Breathing & Psychological Stress: A two-way street | Part 1 of 4

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Key points

• Breath is one of the most powerful regulators of our emotions and stress levels. Through intricate pathways the way we breathe impacts how we feel and vice versa.

• The principal physiological elements defining the health of our breathing are Carbon Dioxide, Tidal Volume, Breathing Rate, and Effort. If any of the 4 elements are perturbed from required values it will cause a cascade of compensations and negative consequences.

• Discover, step-by-step, how the lungs, brain, and nervous system are intertwined and how breathing recovery training can provide a viable path to mental health.

For thousands of years, various cultures around the globe recognized the transformative power of breath in enhancing physical and mental well-being. Ancient civilizations, including the Greeks, Chinese, and Indians, revered breath as the essence of life and a critical element for healing both body and mind. Despite this historical understanding, the significance of breath has been overshadowed in modern times, largely due to a prevailing focus on pharmacological solutions in Western medicine, which has led to the neglect of natural healing techniques. Recently, a revival of interest in alternative medicine and a shift in scientific inquiry regarding the role of breathing has improved our understanding of its vital function in regulating many aspects of human physiology, including mental health and emotional well-being. 

This paper seeks to examine the fascinating connection between breathing and our mental wellness, or illness, by exploring the psychophysiological mechanisms linking our mind, nervous system, and lungs. The re-orientation of the scientific community’s focus on breathing has increased our understanding and appreciation of breath’s pivotal role in regulating nearly every core aspect of human physiology.  

As a first step, let’s understand the fundamental biomarkers that characterize how healthy our breathing process is. These include

• End-tidal CO2: The amount of carbon dioxide we exhale,

  
  

• Tidal volume: The volume of air we exhale

  
  

• Breathing frequency: The number of breaths we take per minute. 

  
  

• Effort: The mechanical strain used to achieve all three of the above.

These biomarkers reflect our breathing health because they constitute the basic mechanisms by which breathing affects nearly every process in our body, including our mental and emotional state. To understand this process, let’s examine, step by step, the sequence of events occurring when we experience stress and how we respond to it.

The next 3 blog posts will reflect on some research with its implications and applications to improving your mental health. I look forward to your feedback!