
Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018) - robg
https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/musculoskeletal-and-rheumatology/2018/october/breathing-exercises
======
ninenines
Lot of people tend to have respiratory failure before situation gets worrisome
and breath exercises are a definite way to help your body do what a ventilator
does

In yoga asanas, there are few breathing exercises that existed in ancient
India and I myself can attest to it that I was able to overcome lot of
allergies practising it,

Here is a resource to follow along.
[https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8](https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8) starts at 9 mins
and goes on for 15 mins or so

And yes everyone breathes the wrong way, we pull in stomach when inhaling
which is supposed to be otherway round, I know it's surprising to hear that we
are breathing wrong. if you want the proof just notice a child breathing
that's the most natural form of breathing

If you are looking for keywords to look up, the are anuloma viloma &
kapalabathi.

Stay safe, stay healthy.

~~~
macawfish
Yes! Breathing like that will purge carbon dioxide from your blood more
quickly and result in higher oxygen levels. There are some really powerful
exercises based on oxygen breathing in quite a few different traditions. Some
names I've heard of are "holotropic breathing", "circular breathing", "breath
of fire", "round breathing", "bioenergetics breathing", and "Wim Hoff method".
Wilhelm Reich made use of oxygen increasing breathwork in his orgone therapy
back in the mid 20th century.

This stuff can really bring about powerful alternate states of mind, and I've
personally experienced some deep spiritual and psychological release from
oxygen breathing exercises.

At this point I've come to think that peoples' natural response during an
anxiety attack, which is to hyperventilate, might actually be a healthy,
desireable reaction. But we socially repress and stigmatize it. Fear and
anxiety are uncomfortable to us, so instead of holding space for working
through that stuff naturally, we stuff it.

I'm telling you though, the feeling relief that controlled hyperventilating
can bring is unbelievable.

~~~
rand_r
The evolutionary history of how we developed an instinct to hyperventilate is
an interesting question.

However, I have to put up a warning that hyperventilating doesn't actually
increase oxygen levels. It's a dangerous practice because it surpasses the
natural drive to breath by depleting CO2 in the blood to abnormally low
levels.

Our breath drive depends on CO2 levels and can get fooled by hyperventilation
into letting you black out from lack of oxygen. This section on Wikipedia
explains the physics of the situation really well:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freediving_blackout#Shallow_wa...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freediving_blackout#Shallow_water_blackout)

~~~
rusk
> The evolutionary history of how we developed an instinct to hyperventilate

Presumably it's a fight or flight response. It's redundant and
counterproductive of course in many modern stress situations but if you had to
fight off a predator or catch that animal the extra jolt of vascular activity
probably makes perfect sense.

------
DrAwdeOccarim
I was intrigued by this report last year ([http://www.sci-
news.com/medicine/inspiratory-muscle-strength...](http://www.sci-
news.com/medicine/inspiratory-muscle-strength-training-blood-pressure-
brain-07077.html)) and did some research around the idea of Inspiratory Muscle
Strength Training (IMST). Turns out there has been a bit of peer-reviewed work
done recently around IMST and statistically significant reductions in blood
pressure, especially in regard to obstructive sleep apnea treated with CPAP
([https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4863204/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4863204/)).
I went out and purchased the K3 that was used in the recent work showing 5
minutes of IMST training at 75% capacity reduced blood pressure by 10 points
([https://www.powerbreathe.com/product-category/breathing-
trai...](https://www.powerbreathe.com/product-category/breathing-trainers/)).
I've been doing it off and on for 6 months now, and I can attest that after 3
weeks of twice daily use, my blood pressure was reduced by at least 10 points.
I've also noticed sleeping better with my CPAP. YMWV, but the peer reviewed
science seems legit and I've personally benefited from it!

~~~
BreathHiker
I don't have a high blood pressure but I do use a CPAP device for handling my
spnea. Currently using a Philips Dreamstation. After it was diagnosed I
immediately got the device and ever since my AHI dropped from about 50 to 2 or
3 an. I wonder if it is possible to ever get off this device. Would this
breath exercises help in reducing the AHI?

