a day is bullshit. You need 30 mins before
you can get the hang of it. When you start out, go to a retreat if you can
afford the time and money and sit there for 3 days and watch your mind. If you
can't do this (I myself couldn't do this btw), then start with minimum 1 hour
everyday first thing in the morning. At the 2 month mark you will see changes.
After that you can bring the time down based on how much you can commit, still
not less than 30 mins IMO. But give this a try with min 1 hour. It is life
changing simple thing to not be able to give it at least a shot. I tried it
for 10 years on and off before it finally clicked.

~~~
Enginerrrd
I can roughly offer supporting anecdotal evidence for this. I went years
meditating 10-15 min increments without achieving much at all. It was only
when I switched to doing 45-60 min every single day for about 3-4 months that
some crazy and life-changing breakthroughs started happening.

~~~
pwdisswordfish2
Crazy and life-changing breakthroughs?

~~~
Enginerrrd
Elimination of my social anxiety, near-constant mindfulness throughout the
day, profound and lasting experiences of joy, some weird purging of like every
negative emotion I've ever internalized, significant memory enhancements, etc.
It was definitely not all sunshine and rainbows going through that process,
especially since it caught me so off guard (I only got into meditation to have
a bit more focus and discipline, and I even thought I was pretty practiced as
a meditator before I started getting really diligent about it, but boy was I
wrong.) ...but on balance, I'd overwhelmingly say it was worth it.

------
mensetmanusman
The kid’s show ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’ has lots of great songs for
children, and one of them we use at home is the:

‘If you feel so bad, Like you’ve got to roar, Take a deep breath (breath in,
out) and count to four’

We sing this a lot with our tantrumers and it works great :)

------
bpodgursky
The other important thing the article doesn't mention is that mouth-breathing
causes the body to eliminate too much carbon dioxide -- you're literally
"over-breathing". Blood CO2 is vital for proper oxygenation.

By dropping CO2 too low, you actually decrease brain and organ performance by
binding oxygen too tightly with hemoglobin, starving your organs.

It's actually fairly rare for young people to have too little oxygen in their
blood, but really common for them to have too little CO2, from over-breathing.
By slowing down breathing, and most importantly, NOSE breathing, you normalize
blood CO2 and restore cognitive / organ function.

~~~
xkapastel
This is bad news, as it seems my nose is constantly blocked. No idea why.

~~~
Cactus2018
This works for me.

blow out all the air from your lungs.

hold your breath and pinch your nose.

exhale more air (and more and more)

attempt to breath in through your nose (against the pinch)

hold your breath even longer.

(optional aerobic activity to use up the last oxygen (pushups, running))

when you can't hold any more (hold a little longer)

Physiologically internal parts will constrict to open up the airways.

Finally release the pinch and inhale only through the nose.

(airways open; ears pop, mucus loosens)

~~~
daralthus
I also found this helps.

Basically hold your breath till you feel it becoming uncomfortable. Hold for
just a few more seconds (but no need to pass out). A reflex will kick in and
open your airways.

------
downerending
Really interesting. But at the same time, after four zillion years of
evolution, we still don't breathe in a reasonably optimal way?

~~~
chiznuggets
Exactly, if you are going to make a claim that most people are breathing
inadequately, back it up more. The author made numerous appeals to authority
and didn't include links to any studies. The only study he actually mentioned
was a study on himself about mouth breathing.

------
iovrthoughtthis
Breathing in is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system (muscle tensing)
and breathing out by the parasympathetic nervous system (muscle relaxing).
Together they are the ANS.

When the amygdala (our alarm system) recognises danger it sets the sympathetic
nervous system off which also mediates much of our automatic fight or flight
responses, what we often describe as stress.

We have no direct conscious control over our amygdala, it’s a one way
messaging system, apart from breathing (afaik). Breathing is one of the few
ANS controlled functions that we have conscious control over.

In breathing slowly and deeply we decrease the rate we’re firing the
sympathetic nervous system and increasing the rate of firing of the
parasympathetic nervous system (muscles contract once, muscles relax for
extended period).

I suspect this actually allows us some level of communication with the
amygdala, perhaps allowing us to turn it off, or reduce it’s volume, which in
turn would reduce the level of stress we experienced.

------
new_guy
For anyone interested in this (and not the broken bastardised Western versions
you'll find on youtube) check out:

The Hindu‑Yogi Science of Breath
[http://www.yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1903sciencebreath....](http://www.yogebooks.com/english/atkinson/1903sciencebreath.pdf)

------
yakattak
I can’t read the whole article because of the paywall, but I wanted to talk
about how COVID-19 has impacted my mental health, and it has very much to do
with breathing.

I have always had bad pollen allergies and I have always had moderate anxiety.
I live alone. Great family and friends but over the past few months I was
completely isolated.

One morning, I felt a tickle in my throat, I was able to tell myself that it
was just from post nasal drip and not COVID related. Well, later that night I
started to experience shortness of breath, chest tightness/pain. Then, my
limbs started to tingle and go numb and lastly my face.

I walked outside for one and a half hours at 10:00 PM, identifying three
sounds, three sights and three body parts. I finally calmed myself down from
what I learned was an anxiety attack. I suffered multiple episodes of this for
5-6 nights. It was almost always triggered by a thought that I couldn’t
breathe or I wasn’t getting enough air or that my chest was tight. It got to
the point where I couldn’t function, broke down into tears and at twenty-six
years old, I went back to my parents house.

I have been here for about a month. I had a couple minor episodes here, my
parents were able to talk me out of it. I was also prescribed medication for
the anxiety (so far this has been a tremendous help). One day, I didn’t feel
anxious at all but I noticed that I couldn’t take a full deep breath most of
the time. My parents told me it’s allergies, but the thought in the back of my
mind that it was the virus or worse was always there.

I called my doctor again, he prescribed me singulair. It’s helped considerably
but every time now that I take a deep breath I am extra thoughtful about it.
I’ve been meditating and doing breathing exercises as often as I remember now
and it has helped.

That being said, even if I don’t actually get the virus, this virus has taken
a toll on me and my mental health. The isolation, not being in an office and
hypochondria have negatively impacted me in ways I never would have imagined.
However, I’m stronger for it now.

