Breathing Slowly To A Longer Life

Perhaps the biggest casualty of our busy, tech-driven lives is something so fundamental we rarely notice it: our breathing.

It’s ironic, considering that breathing is governed by the autonomic nervous system designed to happen correctly without our conscious effort.

Yet, most of us are doing it wrong.

What is bad breathing?

This is a million-dollar question. Not because science lacks answers (bad breathing habits are well-documented and empirically proven), but because we remain blissfully unaware that we may be breathing incorrectly.

When was the last time you asked a doctor, “Am I breathing correctly?” It’s easy to assume, “If I’m alive, I must be breathing right.” But that’s far from true.

Bad breathing is a silent pandemic. It won’t kill you instantly, instead it is quietly stealing a significant number of years from your life.

If you’re a millennial or gen Z, the chances are high that you unknowingly practice multiple bad breathing habits every day. Here are some of the most prevalent bad habits:

Mouth breathing: Shockingly, over 50% of affluent children aged 8 to 10 years mouth-breathe, partly due to increased screen time and digital exposure.
Shallow breathing: Breathing from the chest instead of the diaphragm, which limits oxygen from reaching lower parts of the lungs.
Over breathing (hyperventilation): Taking more breaths than necessary, often during stress. This disrupts the oxygen and carbon di oxide balance.
Screen time breathing (screen apnea): Holding your breath unconsciously while staring at devices leading to abnormal CO2 concentrations.
Collapsed breathing: Also called office-chair breathing; prolonged sitting compresses the diaphragm, restricting its movement.
Air conditioned breathing: Spending most of your day in artificial, controlled air environments.
Exercising while breathing poorly: Inefficient breathing patterns during workouts leading to reduced performance and inefficient oxygen use that in turn leads to muscle injuries.

“Every breath is a chance to start over again.” – Gregory David Roberts

Why does slow breathing matter?

Person breathing calmy and mindfully on nikhilkabadi.com — *Coherent breathing is slow breathing*

No matter how poorly you’ve been breathing until now, bad breathing is the simplest habit to change. You can embrace the simple practice of slow, mindful breathing with the very next breath and break the spell.

Slow, mindful breathing, also known as Coherent Breathing synchronizes your heart, circulatory system, and nervous system into a state of peak efficiency. This not only reduces stress but also lowers your resting heart rate, which is inversely linked to life expectancy: the fewer heartbeats per minute, the longer you’ll live (all else being equal).

Simply put, slowing your breath may gently extend the timeline of your life.

Liked the article?

If it sparked a thought or made you pause, consider sharing it on LinkedIn – it might do the same for someone else.

Here’s how you can begin the practice of slow breathing for your longevity. This exercise is a simple adaptation of what is practiced in Vipassana meditation.

Find a comfortable spot.
Keep your eyes open or closed, whichever feels natural.
Begin by observing your natural breathing rhythm without changing anything.
Gradually, bring your attention to each inhale and exhale.
Narrow your attention to the sensation of air at the tip of your nose as you breathe.
If it helps, gently place a finger on the tip of your nose to feel the sensation of air flowing in and out for a few breaths, then remove your finger and continue observing.
Take time to fully notice each inhale and exhale at the nose tip. This may take several breaths if you are doing it for the first time.
Slowly begin to extend the duration of each inhale and exhale. Breathe longer and slower instead of shallow and more.
Continue this slow breathing for about two minutes.

By engaging in this exercise multiple times a day you not only correct your breathing, you also reconnect with the very essence of life itself – your breath.