Some actions which I have experienced in a positive way of reducing AHI: \-
Hiking / workout before going to bed \- Quit consuming drinks containing
alcohol.

Any other suggestions would be great and very welcome!

~~~
Benenati2323
Hello there I actually have a Phillips DreamStation Auto BiPAP Hum Dom
(DSX700H11), thats connected to the DreamStation Hum Core Pack DOM (DSXHCP),
that I’m currently trying to find a new home for. It was my fathers, he
recently past an the machine cost us a small fortune because at the time he
had no INS. Anyways if anyone is interested please contact my via Email. My
Gmail is the exact same as my user name on this site. I appreciate any
feedback as far as where else I might been able to recoup some of my money
spent as well as help someone that may not have the right resources to set one
through there INS or what not. Again that’s, and sorry to interrupt your
conversation! Benenati2323

~~~
thomk
This is a VERY active community around sleep apnea. Someone there could
certainly help you: [http://apneaboard.com/](http://apneaboard.com/)

------
verytrivial
If you haven't already, start jogging/running. Unless you are in a super-dense
city it's easy to meet isolation requirements. Start jogging at the start of
each 5 (or 2) minute boundary, jog until you're too puffed, then walk until
next boundary. Repeat until 20, 30 or 45 minutes is up. Done. Then repeat
every day or other day until you are jogging non-stop. Congratulations, you're
now a runner and your lungs are now unavoidably stronger.

Don't bother with stretching rituals unless you have extra time to burn --
they don't really make a difference versus simply running within your current
comfort zone. Half of the running biz is a meditation on the state of your
body during and between runs (the other half is scheduling, and that's aaaaall
different now.)

Also, if you have 'gunky lungs' (either standard cold/flu or COVID-19) wait
until you are mostly gunk-free before running!

~~~
lm28469
> your lungs are now unavoidably stronger.

Are there any long term studies about the health effects of running in
polluted cities ?

~~~
ptsneves
I remember a paper that found that its worse to run near roads than to run at
all, with huge amounts of absorption of contaminants into the body.
Contaminants being "recorded" in the runner's hair.

Out of the blue I found this paper finding a relationship between worse
performance and pollution in marathons.[1]

[1] [https://mpra.ub.uni-
muenchen.de/79473/1/MPRA_paper_79473.pdf](https://mpra.ub.uni-
muenchen.de/79473/1/MPRA_paper_79473.pdf)

~~~
ahpearce
That study was done in China which is pretty notorious for its air quality.
Probably best not to run outside when the AQI is high though.
[https://airnow.gov/](https://airnow.gov/)

------
sriram_malhar
I wanted to improve my presentation skills. I felt my voice was too nasal and
thin, I spoke too fast, and emphasised too many words.

So I approached a voice training coach. It seems everything -- from delivery,
pauses, speed of delivery to sore throats -- could be improved if one could
pay attention to proper breath control, and diaphragmatic breathing. I can
certainly attest to that.

~~~
WalterBright
I went looking for a voice coach. All I could find were singing coaches and
autistic speech therapy ones. Nobody who could coach me at giving
presentations. How did you find yours?

~~~
alialghamdi
I didn't take courses, but as far as I know proper breathing techniques are
also taught by singing coaches, if that's what you are looking for.

~~~
WalterBright
I was looking for coaching to enunciate clearly.

~~~
thomasrognon
I'm interested in this also. Would love to hear if you find something/someone
good.

------
aggie
I wonder if this is trending because people figure you might be able to
strengthen your diaphragm as a precautionary measure in case of contracting
COVID-19.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in a practical application from a scholarly
source:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2971640/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2971640/)

~~~
Cthulhu_
Probably is; mind you, being in good health (respiratory and overall) will
make it easier on both you and the medical system if you do contract it.

------
stevage
>From an early age, you were likely taught to breathe with your upper chest.