~~~
Grimm1
At 25 with post nasal drip and asthma, I had the same experience I was alone
in my Brooklyn apartment for 9 weeks. I had the same progression and my first
real experience with panic attacks and am now also at my parent's house but
I've been here for less than 2 weeks so far.

This read like my experience entirely. This whole thing has really taken a
toll and before this I wasn't really one to panic about anything.

~~~
someperson
Hyperventilation and anxiety leads to panic attacks. I used to have them, they
can feel like you're dying. I recommend seeing a therapist:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23279349](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23279349)

~~~
Grimm1
Thanks, that advice in that post is really useful, I had started just keeping
on with the task at hand and I'm glad to hear that was the right move.
Breathing exercises just made me feel worse in the moment.

As to the therapist, I've had them off and on during particularly difficult
times but nothing very long term and that has helped me so I think you're
right it may be time to work out another couple month arrangement.

------
nateburke
I find that paying attention to the transition from inhalation to exhalation
is particularly useful in assessing my current emotional state.

Focusing on _allowing_ the natural elasticity of my lungs take care of
initiating exhalation -- this will usually be enough to change my mood in a
positive way.

------
amelius
I've noticed that my breathing pattern changes during work.

I'd be interested in a device that can detect breathing type
(diaphragmatic/costal) and warns me in time if any changes occur.

------
rak
I hope someone comes along and creates another version of the Spire breathing
device. I am still using mine and it's a very helpful tool for breathing.

------
lihaciudaniel
This is why I love hacker news, I learnt that just breathing 30 seconds is
able to averse from any vice or bad craving. It's like the matrix

------
mtalantikite
“Light on Pranayama” by Iyengar is a great book on yogic breathing (pranayama)
for anyone interested in learning various techniques and exercises.

~~~
mistrial9
sophisticated and subtle.. a good (real life) teacher and stable practice
habits are recommended at each turn.

(with thirty years of practice in the Iyengar teachings, I consider myself a
beginner-intermediate. I know enough not to go too far... When in doubt, let
your natural breath return without interference (as said in the book))

~~~
klondike_klive
I find that the hardest thing to determine - the outbreath falls away
naturally, but I can sit there until it feels like I'm never going to inhale
again, and at no point does it feel like my breath "returns" by itself, but
rather I feel like I have to drag it in, while my heartrate spikes. I have
been mildly asthmatic all my life, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Incidentally I have often noticed my thoughts become agitated and realised
that I'm holding my lungs empty.

------
kyuudou
When one is constantly in "urgent" mode, they tend to forget to breathe slow
and deeply and instead breathe shallow and fast.

------
nprateem
Unless you've studied chi kung or pranayama or similar you've no idea what the
breath holds in store. It's more than just the mechanics of rate or depth of
breathing. You need to learn to relax and engage your attention to really
connect with the subtler aspects of it. Energy Work by Robert Bruce is
probably the best introduction.

------
dvfjsdhgfv
What works for me is harmonious breathing:
[https://www.harmoniousbreathing.com/](https://www.harmoniousbreathing.com/)
\- basically retraining our muscles to enhance deeper more complete breathing.
It doesn't claim to make miracles, it just makes you feel better.

------
brainzap
I noticed I am doing flat breaths most of the time, I guess because of all the
smoke in the city etc.

------
johnchristopher
Years ago I read that you had to breath out more than you breath in, like "you
give more to the world than you take from it". Fine and all but since then I
can't help thinking about my breathing and I think it messed up my natural way
of breathing.

~~~
Noumenon72
As an altruist, I breathe out only. Never in.

I can't see any way this is possible. The amount you breathe out is dictated
by how much your lung volume increased when you breathe in. If you breathe out
for more total time than you breathe in, you are just spreading the same
breath over a longer time by restricting outflow.

~~~
johnchristopher
Really ? Of course it's another way to say `breath out slower than breathing
in`.

That you believed I suggested the laws of physics could be so easily dismissed
is beyond me.

Jeez.

------
all_usernames
Paywalled; can't read it.

