Everyone knows this situation: You're so stressed that you're completely out of control and can't think clearly. There's only one thing that helps: take a deep breath! And sure enough, after a few deep breaths, you immediately feel more relaxed, and your brain functions again. But why is that?
Table of contents
1. Breathing is controllable
Breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and functions completely automatically if we don't concentrate on it. Breathing is essential to life – without breath, there is no life. The unique feature, however, is that, unlike all other functions of the autonomic nervous system, we can consciously control our breathing if we want to.
We can consciously breathe slower or faster, hold our breath, or let it flow into our stomach or chest. And here you can already see the interplay between breath and brain: Our thoughts can control the flow of our breath, and this conscious breathing has a counter-effect on brain performance.
BRAINEFFECT HACK: Breathing is a vital, automatically controlled reflex that we can, however, consciously influence.
2. This happens when you breathe
When you inhale through your nose or mouth, you take air into your body. This air is transported directly to your lungs via the respiratory tract.
This is where gas exchange takes place: oxygen (O 2 ) is absorbed from the air into the blood via the alveoli, while at the same time carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is released from the blood into the air , which is then released again when we breathe out.
The deeper and more intensely you breathe, the more oxygen enters your bloodstream via your lungs. But a forceful exhalation is also important to ensure sufficient CO2 can be removed from your body.
Scientists at University College London, for example, discovered that astrocytes, the star-shaped cells of the brain, control our breathing.
When studying rats, they found that these astrocytes were significantly activated when CO2 levels in the blood increased and stimulated the release of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), an important energy carrier in cellular respiration [1].
If too little O2 is absorbed into the blood or too little CO2 is released due to shallow breathing or increased physical activity, the brain reacts immediately to stimulate breathing and increase the oxygen supply.
3. Interesting facts about breathing
At rest, an adult breathes about 12 to 15 times per minute. During exercise, the breathing rate increases because the body needs more oxygen for endurance and muscle performance.
Additionally, an adult inhales about half a liter of air at rest. However, a conscious, deep breath can increase this volume to 2.5 liters. And there are other things you may not have known before:
Nasal breathing promotes memory
Anyone who has studied breathing exercises in more detail has already experienced the positive effects of them. Now, it's also been scientifically proven that inhaling boosts our brain performance.
US researchers recently took a closer look at the effect of breathing on our memory and emotions.
It was shown that when subjects breathed in through their noses, they were able to remember objects much better and even interpret emotions in other people's faces, such as the difference between fear and surprise, more quickly.
Interestingly, this effect was actually only observed with nasal breathing . Mouth breathing, on the other hand, did not result in improved memory performance [2].
When you breathe through your nose, neurons are activated in areas of the brain that are responsible for memory and emotional processing.
Another exciting finding is that the brain can remember things more easily when inhaling than when exhaling. The saying "absorb knowledge" is certainly valid.
Faster breathing when we are afraid or in stressful situations can also be explained by the fact that brain performance is boosted in order to be able to react more quickly in the event of danger .
Sighing is also vital
Have you ever thought about why you sometimes sigh deeply ? And have you ever noticed that you don't just sigh when you're stressed , disappointed, or after a strenuous workout, but also just for fun?
Whether audible or almost silent, every person breathes in and out several times per hour, more deeply than their normal breathing rhythm would require.
Researchers at the University of California and Stanford University have discovered the reason for this: by taking a single deep breath in and out, the alveoli in the lungs are reactivated [3].
These tiny breathing aids collapse during normal breathing and are brought back into shape by the increased airflow when we sigh. In short: sighing is a vital reflex!
BRAINEFFECT HACK: Breathing through the nose improves memory performance and emotional processing. Sighing is also a vital reflex for activating the alveoli.
4. Breathing exercises for a brain boost
When you wake up in the morning, you feel mentally alert. But as the day progresses, your ability to concentrate diminishes. This is because your brain is no longer receiving sufficient oxygen .
A short walk in the fresh air can work wonders. But if you want to improve your cognitive abilities in the long term , you should incorporate targeted breathing exercises into your daily routine.
This could be five minutes in between for a quick memory boost , or longer exercise sessions several times a week in which you consciously focus on your breathing.