Wait, what? People are taught how to breathe? Is this really a thing?

~~~
bonoboTP
Haven't heard about it. I breathe with the "proper method" instinctively and
never knew this was even a thing.

Perhaps it's something specific to American culture.

~~~
nradov
There's really nothing in American culture about breathing one way or another.

------
wodenokoto
I don't see any guide or any real description of the benefit of training your
diaphragm (other than taking deep breaths by pushing your stomach out. But how
much? How often?)

~~~
jshaqaw
I’ve been training diaphagm breathing as part of martial arts training for
over a decade. Breathing is deeper and calmer and more powerful.

~~~
gameswithgo
and then?

~~~
jniedrauer
I did some quick googling and it seems like there's some preliminary research
that indicates it might help you reduce stress[0]. But I wonder how this
stacks up against going for a jog or riding a bike, which have a well
established record of reducing stress, and have other benefits.

[0]:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455070/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455070/)

~~~
jshaqaw
Complementary and synergistic. Why pick breath training or vigorous exercise
when you can just do both?

------
blendo
Singers also do extensive breath/diaphragm exercises:
[https://www.musikalessons.com/blog/2016/10/vocal-
exercises-f...](https://www.musikalessons.com/blog/2016/10/vocal-exercises-
for-singers/)

~~~
analog31
I played the flute for a few years as a kid, and breathing was a big deal
during my lessons.

------
kelvin0
OK, so what's the exercise?

"To do this, you’ll need to control your diaphragm by using your abdominal
muscles to press your abdomen forward, allowing your diaphragm to flex
downward."

Then the article goes into stretching ...

------
bobowzki
The best way to increase your cardiovascular capacity, and boost your immune
system at the same time, is aerobic exercise "cardio".

I'm an anesthesiologist/intensivist and this is how I'm preparing.

------
brodouevencode
I'm surprised no one has brought up box breathing (aka four square breathing)
yet. [https://www.livestrong.com/article/74944-box-breathing-
techn...](https://www.livestrong.com/article/74944-box-breathing-technique/)

Short version: breathe in deep belly breaths for four seconds, hold for four
seconds, breathe out for four seconds, hold for four seconds. Do this is a
quiet and dark room and it helps with stress, anxiety, etc.

I got into it when Joe Defranco mentioned a progressive version of this on his
podcast: breathe in for one second, hold for one, breathe out for one, hold
for one. Then breathe in for two seconds, hold for two, breathe out for two,
hold for two. Then breathe in for three seconds, hold for three, breathe out
for three, hold for three. So on and so forth. Most people can get to six
seconds, but not much more past that. This progression technique has helped
with my diaphragm strength and breath-bracing (I do a lot of heavy weight
training).

------
ubercow13
I am guessing this is being posted in relation to the virus. Is this likely to
be at all helpful? Is having a strong diaphragm useful when your lungs are
filled with fluid?

~~~
randycupertino
In respiratory therapy school we were taught some breathing exercises to teach
patients who were graduating after being on a vent, had lung surgery following
cancer, COPD and/or other pulmonary issues. Some of the trainers like the
inspiratory and expiatory trainers have benefits to non-compromised patients -
some athletes use them for training in sports like swimming and basketball.

Maybe an MD will chime in, however in case not imo the diaphragmatic training
is only beneficial for singers and yogis and others who need to do large
diaphram style breaths. Most people will go back to their normal style of
breathing even if they're trained and practice diaphragmatic breathing after
they're done concentrating.

If I had to recommend one thing to buy for a regular person to use, it would
probably be a really simple inspiratory/expiratory trainer. Basically you
inhale and blow through a hole and it strengthens your lungs.

This one is low tech and bombproof, cheap, easy to disinfect and used a lot in
the field: [http://www.medi-
careequipment.com/Catalog/Product/26832/Pfle...](http://www.medi-
careequipment.com/Catalog/Product/26832/Pflex-Inspiratory-Muscle-Trainer)

[https://www.respiratorytherapyzone.com/best-breathing-
exerci...](https://www.respiratorytherapyzone.com/best-breathing-exerciser-
trainers/)

~~~
TheBlerch
Thanks for posting. I’ve done diaphragm breathing exercises for sports
training and meditation. How does using these inspiratory/expiratory devices
strengthen the lungs? Isn’t the action just strengthening primarily the
diaphragm and some chest muscles used in breathing? How many minutes training
per day would you recommend for healthy people? And how much does the Pflex
sell for? Site makes you request to order and collects a lot of info.

