Blog Layout
The clinical implications of a poor breathing pattern
Karim Baz • January 20, 2022
We get born breathing right, Inhaling through the nose to the belly and then exhaling all the air out; but unfortunately, as we grow up and start to get distracted by different life “events” and start to accumulate emotional loads and arm our parasympathetic nervous system, this healthy breathing pattern disappears and gets substituted by an upper chest breathing pattern.
What is Upper chest breathing?
Upper chest breathing is the fact of inhaling air using the neck and the upper chest muscles that are supposed to be the accessory or complementary in the breathing process and not the main ones. The main muscle that should be involved in the inhalation and exhalation process is the diaphragm which is a dome-shaped muscle located over our abdominal content (Stomach, spleen, pancreas, large and small intestine)
Besides the various mental implications of poor or unhealthy breathing patterns, here are some of its clinical implications:
- Neck pain and headaches: as we breathe incorrectly, we use mostly the muscles of the neck, upper chest, and back. These muscles are supposed to be accessory muscles in the breathing process, and using them as the main ones creates contractions and stiffness in the whole neck and upper back area; as the neck muscles are directly connected to the ribs, Thoracic outlet syndrome might happen.
What is Thoracic outlet syndrome?
- Thoracic outlet syndrome: One of its reasons is upper chest breathing. As the neck muscles are connected to the rib, an upper chest breather will be pulling up the rib with each inhalation up into the collarbone – clavicle, where there are many nerves, veins, and an artery; and as the upper chest breathing persists, we start compromising the whole “structure” that goes into our upper arm and pressing on all the structure that passes beneath the bone.
- Shoulder impingement and pain: Our first two to three upper ribs belong to the shoulder system and upper chest breathing sets them in the wrong position, and as a result, all the muscles in between the ribs go into more tightness and we end up having problems with the neck rotation and the shoulder movement.
- Loss of the abdominal deep core: The diaphragm is the top of the core, the pelvic floor is the bottom, a muscle called TA or Transversus Abdominus goes around the center of the abdomen, and another small muscle on the side of the spine called Multifidus which controls the sheer of the spine; once the diaphragm loses its strength, the core loses its ability to be pressurized and protect and stabilize the spine which usually results in low back pain, chronic hip pain, lateral knee pain, the feeling of pinching on the inside of the hip, etc…
- Abdominal pain and IBS symptoms: Upper chest breathing is usually linked to fast breathing; once we start to breathe a fast way, there is a big probability that we hyperventilate and as a result, we manipulate the PH of our blood system so we start to increase the tightness of muscles and the sensitivity and reactivity of the nervous system.
- Scoliosis: Having our deep core weak and having the muscles that support us inactive, results in issues like scoliosis with time, which usually occurs at the age of 50 or 60 because the deep core is less functional which affects all the muscles and structure.
- Fibromyalgia and chronic pain: both as well related sometimes to breathing patterns disorders because breathing wrong is capable of activating the parasympathetic nervous system and as mentioned above, manipulating the PH of the blood, which causes the increase in tone and tension in the muscles.
It sometimes feels easier to blame the office chair for our lower back pain - which let’s be honest, sometimes it is a fact - Or to blame life in general for the anxiety moment we are passing through, than to take responsibility and make a step towards a healthier and more “sustainable” way of dealing with these consequences by dedicating a very tiny part of our day to the well-being of our body, the fact that will reflect on the well-being of our minds.
Want some inbox love?
Join my mailing list!
transitioning to slow living in nature offers a way to escape the chaos and find peace and tranquility. By appreciating the small moments and savoring the simple joys in life, we can reduce stress, increase mindfulness, and improve our overall well-being.
Are you constantly feeling overwhelmed by the fast-paced world we live in today? Do you find yourself always rushing from one thing to the next without taking a moment to breathe? If so, you may benefit from incorporating slow living practices into your daily routine. Slow living is a lifestyle choice that prioritizes quality over quantity, mindfulness over multitasking, and savoring the present moment over constant hustle. But what exactly is slow living, and how does it impact our mental and physical well-being?
Discover how we unconsciously psychologically adopt self-sabotage ideas, why we do it, and how to overcome it. Break free from self-destructive patterns and live a fulfilling life.
Learn what ADHD is and how it affects the lives of adults. Discover tips and strategies for managing symptoms and improving quality of life.
pHOTO CREDIT: PIXABAY
Breathing is a fundamental process that keeps us alive, but have you ever considered its impact on your mental well-being? It may come as a surprise, but there is a direct relationship between healthy breathing patterns and anxiety. In this article, we will explore how breathing patterns affect the anatomy of our bodies, delve into the interconnectedness of breathing and anxiety, and discuss why establishing healthy breathing patterns is crucial for our overall well-being.
The direct relationship between emotional intelligence and Leadership and how integrating microdosing into the game can be a game changer.
Microdosing is an alternative aproach to mental health, creativity, and productivity. This article is a guide to any person looking to learn more about microdosing.
Some habits are unconsciously developed from internal or external stress, and others are developed mindfully and for a specific goal; but what are habits? how do they form in the brain, and why does it feel so hard sometimes to release them and integrate new ones? Through the work of Descartes, Kant, and Sartre, habit was thought to be a kind of “mechanism that inhibits consciousness and freedom”. Philosophers like Felix Ravaisson who considered that “actions that are repeated over time become habits, with a curious life of their own” and Henry-Luis Bergson, who took cues from Ravaisson to write about active and passive habits, understood Habit as creative and addressed to the future, rather than negative and arresting freedom. Today, The American Journal of Psychology defines a “habit, from a psychological perspective, [as] a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience", and neuroscience has its standpoint on the topic. Neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that when practicing a habitual routine such as brushing one’s teeth, certain neurons in the basal ganglia will activate or “fire” at the beginning of the routine. Then, they lay quiet while the routine proceeds. Finally, they fire again when the routine is completed (Martiros, Burgess, & Graybiel, 2018). So now we know that neuronal networks lay the infrastructure for habits. A Habit becomes integrated into our life, so even if we think of something else, some specialized neurons in our brains will “make sure” to remind us to perform the habit.
What we call today psychedelic substances, were for a very long time considered sacred natural medicine among different cultures, mainly the Indigenous peoples of America including the Shipibo, Huichol, and Mazatec as well as the Aztec, Maya, Olmec societies, among others… Unfortunately, this kind of wisdom and knowledge have witnessed centuries of extremely aggressive suppression that started with the Inquisition of the Americas and got even worse upon the start of the “War on drugs” led by the USA in 1971, which was the main reason behind cutting the funding on a large number of clinical trials and studies that were going on at that time, aiming to learn and understand the medical benefits of these naturally occurring substances. Despite all the political pressure, a large number of professionals from the medical field - especially the mental health field - believed in our need for this kind of research after seeing that mental health problems are always on the rise, and the typical treatments used today, are not proving their effectiveness in many of the cases; as a result, the studies on the topic have reemerged over the past couple of decades, proving the potential of addressing specific mental health problems and even enhancing the well-being in general.