When it comes to breathing there are two types of people:
- those that do it
- those that don’t
If you are from the second category, don’t bother reading on. My advice only applies to those who have discovered how vital breathing can be to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As we breath in and out all day long we create certain habits. Some can be very detrimental over the long term if you are not made aware of them.
- Posture- try this: stick your chin way out, and roll your shoulders forward. Now try to take a deep breath. Next, sit up straight with your head over your chest and your shoulders pulled back and breath again. The first type of posture compresses the thoracic cavity and limits breathing. Think about it the next time you are slumped in front of a computer for a few hours. Low oxygen can make you feel strangled, if you know what I mean. If you can get more O2 to your brain, it is more likely to perform well.
- Core strength- One of the so-called ‘core muscles’ is the diaphragm. In normal, everyday breathing, you should use your diaphragm, rather than your chest, to expand your lungs. A simple way to check: stick your belly out when you inhale. Your guts need move out of the way in order for your diaphragm to pull down on those lungs. A stronger core will lower your chances of back pain. So, think “pot belly” whenever you are engaged in day-to-day breathing (versus exertion when those auxiliary rib muscles can expand the lungs even further).
- Blood Pressure- Stay with me here. One function of the heart is to pump oxygen throughout the body so that your tissues have what they need. If you only breath with the top third of your lungs–because of bad posture, and neglecting your diaphragm–your heart has to work harder to get the oxygen delivered to the rest of your body. High blood pressure may result. High blood pressure is linked to lots of health problems, including an early death from heart disease. So, rather than die early, just take a few minutes each day to practice breathing more effectively.
In summary, breathing right can increase your life span and make you fell better day to day. There are many more ideas and thoughts out there on correct breathing and I would appreciate comments and replies (maybe from a few yogis?).
Sleep is a valuable resource. Due to the types of problems I see in my office, I am frequently talking about sleep with my patients. Here are some general tips and a video link with a demonstration. (Don’t worry, the video is not just me taking a nap).
1. Minimize stress to your spine. Get it into a neutral position.
- For back sleepers, try elevating your legs. Place a pillow under your knees. This can take some stress off the lower back by relaxing your hip flexor muscles.
- For side sleepers, bend your knees and place a pillow between them. If you can keep your legs parallel to one another, they won’t get a chance to pull on one muscle group more than another. Make sure that the pillow under your head is roughly the same width as your shoulder so that that your neck is not cranked up or down. Resist the urge to put your arm under your head–this can put pressure on some sensitive nerves and blood vessels which can cause numbness.
- For stomach sleepers, don’t do it. I don’t know of a good way to sleep on your stomach. Sorry. If you do it frequently, then you’ll just need to call your chiropractor on a regular basis.
2. Create a routine
- regular exercise will put your body into a rhythm, but don’t do it too close to bed time. This gets the nervous system geared up for more action.
- go to bed a the same time each night
- consider keeping a sleep journal to help identify patterns
3. Try to sleep on a regular cycle
- your body works on 90 minute cycles during restful sleep. This means you’ll do better if you don’t wake in the middle of one. Go for 4.5, 6, 7.5, or 9 hours.
4. Keep a pedestal fan in your bedroom
- first, it is a great source of white noise (ceiling fans don’t work as well for this). Think of it like a jammer to block out other sounds that might interrupt your rest.
- second, a gentle breeze across your face actually puts your body into a state called “sensory adaptation”. The constant stimulus will cause your brain to ignore it, thus calming your sympathetic nervous system and enhancing your sleep.
5. Watch what you put into your body
- avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, and soda
- don’t drink liquids too close to bed time–those bathroom trips can be a major interruption
- melatonin, vitamin B, and other supplements can be helpful. However, it must be customized for each person. Call me to find out more (360-834-3434)
6. Pick the right mattress and pillow–ready for the secret?
- there is no ’silver bullet’ of mattresses. everyone must find what works the best for them.
- in general, try to balance comfort with support. I use a firm mattress with an inexpensive foam egg crate pad on top.
- see the video for the pillow I recommend–if you went to the trouble to read this far, you may simply mention this article to receive $10 off of one of our Tri-Core Pillows.
