Oxygen is the Secret

There are hundreds of different breathing exercises, each with different purposes and outcomes. However, there is a simple, foundational breathing exercise that you can do each day to help your brain work better. This is particularly helpful for people who are not getting enough oxygen to their brains.

Decreased oxygen levels have a serious impact on the brain. When we breathe normally, we typically inhale and exhale at a 1:1 ratio, meaning for every second we breathe in, we breathe out for 1 second (e.g., 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out). When this happens, we’re not really holding the air in our lungs for a long time. This means there isn’t sufficient transfer of air to oxygen in the lungs, which limits the amount of oxygen in our bloodstream available to the brain.

During this breathing exercise, you breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. When doing this, make sure you’re sitting comfortably, or you could even be lying on your back. Don’t slouch, as you won’t be able to take in the maximum volume of air. You want to feel your abdomen rise and fall.

The breathing rate for this exercise is 1-2. When you inhale, the breath should take around 4 to 5 seconds. Don’t hold your breath. Tighten your lips a little as you breathe out, which will slow it down to about 8 to 10 seconds.

You could time this with a stopwatch or do it roughly by keeping track in your own mind. The key is to make sure that you’re breathing out longer than you’re breathing in. This exercise can increase oxygen levels in the bloodstream within 30 seconds to a minute after beginning.

You can do this exercise throughout the day. Each time, try to do ten breaths. As you do this, you will start to effectively train your brain to take in the breath and hold it a little longer as you breathe out. This improves oxygen levels far better than just breathing.

Oxygen Is The Secret!

Breathing is something we need to do, so we should do it well. This is particularly important at certain times of the day when the brain may be low on energy. This exercise can help raise your energy levels without resorting to sugar, caffeine, or other stimulants.

It's important to reinforce that in this particular exercise you don’t actually hold your breath! In fact, there might be some instances where someone has a medical problem where holding their breath could cause them to pass out. This exercise is about breathing in and immediately out. As your breathing becomes more efficient, you can begin to explore more advanced breathing techniques. Remember: oxygen is the secret!

Contributor Author: Dr. Michael Trayford is a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and Founder of APEX Brain Centers in Asheville, NC. For more information, please visit our Author's page.

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