James Nestor, the author, has an amazing book on (not) breathing... actually
about athletes who free-drive to unthinkable ocean depths with no gear.

~~~
pmiller2
Paywall workaround:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23275949](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23275949)

It really is quite amazing the number of human limits free diving tests.
Herbert Nitsch is able to dive over 350 feet deep essentially unaided, and has
gone to over 830 feet in what they call a "no limits" attempt, in which
weights and fins are allowed, and weight can be dropped to aid in the ascent,
although he did suffer from nitrogen narcosis and needed to spend some time in
a decompression chamber [0]. He can hold his breath for over 9 minutes,
whereas I can barely make it to 1 minute. The guy's lung capacity must be
incredible.

\---

[0]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Nitsch#Achievements_an...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Nitsch#Achievements_and_competition_history)

~~~
carapace
Wow that was quite a ride!

> He still has balance and coordination problems on land, but does not
> experience these underwater. He continues to deep free-dive.

It's like the sea claimed him.

------
yawningtears
How do u read this?

~~~
fortran77
Here's how I do it:
[https://store.wsj.com/shop/US/US/wsjuelns20/](https://store.wsj.com/shop/US/US/wsjuelns20/)

------
mindfulgeek
I've been practicing with the breath since I recovered from cancer about a
decade ago. I credit it with saving my life in many ways.

------
cammil
"Take a deep breath", and suddenly your whole mood has been adjusted.

------
hi41
Has anyone tried Sudharshan Kriya from Art of Living? How has it helped you?

~~~
InnerGargoyle
leave the cult and start practising yoga on your own..

------
_xerces_
Behind the paywall:

[https://outline.com/Y2nTEK](https://outline.com/Y2nTEK)

(Copy WSJ link, paste into bitly to shorten, then paste shortened url into
outline.com)

------
elif
fully in, letting go

------
User23
For me, lifting heavy weights three days a week fixed my posture, heart rate,
and breathing issues. Back exercises like deadlifts and barbell rows were
especially helpful for countering the tendency to hunch forward due to
computer use. The endorphin release is also a great mood booster.

I say this because it makes me wonder about the causality. I’m not convinced
breathing exercises by themselves do much good for physical health, but rather
that good breathing habits are a consequence of overall good health.

~~~
yomly
Your intuition isn't bad but there is an emerging space of research amongst
biomechanics and physiotherapists about how breathing is coupled to the
nervous system.

You could argue that maybe anything that raises your breathing rate through
exercise forcibly achieves the effect of getting those nerves firing but you
also encounter breathing exercises as a therapy in quite a few avenues: yoga,
wim hof, tantra, pilates, meditation, tai chi (to name a few)

There's probably some shared roots between some of the listed roots but I find
it curious that the act of conscious breathing is encountered in so many
different places and is now becoming a little more mainstream through
mindfulness

~~~
fullmoon
Controlled breathing is essential during strength training

~~~
h0l0cube
A lot of people here advocating for strength training, but aren't mentioning
the caveat: potential for injury. I used to spend 6 days a week doing a
mixture of HIIT and strength training. Despite my best attempts, there were
occasional lapses in form, and I found that I was developing joint pains, and
indeed a few injuries.

Controlled breathing, as mentioned, is _central_ to the wim hof method, the
yogic practice of pranayama, and to many kinds of martial arts and meditation,
and doesn't really have the potential for injury (with the exclusion of the
more physically demanding martial arts). Some of those practices are also more
accessible to people with mobility issues.

My personal experience with yoga and meditation, is a very significant uplift
in mood, and better sleep (I used to have a very bad snoring problem). I also
do a mix of weighted exercise, callisthenics, and cardio, and I've found the
combination to work very well.

~~~
oretoz
I have a big snoring problem. Did yoga help you with that?

~~~
h0l0cube
From memory, I believe it did. But since then I've taken up meditation which
has had a much larger impact on my life, and so it's hard to tease apart which
helps what, and to what degree.

The technique I learnt was at a 10-day silent retreat, of which we spent the
first days (9-hours a day) exclusively on concentrating on respiration. With
this new awareness, I realised, just in my day to day, and especially when I'm
trying to focus, I sometimes forget to breathe. This is something I otherwise
would not have noticed and not corrected. Also important to note that I used
to have mild sleep apnoea, and I would always wake up feeling groggy from lack
of oxygen. I haven't had a sleep study since I've started practicing, but I no
longer wake up groggy, and now I can go to sleep within the hour instead of
tossing and turning half the night.

I've noticed that yoga and meditation have also improved my breathing and form
during exercise.

~~~
oretoz
Thanks

------
kk58
Rediscovering yoga

~~~
jayd16
Yoga seems 'spiritual' with wonky crystal powers and such but if you approach
it as scheduled ergonomic stretching, relaxation through breathing exercises,
and quiet introspection its obvious there's a clear physical impact it can
make.

~~~
new_guy
Stretching is to yoga as scratch is to programming languages.

------
jacobwilliamroy
Did you all know that humans need oxygen to survive? And that the ways we
consume oxygen can affect our health?

~~~
carapace
You condensed the entire history of Western civilization into a tweet...

"Discovered atomic bomb, didn't notice breathing."

