Your mind might occasionally wander to other things, and your body might not always be the best at staying calm, but you can change that. There are plenty of benefits to focusing on your breathing consciously. By keeping a steady focus on your breathing and becoming familiar with it, you can better control how you feel in different situations, stay more focused when necessary, calm down during stressful situations or panic attacks and stay as relaxed as possible. Here are the benefits of monitoring your breathing rate.
Gaining better control of your emotions
If you find it hard to focus on something when you are shocked, angry, scared, or otherwise emotionally charged, monitoring your breathing can help you stay calm and focused. When your mind wanders away from what is happening or if you are distracted, take a couple of deep breaths and bring it back to the subject at hand. That will generally help your focus and regain control over your emotions.
Pain relief
When pain happens suddenly, it can be just as scary as painful. But focusing on relaxing the muscle that is hurting or taking some slow deep breaths during the pain itself will help reduce the pain and make it less severe. By extending your breathing rate and letting more oxygen in the blood, you can reduce the pain, and the nervous system will be able to send fewer pain messages.
Stress relief
If you find it problematic to concentrate or your anxiety affects your daily life, concentration can be challenging. But it is a sign of stress, and to reduce stress levels, you should give yourself some breathing room by taking deep breaths slowly with each inhalation. Therefore, when you monitor breathing rate you will help in reducing your stress levels and feel more relaxed than many other people might.
Sleep improvement
By practicing slow deep breathing for a few minutes before going to bed, you can improve your sleep quality. Helping you relax and fall asleep faster will help you get more rest from sleep. Some studies have even found that monitoring your breathing rate can help with insomnia in the long run. Others have reported improved memory recall during the day and better focus by taking deep breaths slowly.
Coping with panic attacks
If you struggle with panic attacks or intermittent anxiety, focusing on your breathing rate can be an excellent way to cope with them. You can help control your anxiety and panic attacks by controlling your breathing rate instead of letting them control you. By counting your breaths per minute or using a breathing exercise, you can calm yourself down before the panic attack gets worse.
Hormone regulation
Breathing has been linked to the regulation of hormones for some time now, and one study has shown that by practicing slow deep breathing, people could help regulate their hormone levels. The study took people suffering from sleep deprivation and instructed them to practice slow deep breathing for a few minutes every day. After doing so regularly, they found that they could help improve the balance of certain hormones in their body.
Breathing is one of the most fundamental and critical physical activities we all do each day. It represents a core aspect of life. It’s been known for centuries that deep, slow breathing can calm our minds, reduce stress and anxiety in the body, improve hormonal balance, and even reduce pain.