Brain Health & Breathing
For the vast majority of us, breathing is so natural that we quite literally do not give it a second thought. It’s also having a bit of a resurgence as a ‘health hack’; many people have said to me “you’re not just going to tell me to breathe, are you?” and I have to admit that I too occasionally fall foul of this perception.
So in holding this view, with a tinge of scepticism I decided to look into the science of breathing, which transpired to be quite educational since I quickly found out that just because we accomplish breathing without thinking it does not mean that we are doing it optimally for our Brain health. I remain humbled by people who conduct rigorous research from a scientific standpoint to help and educate us all.
So, how can breathing support Brain health? Essentially we breathe to keep us alive by mechanically supplying our body with oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. However, there are welcome byproducts of breathing which include influencing movement, sensory perception, mood (inducing calm & reducing anxiety) and supporting cognitive processes. Indeed, the effects of breathing are semantically embedded into our culture to such an extent that they have become sayings in our language; “calm down, just breathe…”, “take a deep breath and…”. So the science of breathing is inadvertently accepted by us all to proactively support our health.
Having elucidated the above, tweaking our breathing habits must be one of the simplest and least expensive (in fact completely free!) habits to adapt. So here are five breathing Nutr’isms you could try to consistently establish to slowly-but-surely support your health, healthspan and Brainspan.
1. Try to breathe through your nose. Compared to mouth-breathing, nose-breathing offers additional ‘hair traps’, filters and passages to trap dust, microbes and pathogens. Nose-breathing pathways also have an internal temperature which may be sufficiently high to deactivate pathogens & pollutants breathed-in from external air.
2. If you can, breathe deeply from your diaphragm (abdomen) rather than shallowly from your lungs. This helps activate the Vagus Nerve (the largest therefore most influential nerve in your body) and may indirectly support the gut & digestion, mood/stress, the cardiovascular system (blood pressure) and Brain/cognitive function (attention & focus).
NOTE: This may be impaired by certain health conditions so if this is the case please consult a Medical professional, Physiotherapist, Bodywork Coach or Breathwork specialist who may be able to help you install breathing techniques appropriate for your physiology.
3. If you snore when you sleep this could be an indicator of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) which suggests insufficient oxygen is getting to your Brain during sleep. Research suggests OSA may trigger neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and impaired Glymphatic detoxification (an insufficient ability to ‘waste-dispose’ excess and toxic debris from in-and-around the Brainspace), thus potentially promoting the development & accumulation of defensive β-Amyloid plaque in the Brain (this is a physiological hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease). OSA is now considered one of the notable contributing factors to cognitive decline and Dementia, so if you snore and have access to remedial anti-snoring therapies it might be worth seeking support for sleep breathing techniques.
4. Be posture conscious. The optimal physiological position for breathing is not to have your head/neck tilting forward; so try to avoid hunching/slouching and a ‘tech neck’ posture when reading / looking at books and/or electronic devices.
5. Invest in an Air Purifier to cleanse your breathing air, and if you do not have animals/pets (or an allergy to plants) you could invest in non-toxic houseplants to help naturally clean the air around you.
Very sadly, changes in breathing are also a notable signifier in the development and progression of Dementia. It is not that the Brain forgets how to breathe, but rather that the Brain loses its regulated capacity to co-ordinate and control the respiratory muscles. (I have personally witnessed the ‘death rattle’ which is a sound I shall not forget to my dying day.) So the message here is to try to mindfully regulate your breathing; it’s free and quite literally keeps you up-and-running.
If breathing exercises are something you would like to research for yourself, here is a link to a webpage giving you micro ideas.
Please note that these are just a few general recommendations; they are not personalised and they are not tailored to include recommendations for any existing health imbalances or medical conditions. In these cases, if you have a health or medical condition that needs specific nutritional management and requirements, please consult a medical professional and/or a Nutritionist/Dietician expert.
And remember; if you are taking any medications always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist as well as your Doctor before making significant dietary or lifestyle changes. This blog post is written for educational purposes only and in reference to ‘food’. It is NOT advocating taking dietary supplements. It is very important to please always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist and your Doctor before introducing any dietary supplements into your health regime as these qualified professionals will be able to offer personalised recommendations.
If Brain, cognitive and/or memory are issues which you are struggling with and you want to discover the inspiring & sustainable diet & lifestyle programmes offered by Nutritional Therapy, get in touch via the Contact Mepage on this website, or directly on info@eatdrinkthinknutrition.co.uk for more information about 1:2:1 Consultations with Kate at Eat Drink Think Nutrition®
In the meantime, don’t forget Eat, Drink, Think Nutrition and spare a thought (no pun intended) for your Brain health. Losing your Brain power can be even more devastating to you, and those around you, than losing an aspect of your physical health, so why wouldn’t you start to look after your Brain ASAP since diet and lifestyle modifications actioned NOW could save a lot of distress and heartbreak later in life.
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