Luckily, we don’t have to give much thought to our breathing. It is one part of our autonomic nervous system; it simply happens and is beyond our conscious control – but – this doesn’t mean that all breaths are created equal.
Have you found yourself holding your breath while working on your computer, or while online at home?
‘Tech apnea’ is a new term being used to describe the effect of technology on our breathing patterns, whether typing up important work for a deadline, scrolling online news sources or social media.
The idea behind it is we get so distracted by what we are doing and looking at on our screens and, whether we are stressed or not, the impact is the same. We breathe in, perhaps in anticipation or to mentally ‘prepare’ for the task at hand, and then get so engrossed in what we are doing our breathing becomes erratic; shallow, and perhaps with periods of holding.
This can ‘trick’ the body into feeling stressed and the body responds accordingly – tight jaw and tense shoulders, perhaps even feeling light-headed. When these things happen, and beyond our conscious control, they can have a huge impact on our mood and sense of wellbeing in general.
What’s the remedy?
Being aware is one step. Noticing when it happens.
Taking regular breaks from devices – even if it’s to simply stretch or shrug your shoulders up and down in circular movements. Take a yawn or a sigh.
Using breathing techniques when you do notice a tensing, or a holding of the breath is also helpful. ‘Sama vritti’ is the yogic term for equal breathing, and neuroscience calls it ‘coherent breathing’. This involves inhaling – for a count of 5 or 6 – and exhaling for the same count. This brings all-important balance to our bodies and our minds. There are apps like Insight Timer that use chimes at 6 seconds apart to time this consistent pattern, mapping the way for the breath to find a steady rhythm.
Another thing that might help break unhelpful breathing patterns is making space around your diaphragm by standing up, taking a breath in, and reaching your arms up overhead.
Your diaphragm sits at the uppermost part of the abdomen and, especially if you sit for long periods, there is a particularly good chance it can’t move as well as it could.
When this happens, it can trick your brain into thinking you are stressed. You can do this quick test to see where your breathing is coming from: place one hand on your chest and one on your lower abdomen and take 4-5 breaths in and out through your nose.
Notice where you feel the movement coming from – is it the chest or the abdomen? If it’s more the chest area that moves, you can encourage it to move from lower and deeper within the body.
Sit or lie down with both hands lightly touching your lower abdomen and encourage the breath to move towards the hands.
We hope you find these techniques are helpful.