When you’re stressed, have you ever felt that you can’t get enough air?
Anxiety closing in, heart beat racing, blood pumping?
That’s a sign of hyperventilation.
In 1,000 adults in the US, 10% of them have experienced hyperventilation at least once in their lifetime; however, with its subtle symptoms, many people over-breathe without even realizing it.
That’s why proper breathing is vital.
A study found that practicing proper breathing for 10 minutes a day for 8 weeks would result in improvements to one’s physical and mental health.
If that doesn't make you want to breathe better, I'm not sure what will.
Are you wondering how you can consistently practice in public or in the moments when you need a helping hand to align your breathing?
Well, by the end of this article you won’t need to ask me, “what’s the best breathing tool?. I already found it, and will share it.
Let's dive in.
Why Breathing Is So Important
When you hyperventilate, it causes short-term and long-term effects on your bodily systems.
Firstly it affects your cardiovascular system as it increases blood pressure and makes your heart beat faster due to the now-increased presence of adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones.
Irregular breathing also causes an abrupt loss of carbon dioxide from the blood, causing your respiratory system to begin breathing rapidly, tightening the chest.
This has cascading effects on the nervous system. You'll feel lightheaded, dizzy, and have some numbness and tingling sensations in your hands and feet as the decreased blood flow to the brain blocks off receptors during hyperventilating.
And scarily, on top of that, it can lead to anxiety and depression in the long run.Yep, long lasting effects.
Breathing is important. But letting the body just breathe is not enough; there’s a need for effort to learn how to utilize breathing.
The Neuroscience Of Breathing
Let's dive into a small science lesson for a moment.
There are two branches responsible for breathing: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Sympathetic is being used when you feel stressed or in danger. It is the “fight-or-flight” response to these scenarios, where it lets out hormones that cause your breathing to become rapid and your heart rate to go up.
Meanwhile, the latter is used when you feel at ease and calm. It enhances breathing and slows down the heart rate. It is also known as the “rest and digest” response.
By inhaling through the nose and exhaling slowly, it triggers the parasympathetic nervous system. The nose has sensory receptors that connect to the vagus nerve. This is the longest nerve in the body, and it has a role in managing the parasympathetic.
When you inhale through the nose and activate the sensory receptors, it conveys a signal to the brain to use the parasympathetic nervous system.
A relaxed nervous system has many benefits, including improved sleep quality, reduced stress, increased concentration, a lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, improved digestion, lower cortisol levels, and a stronger immune system.
Enough of that; let’s now go over to know what’s the best breathing tool! (hint: it combines all the elements we've spoken about).
The Top 3 Breathing Tools
Yoga Practice
Yoga and the breathing you do in conjunction can help in practicing breathing techniques to calm the nerves.
The Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) is done by sitting in a comfortable position with your spine straight and putting your right thumb on your right nostril while your right ring finger is on your left nostril. Inhale through your right nostril, exhale through your left nostril, and do this for about 5-10 minutes.
The next yoga technique is called Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath). Sit comfortably with your spine straight, then close your mouth and inhale and exhale through your nose, contracting the back of your throat on each exhale. Continuously do this for 5-10 minutes.
But... there are some disadvantages to it. Sadly, these practices would be hard to do if you don’t have a quiet place with no disturbances, and it would also take time to get the hang of it.
A Straw/Pursed Lips
With this tool, you simply need to purse your lips or use a straw for your breathing practice.
With the use of this, you are restricting the airflow that goes in and out of your lungs. Breath restriction can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve. It puts your nervous system in a calm place.
But imagine pursing your lips in public; that would certainly look awkward. With a straw, it would seem like you’re having a hard time breathing, and you might get looks because, in the first place, why are you using a straw when you're not even drinking?
Are you now curious about what’s the best breathing tool? Continue reading, after hours of trial and error for my own anxiety and breathing, I've found it.
The Best Breathing Tool, The Bliss Eden
Don’t want to worry about finding a quiet place to use or looking awkward in public?
I got you the exact perfect tool you’re looking for.
The Bliss Eden Necklace.
This tool effortlessly executes the action of inhaling through the nose and slowly exhaling it to calm the nervous system.
Eden can mimic the ancient breathing methods, such as those that I mentioned in the Yoga section.
The Eden follows the scientific method of "physiological sighing", wherein you double-inhale through the nose and then exhale very slowly via mouth.
Huberman said this 5-minute method overpowers any breathing exercise there is!
I love how convenient the Eden is, not to mention that it is also made of medical-grade 316 stainless steel–a waterproof, corrosion-resistant, and mouth-safe material.
Eden can match with any occasion you’re going to since it comes in four different colors: gold, silver, rose gold, and matte black that seamlessly hangs on a beautiful chain that you won’t even feel as it weighs barely a few grams.
You won’t need to worry if you’re making a hissing sound in public as you practice because Eden is whisper quiet. It has no scent, no smoke, no nicotine because it’s 100% natural!
Plus, the necklace comes with a cleaning cloth and brush, stickers, and a chakra bracelet.
Not only that, but it has hundreds of positive reviews, and Bliss even offers a money-back guarantee, 3-day USA shipping, and amazing customer service to assist you!
No more asking, what's the best breathing tool? Because this is it. Full stop.
Conclusion
You already know if what you’re experiencing is hyperventilation. It's obvious.
Breathing plays an important role in the lives of people, and knowing how to properly make use of it would bring a lot of benefits to your health.
I hope that you’ll continuously practice breathing properly and that you take into consideration using Eden to help you on your breathing journey! It helped me to be consistent since I can use it anywhere, anytime.
Good luck!