Once you focus on optimizing your breathing , you'll quickly notice improvements in your mental performance . These simple exercises will increase your concentration and give you more energy:
Quick breathing exercises for in between
Even a short five-minute practice session can sharpen your senses and restore your focus on what matters most . Whether at home, in the office, or on the go, you can do these breathing exercises anytime:
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Breathing Exercise 1: Sitting or standing upright with your eyes closed, breathe in and out as deeply as possible into your belly three times, trying to fill your belly with more air with each breath. Then, bring your breath into your chest for three deep breaths, feeling your chest expand with each inhalation.
You can repeat this alternating abdominal and chest breathing as often as you like until your mind calms down. Finally, breathe in and out normally three more times, and you'll feel your mind refreshed and ready for new challenges .
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Breathing Exercise 2 : This breathing exercise is especially good for on the go: Try to consciously intensify your breaths. For example, count to four as you inhale and then count to four as you exhale. On your next inhale, count to five, then count to five as you exhale, and so on.
This exercise is best done while walking from one appointment to the next . Simply use your steps as a measure: inhale over four steps, exhale over four steps, and so on. More advanced practitioners can try counting longer on the exhalation than on the inhalation.
Breathing exercises to intensify
Of course, you can also intensify the quick exercises mentioned above at home by taking more time for them or lying down on the floor and relaxing.
You can also learn different meditation methods , perform mindfulness exercises or practice yoga:
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Meditation is definitely an excellent method for sharpening your mind and focusing on what's important. It's been scientifically proven years ago that meditation improves brain performance and has a training effect.
Psychologist Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found in a study that his subjects' brain capacity increased after a three-month meditation practice. They were able to solve more complex puzzles than before [4].
To start, you can join a group and try out different meditation techniques. Once you've developed a feel for the relaxation method, you can also incorporate regular 20- to 30-minute sessions into your weekly schedule. -
Practicing mindfulness is another good way to sharpen your mental skills. This helps you develop a non-judgmental awareness of the here and now.
A simple exercise that everyone can practice daily is to consciously perceive the moment after waking up. Before getting ready for the day, lie in bed for a few minutes and tune in.
Another mindfulness exercise can be directly combined with a breathing exercise by simply taking a moment to consciously perceive the flow of your breath.
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Yoga: Of course, regular yoga exercises are also an excellent way to let the breath flow through your body and gather new energy.
Inhalation and exhalation are an essential part of asanas. Another effective yoga exercise is fire breathing: In this exercise, you breathe in and out quickly and in bursts through your nose several times.
Anyone who follows such a short power session with a few deep breaths will immediately feel the positive effect on their energy levels. However, this breathing technique requires a little practice and should be performed under supervision at first.
In addition to breathing exercises, you can boost your memory performance with vitamin B5. Our FOCUS also contains ginseng and ginkgo biloba . These plants stimulate blood flow to the brain and supply it with additional oxygen. Both have been used for thousands of years to enhance mental performance and improve concentration.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Our practical FOCUS capsules with vitamin B5 and vitamin B12 to support your nervous system and your mental performance also contain ginseng and ginkgo biloba.
5. Conclusion
Deep breathing and intensive breathing exercises help you keep a cool head in certain situations and boost your mental performance.
You can easily incorporate breathing exercises into your daily routine, do them on the go, and quickly make them part of your routine. Increased concentration, mindfulness, and the ability to process emotions effectively are guaranteed. Try it now!
6. Sources
[1] Gourine A, Kasymov V, Marina N (2010) Science. Astrocytes Control Breathing Through pH-Dependent Release of ATP. [ http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2010/07/15/science.1190721 ]
[2] , , Nasal Respiration Entrains Human Limbic Oscillations and Modulates Cognitive Function. [ http://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/49/12448]
[3] Li P, Janczewski WA, Yackle K (2016) Nature. The peptidergic control circuit for sighing [https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16964]
[4] Brefczynski-Lewis JA, Lutz A, Schaefer HS, Levinson DB, Davidson RJ (2007) PNAS. Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners. [ https://centerhealthyminds.org/assets/files-publications/Brefczynski-LewisNeuralPNAS.pdf]
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