~~~
randycupertino
Aww geeze, I knew someone was going to ask some followup questions and I'd be
out of my depth!

To be honest, I didn't practice in the field very long as an RT because I fell
into hospital IT after my rotations and took to it like a duck to water and
ended up really enjoying that as a career.

I'm gonna refer you to this study which - you are right- does show the
insp/exp trainers help to strengthen breathing muscles. So perhaps it's the
equivalent of using weights at the gym vs just doing diaphragm breathing
exercises.

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4316503/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4316503/)

------
rak
Art of Manliness did a nice piece on this with an interview with Dr. Vranich:
[https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-
breathe/](https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-breathe/)

This link contains some actual guidance.

~~~
truth_be_told
Helpful, direct and to-the-point article/guidance using simple language.

Thanks for the link.

------
darod
so where's the guide?

~~~
Animats
Exactly. There's no how-to guide there. It's mostly an ad. Good idea, though.
Search for "How to Breathe"; there are some good sources. Especially important
if you're on lockdown and moving less than usual.

------
tomerbd
Can someone summarize what's the best technique for breathing well? Something
everyone can do daily and improve? I read the article (I think) seen no guide
there.

~~~
TriNetra
I just mentioned the same here
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22661875](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22661875)

------
nateburke
I had pneumonia when I was 14 (weakened immune system after growing 6 inches
in 8 months...) and the doctor prescribed breathing exercises which were very
helpful. There was of course a ton of ABX as well as inhaled steroids, but
after all of that, the breathing exercises were what helped to restore me to
normal. (The Prednisone actually did a lot of harm, don't go off it without a
taper!)

~~~
nradov
Is there any evidence that fast growth rates cause weakened immune systems?
That seems highly improbable. Lots of people get pneumonia.

------
celnardur
This reminds me of some of the exercises I did during marching band and Drum
Corps. We were taught, like the article says, to breathe by expanding the abs
and then use the abs and diaphragm to push the air out through the instrument.
In both, we used breathing gym techniques developed by Sam Pilafian and
Patrick Sheridan. Here's a video of them demonstrating some of the exercises
we did. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEz0ku-
oXM4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEz0ku-oXM4)

These exercises definitely helped me prepare my lungs for the stress of what
is essentially running and playing a brass instrument at the same time for ten
minutes. Even though they are meant for Marching Band and Drum Corps, I would
still recommend breathing gym for anyone who wants to be a stronger breather.

------
dcolkitt
Anybody interested in this might look into trying out the didgeridoo. I got
one to help reduce snoring, and can attest that regular practice definitely
strengthens the diaphragm and pharyngeal muscles. Plus it's pretty fun.

------
anirudhsingh
Having a strong diaphragm and good lung capacity is important for being
healthy. Proper intake of oxygen can work wonders for your mind and improve
efficiency by a lot. Stay safe everyone!

------
guru4consulting
Pranayanama, the ancient breathing technique practiced by yogis, focuses on
various types breathing exercises including Diaphragmatic Breathing.. it is
explained in Adham Pranayanama.

~~~
djtriptych
Another modern (but still technical) treatment is Light on Pranayama by B.K.S.
Iyengar.

------
billfruit
I wonder if learning to play a woodwind instrument like the recorder or
melodica is good exercise for lungs and diaphragm.

------
jacquesm
Go play a wind instrument. Saxophone, Trumpet, Flute. Breath control is very
important. As it is for singers.

~~~
macintux
I played brass instruments for about 8 years in school; even playing the tuba
didn't really help me with breath control.

I was lazy and apathetic, so the fault was mine, but it's just worth noting
that while it may be helpful it's not sufficient.

