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A breathing frequency of six to eight times per minute is enough, but most people breathe much faster. This causes fatigue, agitation and restlessness. Complaints that in turn lead to more frequent and faster breathing.
The wrong way
About 85 percent of the world’s population breathes the wrong way. This can lead to hyperventilation , for example. “In the Netherlands alone , one million people are registered with this type of complaint,” says Ingrid Del Ferro, a specialist in the field of stuttering and hyperventilation and overcoming them.
“This involves acute hyperventilation, where you are standing in a store , for example, and suddenly think: panic, I’m fainting! But there is also chronic hyperventilation, with symptoms such as feeling light-headed, a tight feeling in your chest, dizziness or fatigue.”
Fatigued by chronic hyperventilation
One cause is that people under stress often breathe high with their chest and shoulders. “They tighten their chest and shoulders all day long, even though those have nothing to do with breathing at all. That ‘s enormously strenuous,” Del Ferro said. “Scientific research has shown that one minute of chest breathing takes as much energy as lifting a sixty-kilo weight over your head. You can get very stuffy from that. Often after that, the fear of hyperventilating also develops.”
This is how to break through chronic hyperventilation
The good news: You can break the downward spiral with a special breathing technique.
- Stand in front of a mirror, keep your back straight and relax your shoulders.
- Put both hands on your ribs in such a way that you feel with your little finger feel the lower rib and point your thumb toward your back.
- Inhale gently through your nose and while inhaling, push your hands out with your ribs. Check in the mirror that when you inhale, your chest and shoulders do not move with you.
- Then exhale well through your mouth and allow the diaphragm to relax well.
“The idea is to breathe only with your ribs to avoid high, tense and shallow breathing. You will find that you immediately feel more space, peace and relaxation in your head and body,” said Ingrid Del Ferro. Breathing expert Koen de Jong, author of Verademing, adds: “It is good to do this consciously for ten minutes a day for a hundred days. Because all kinds of research shows that it takes you about three months to learn or unlearn certain behaviors. Whether that’s undesirable behavior like smoking or desirable behavior like breathing calmly. If you stick to breathing properly for ten minutes a day for a hundred days, it’s in your system and you automatically start breathing in a different way.”
If symptoms are persistent or severe , always consult a doctor.