*Note: This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on them and make a purchase, Talks with Eve, at no additional cost to you, may receive compensation or credit from our partners. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Breath is Spirit. The act of breathing is Living. ~Author Unknown
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Stop. Breathing. Right. Now.
What do you think will happen in the next second? Minute? Gasp…hour? Hmm, well maybe NOT an hour LOL!
Do you know that although it can be dangerous to hold your breath, it can also be beneficial to your health? Well, only to a point. Read on to find out more.
Whoa! Pump the Brakes!
One moment, please. I am a little ahead of myself. Let me go back to the beginning – BEFORE I got distracted by holding my breath!
The holiday season is upon us as first Thanksgiving, then Christmas approaches. I wonder about stress. How many are moving at such a frantic pace they may, without conscious thought, forget to breathe – at times?!
Forget to Breathe?
Forget. To. Breathe! Yes, it IS possible. Actually, it DOES happen. According to Psychology Today, when you are under stress, holding your breath can occur.
Note that this does NOT mean you stop breathing altogether. Yikes! If you stopped breathing because you are stressed imagine how small the world’s population would be! What it means, is that your breathing just becomes restricted, as you take very shallow breaths.
My Breath Experiment
Well, I just could NOT resist. You should know that I tried holding my breath! I pulled out my iPhone, scrolled to the Stopwatch feature under Utilities, then took two breaths. Inhaling deeply, then exhaling pushing out all the air, I prepared myself. Later I found out that to hold my breath longer, I had gone in the wrong order – I should have exhaled THEN inhaled – who knew? While simultaneously pushing the Start button to begin the Stopwatch, I held my breath.
At 11 seconds I could feel the beginning of the formation of my body’s panicked reaction. When 15 seconds rolled by, I felt my chest tightening. The urge to breathe was quite strong. Nonetheless, I hung in there, and by 21 seconds I almost felt calm – well, almost.
My body began its rebellion at around 29 seconds, and I knew it would be over soon as I felt its reflective need to override what I was doing to it. At 34.30 seconds I had to stop the stopwatch – my body automatically restarted breathing – and I began coughing!
Strange, then again maybe not, but after my little experiment, I felt a small change in my body. A tad more mental energy. Can you imagine the outcome if I experimented some more? Or maybe the change was due to the deep breaths I had to take to stop coughing?!
Other Voluntary Breath Holders
In case you are wondering, my experiment was not a failure(:p). According to the Smithsonian, studies indicated 30 seconds, (maybe at the most 1 or 2 minutes) is the length of time most people can hold their breath. With training, the length of time can be increased.
Aleix Segura Vendrell holds the Guinness World Record (male) for the longest time involuntarily holding one’s breath: 24 min 3.45 secs., achieved in Barcelona, Spain on February 28, 2016. Karoline Mariechen Meyer holds the Guinness World Record (female): 18 min 32.59 secs., achieved in Florianopolis, Brazil on July 10, 2009.
How to Successfully Hold Your Breath
You can successfully (for a considerable amount of time) hold your breath. Swimmers and freedivers know that only too well. I found this (what I would call ‘magical’ because it is so amazing) video of a woman running along the ocean floor. The woman running, Sofia Gomez Uribe, is a freediver from Medellin, Columbia, and holds a freediving women’s world record of 282 feet!
Unless you are an athlete in training, when you would need to repeatedly practice the steps to holding your breath, you need only three steps: Deep belly breathing, breath purging, and normal breathing. Nick Holt, a surfer and fitness trainer, describes the basic 3-step breath technique, that he, and freedivers use, to hold their breath underwater. Please check out the technique for informational purposes only. Thank you!
Holding Your Breath Can Be Bad For You
You are supposed to breathe out the carbon dioxide but when you hold your breath, it is held (trapped) within your body. As you breathe in the oxygen you replenish the needs of your body – especially your brain. I am sure you have heard of brain damage being caused by a lack of oxygen to the body. Think of the plethora of medical shows on all the television networks. All the traumas, emergencies, and surgeries that take place, and the primary impact of oxygen…or lack thereof! The outcome desperately relying on the usually unconscious patient having enough oxygen.
The short-term holding of your breath may not be an issue. The body is wired to restart the breathing process if it is not receiving enough oxygen. Who has not witnessed a child (or been THAT child) who protested by holding their breath? By the way, if you did that as a child, were you successful in getting what you wanted? According to Science Daily, a study by the American Physiological Society indicated holding the breath causes the body to panic, and if done continuously, will over time lead to brain damage. So please be mindful of this information, and be careful if you do hold your breath just for fun.
Holding Your Breath Can Be Good For You
I went searching for alternate information. To find out if holding your breath can be good. Are there any benefits? I found many articles touting the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits of controlling breathing.
The practice of controlled breathing seems to be the underscored factor of yogis for improved concentration and vitality. Controlled breathing pausing after a deep breath then exhaling slowly, appears to help in calming your nervous system. In turn, among other benefits, it helps in reducing stress.
Despite all the articles on breathing, I did NOT find any that specifically referenced it as being good to hold your breath. I would hazard a guess that means it is not such a good idea! So just DON’T DO IT!
Inhale. Exhale
You may think that I have digressed. A LOT – from my original opening statement! Nope! This is all about breathing. We do it automatically. We do not think about it unless our breathing is compromised – such as being stressed.
The stress (don’t deny it) that comes with the holidays, makes it a good time to talk about breathing. As mentioned before, stress can make you hold your breath. The objectives of the first step of the 3-step breath technique, deep belly breathing, would be greatly beneficial to you if you are feeling stressed with all the holiday festivities and planning.
Just imagine how relaxed you would feel, after completing the instructions of deep belly breathing. Your stress hormones would be decreased, and your heart rate reduced. Once you have done it, understand the process, and gotten relief, it may become your go-to method when next you are feeling stressed. Now you have a tool for stress relief.
Other Resources (Tools)
You may be interested in other information and resources for stress relief. American College of Cardiology provides a factsheet on how to breathe to control stress. You can also do yoga, tai chi, or meditation to learn how to be aware of, and control, your breathing.
Find what works for you and do it. Be aware of your breathing by practicing mindful breathing. Yes, that is a thing, and with it, you will be able to manage not just your stress, but also anger and anxiety. Imagine how much more comfortable you will be in any potentially stressful situation.
I know the holiday is already upon us, but it is not too late. You can begin right now. Breathe to relieve stress. And not just holiday stress.
Have an enjoyable and stress-free holiday!
Leave a Reply