Most people in North America breathe from the upper chest area, rather than from the belly, which is the way we breathe as small children.[1] This shallow chest breathing can result in something called overbreathing, which in turn causes a pH imbalance in the body, which can lead to a number of problems.[2] Immediate problems caused by bad breathing include changes in heart rate, anxiety, fatigue, headache, dry mouth, attention deficit, trembling, sense of disconnectedness, muscle spasms, and many, many more.[2] More prolonged bad breathing can contribute to ADD and ADHD, memory issues, anger, performance anxiety, panic attacks, depression, generalized anxiety, burnout, hypertension, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep disturbances, and so on and so on.[2] You could say that bad breathing is just plain bad for your health.
So what does it take to turn bad breathing into good breathing? There are many different breathing exercises that can help, but the simplest one is to spend a little time every day paying attention to your breathing and re-learning how to breathe from your belly. This is often called diaphragmatic breathing.[1]
Learning proper breathing is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your health without spending any money. It will probably be beneficial too! Then again, if you do want to spend a little money to get a little help, most holistic health practitioners would be able to help you.
Just remember, breathe deeply and slowly from the belly. It's great for your health!
[1] Brian Luke Seaward. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being (5th ed.) (Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006).
[2] Peter M. Litchfield. Good Breathing, Bad Breathing, 2006. Accessed February 23, 2011 from http://www.bp.edu/Good and Bad Breathing.pdf
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