Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: dazned on February 20, 2015, 05:05:42 PM
-
Can anyone suggest some good deep breathing techniques please ?
Noticed that I'm still holding my breathe mostly when sitting down, but I can't walk about all day ! ;D
Think this might help with tension etc . See I can't even breath properly now ;D x
-
I do a fair bit of that too. However, if you sit/lie quietly & concentrate solely on breathing in & out it helps. My worst one is holding my breath as I swim. Now I'm not a freestyler, breast stroke with head above water & I get so far before I realise I'm holding my breath.
-
Can be done anywhere: take a deep breath in through the mouth and let out slowly through the nose. 3 times or you'll get dizzy ……. practice is important, so do it every hour even when feeling OK. The idea is to let breath out counting to 5 but initially I couldn't maintain the time until I learnt to relax.
Sitting quietly for 10 mins every hour. Stretch the muscle groups tightly then relax - I usually start with my toes and work upwards. Makes the brain concentrate on the stretch/relax routine. It is 'me' time ;)
Sometimes I have to bend over to draw a deep breath ………. I had this a lot when menstruating …… bloating made it worse.
-
Thanks I will practise CLKD :)
Just had a quick try and must have looked like a beached guppy :rofl:
Made me smile will do it properly later on x
-
I think the main thing to remember when breathing, is that when breathing in, the tum / gut below the ribs should expand and come out. This allows the diaphragm to move, giving space for the lungs to expand into. When breathing out, the tum should move in, pressing the air out.
In days gone by, people were told to expand the top of their chest, when taking a big deep breath in.
This is a waste of time, the lungs aren't in the top of the chest.
A useful breathing exercise, think it's used in yoga for relaxation. Breathe in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5, and exhale for a count of 5. The count used can vary.
-
Singing is good too! my music teacher told me that not many people use the full lung capacity anyway ::) - back to that MM Choir then?
-
Oooh not sure about that CLKD.
I'me a brass player don't think I could bring myself to sing.
Wasn't encouraged in the Horn section I was in.......... ;D
-
I've got a musical one too. If I breathe slowly in and out along with some gentle music as it rises and falls (not necessarily 1-2-3-4), I find the breathing and the music together calm me down. Sometimes, I find myself doing it subconsciously. But it has to be soothing music to start with.
-
When my daughter was very little she had chest problems....long story....umpteen infections. When I used to call the doctors on call to come out with a nebuliser one of the questions they used to ask was.....what part of her chest was moving when she breathed in and out. If it was the upper part then it was not good if it was her tummy going up and down then there was no rush.
I think the moral to that is efficient breathing comes from the diaphragm and not the chest. When I am anxious I forget to breath at all ::)...deep and slow...say the words ....in and out. Rest your hand gently on top of your tummy to feel the movement. Probably best to practice in a quiet place to get into the habit because although it sound simple it's really not but gets easier the more you do it.
Honeyb
X
-
In the bath works for me ;) …… didn't know about the tummy breathing bit :thankyou:
Another way is to breath into a brown paper bag - apparently …….
-
Don't know why CLKD but I dont think that is recommended any more.
It's the movement of the tummy that is the important bit. It really sounds easy but its anything but.
Takes practice.
Honeyb
X
-
The tummy breathing bit is really emphasised in serious brass and wind playing.
-
Not something we were taught when I learned recorder and clarinet in the 1960s ::)
Probably can't buy brown paper bags these days ;)
-
Aha - When I bought big mushrooms today, they came in brown paper bags.
Brightened my day no end, mind you, doesn't take much ;D
-
Breathing into a paper back used to be used if a person was hyperventilating. It's now thought that this makes the situation worse.
Maybe keep your bag just for your mushrooms Limpy ;D
Honeyb
X
-
Our mushroom bags go into our compost ………
-
Breathing deeply is incredibly relaxing - and especially on the slow outbreath I find - good for anxiety and general health too. Yes to singing :)
Hurdity x
-
Breathing from the chest is definately a habit so many of us get into, it's what automatically happens when we are anxious or busy and the fight or flight response is activated. I have experienced ongoing 'dysfunctional' breathing at various times, breathing practise really helped me.
It's definately the out breath that relaxes and calms the nervous system and I like the 7/11 technique when I am really in the habit of 'over breathing'. When we relax our rational brain has more space to operate :)
I like to sit on a chair with shoulders relaxed or lying on the floor with my knees bent and my hands folded gently over my tummy. I close my eyes.
If possible breathe in and out through your nose or in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Breathe in for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11 (start with 3 and 6 if it's too hard at first)
The important thing is to breathe out longer than you breathe in and as relaxed as possible.
If you are doing it correctly your shoulders will remain still and your tummy will get bigger and smaller as you breathe (called diaphragmatic breathing). When you first start, putting a book on your tummy will help you remain breathing from here and you can also get a sense of weight that can somehow help as well.
I probably do some sort of 'conscious' breathing a few times a day and it really does help. There are also phone app's that can guide you through short breathing excercises if that's of interest. 3 mins, 5 mins at a time, it all helps retrain. )
-
I try to do the diaphragm breathing when I get into bed at night. It really helps me get off to sleep. I have to concentrate quite hard so that helps too by emptying my mind.
Like I said it takes practice.
Honeyb
X
-
:thankyou:
-
Thanks everyone, who would have thought you need to be taught how to breath properly ! :)
-
Thanks everyone, who would have thought you need to be taught how to breath properly ! :)
ha ha -yes I know, it really surprised me what a difference it made when I realised :)
-
Morning ladies,
I go to yoga classes and we always do some breathing exercises... I was amazed just how much it calms and soothes me if I concentrate and breathe in my belly.
Here's a link to some videos on how it's done. http://www.doyogawithme.com/yoga_breathing
My teenage DD who comes with me, got the giggles to start with, but quickly realised it can help her when she gets anxiety attacks...
Galadriel x
-
My sister used to hold her breath in temper, the GP told Mum not to worry - she would faint before anything bad happened!
-
:rofl: CLKD