Our lungs occupy pretty much the entire thorax cavity, which is the chest part of your torso. Our lungs are, when healthy, spongy organs. They contain some 300 million air sacs, which are called alveoli. It is in the alveoli that air exchange happens. Oxygen is passed to the bloodstream and carbon dioxide is passed for elimination into the air. The rest of the lung tissue is elastic connective tissues that help the lungs contract and expand. It is important for good health that people begin to understand the importance of deep breathing and the difference between deep and shallow breathing.

Shallow Breathing Equals Poor Health

As a general rule and without thinking about it, we tend to take short breaths that fill only a small top portion of our lungs. When this happens, which is the majority of the time, the body gets less oxygen to spread around, promoting better health. This means that there is less air to send to the heart, the other organs of the body, and to the brain. If people were ore aware of the importance of deep breathing, they could live a fuller and healthier life. Benefits of deep breathing include the following,

– Better organ health
– Clear thinking as more oxygen reaches the brain
– Oxygen and nutrients reaching all areas of the body
– Happier lives through better health.

Education And Practice Of Deep Breathing Techniques

Filling the top part of the lungs is the common form of breathing for most people simply due to the lack of education surrounding breathing. When we make a conscious effort to practice deep breathing techniques and to try and breathe deeply throughout the day, we can obtain a marked improvement in the functions of our organs. The result of deep breathing is a healthier person and these improvements are noticeable almost immediately. If only people knew about this wonderful concept.

Air Quality Is Essential

The quality of the air around us has a lot to do with just how healthy we can expect to be. Smoking is the biggest cause of lung disease and defeat the purpose of health through educated deep breathing. What good does it do to try to become healthier through deep breathing when the air that we breathe is filled with secondhand smoke or unclean air? None, it does no good at all.

Smoking Nullifies Health Through Deep Breathing

The first step towards better health through deep breathing is to quit smoking. While this is easy to say, it is infinitely more difficult to do. Smoking cigarettes is an extreme addictive act, which is downplayed by tobacco companies. However, quitting dramatically improves one\’s health and the ability to breathe deeply. We can all sit around blaming the tobacco companies, the government, or others but at the end of the day, it comes down to the individuals who are addicted to cigarettes to realize better health and take the necessary steps to quit smoking.

The Global Problem Of Shallow Breathing

Humans have a very sizable set of lungs. Since we generally only take small breaths and a fraction of the air that we should be taking, we are therefore generally less healthy than we should be. This is known as shallow breathing and is become global problem. Also known as chest breathing, we only fill the very top portion of the lungs. This causes the breathing to be much faster than it would normally be if we were deep breathing, and affects heart rate and blood pressure. Shallow breathing is usually done through the mouth, rather than the nose, where natural filters are just waiting to be used correctly.

The Development Of Deep Breathing Muscles

Over a period of years, shallow breathing causes the muscles of the chest to become weaker, which attributes to further shallow breathing as the muscles do not expand deeply-naturally any longer. Weaker chest muscles in the chest and ribs mean shallower breathing. It takes time and effort to practice deep breathing, which develops the muscle groups that control deep breathing. In other words, purposeful deep breathing exercises the muscles in the chest, so deep breathing is much easier and can come more naturally.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our CPR & First Aid Training website.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: Smoking,Deep Breathing Techniques,Oxygen,Breathing,Health