An Alarm System in Your Brain: Breathing and the Stress Response (Part 3)

KAYLE SANDBERG-LEWIS BCN-FELLOW, M.A., LMT

This is part 3 of a 6 part series, from Kayle Sandberg-Lewis, on how our brains have evolved to deal with threats, both real and perceived and how we may feel safer, sleep better, and digest our food more easily.

Fun fact: Inhaling triggers a sympathetic response [“fright/flight”] while exhaling triggers a parasympathetic response [“rest and digest”]. This is reflected in something called “Heart Rate Variability” or HRV, a beat to beat differential that has been shown to be a great indicator of overall health – mental, emotional and physical. The greater the peak to trough difference and the more consistent that wave form, the better the health.

I think of it as Nature’s way of telling us that balance is necessary for a functional life.

Another fun fact: Sympathetic dominance makes us more alert to pain and discomfort while parasympathetic dominance is analgesic in nature. That is why it makes no sense for the practitioner to say, “Take a deep breath” before giving a shot or inserting the speculum. The complete sentence should be, “Take a deep breath and now let it out sloooowly.”

Last month we discussed dispersing the effects of the stress response after it has occurred – shuddering and sighing. [Sighing – there is that exhalation again!] Now let’s talk about how our breathing patterns can actually TRIGGER the stress response and keep us on edge.

Remember that veld where we were gathering grubs a few millennia ago? We heard the twig snap, jerked our heads back and stopped breathing – all at once. Breathing can be noisy and holding the breath can give us a moment to determine presence and direction of potential harm. It is meant to be momentary and then we either run like crazy or resume what we were doing.

What if we resume what we were doing but keep breathing shallowly?

For the past couple of months, I have been writing about the brainstem. We have discussed how it “listens in” on what we do and how we react. It then makes assumptions – generally negative – about the danger we are facing. This can trigger and then maintain a level of anxiety that makes life less enjoyable than it might otherwise be. If we do not shudder and sigh, and resume breathing but do so shallowly – so the breath enters only the upper parts of our lungs – we are telling the eavesdropping brainstem that the threat continues. Plus, because the lungs are shaped the way they are, we are inhaling less air when we breathe shallowly, so we must breathe more rapidly to come close to the gas exchange level we need to stay alive.

There are three names for this rapid breathing/breath holding pattern: Breathing Pattern Disorders, Chronic Hyperventilation or Over Breathing. Most of us are familiar with “hyperventilation”. It can be caused by several organic problems such as diabetic ketoacidosis or pregnancy, but it is exceedingly rare. Actual hyperventilation – breathing in excess of 22 breaths per minute – makes up only 1% of the cases. Our “chronic” hyperventilation can feel “normal”, even when interspersed with breath holding and occurs between 18 and 20 breaths per minute. It is important to note we are talking about a resting state. How rapidly you breathe should be dependent on your physical activity. Exerting yourself physically is going to require more frequent gas exchange than when at rest. This is why the definition of chronic hyperventilation includes “breathing in excess of metabolic requirements”. You SHOULD breathe more frequently when climbing a mountain or salsa dancing than when sitting in a recliner.

Take a look at the attached drawing of the fellow I call a truly miserable man. Clustered around him are the many issues triggered by over breathing.

So now you have an idea of what chronic hyperventilation can cause, but how do you change a breathing pattern? I will be the first to admit it is NOT easy. You probably learned maladaptive breathing rather early in life and since breathing is governed primarily by the autonomic nervous system, it goes unobserved for the most part. Trying to change something that engrained will not happen quickly.

There are two exercises I want to share with you:

1. Pick three “prompts” or “cues” – my suggestions are doorknobs, faucets and light switches because they occur throughout most days and are transitional in nature – going from one room to another; going from dry to wet; going from dark to light or vice versa.

• As you reach out, take a slow breath in, counting to 4 or so – (you will become more comfortable with longer inhalations the more often you do the exercise.)

• Hold your breath for a count of two

• Purse your lips and slowly exhale as you count backwards from 8 to 1. [However long it took to inhale, double that time for exhaling]. Then go about your day until you encounter the next cue.

• If you do this throughout the day, you will become more aware of your breathing patterns and more likely to catch yourself when you either hold your breath or breathe shallowly.

2. Practice diaphragmatic breathing to the best of your ability. While sitting or standing, place your hands at your sides, touching the base of your ribcage. As you inhale, your ribcage should move outwards. This is an indication that your diaphragm has engaged and you are breathing into the lowest lobes of your lungs. Breathe in slowly through your nose which cleans the air and adjusts the air temperature before it reaches those oh so delicate lungs. The last aspect of your body to expand should be the upper chest.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have been doing the shallow breathing throughout your life, your body, in its wisdom, has probably turned to a compensatory mechanism called the Bohr effect that will make slow diaphragmatic breathing very difficult – you may get dizzy, angry, antsy, see spots – there are many responses– because you are suddenly flooding your system with much more oxygen than it is accustomed to dealing with. If after a few minutes, you feel uncomfortable doing slow, deep breathing, return to just doing the type of breathing in step 1. It will, over time, uncouple the Bohr effect and allow you to do the deep, soothing diaphragmatic breathing you deserve.

Why is breathing with the diaphragm so important in lowering anxiety? The diaphragm is innervated by the tenth cranial nerve or vagus nerve which is both a motor nerve (it tells several organs what to do) AND a sensory nerve – it tells the brain what those organs are doing. When it is not engaged and the breathing is shallow, and therefore rapid, the brainstem gets the message and interprets it as DANGER. When the diaphragm is moving smoothly and slowly, the brainstem believes all’s right with the world. After all, how else could one breathe so peacefully?

The day we were born, the first thing we did was inhale – we became “inspired”. When we die, the last thing we do is exhale and we “expire”. Most of us would prefer our expiration date come later rather than sooner. Proper breathing can help.

Kayle Sandberg-Lewis holds a M.A. in Behavioral Medicine, the study of how what we do affects our well-being. She has over three decades experience in stress management and is board certified in neurofeedback, which she introduced to her practice in 1996. Kayle co-founded Hive Mind Medicine in 2019, where she currently offers neurofeedback to her clients. Telehealth consults are available.

Hive Mind Medicine blog posts are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your health care practitioner for personalized guidance. Click on the contact button below if you would like to schedule with one of our Hive Mind practitioners.