We are good at breathing badly and need to relearn how to breathe deeply and effectively using our abdomen, just as we did when we were babies.  Proper breathing enables our cells to recuperate and our bodies to relax and sleep.

You may be in for a surprise to discover that we breathe no fewer than 20,000 times a day.  It is the only vital bodily function that is both conscious and unconscious.  During the night, when we are asleep, we continue to breathe without thiinking about it.  However, if we want to control our breathing, we can do so at any time.  We can speed it up, slow it down or hold it at will.  In this way our breathing represents a bridge between the brain and the body, the mental and the physical.  Learning to breathe deeply helps us to control our emotions, reduce feelings of anxiety and prepare for a calm sleep.

Learn how to breathe through your stomach

Abdominal breathing helps to improve the exchange of gases by forcing air deep into the alveoli (air cells).  Waste matter is dispelled more quickly and effectively and our body is cleansed.  This relaxed form of breathing helps to dispel nerves and relieve tension and stress.  Follow the instructions below and perform this breathing exercise for a few minutes just before going to bed.  It will help you prepare for sleep.

-  Breathe in whilst inflating your stomach and then your thoracic cage

-  Count to five whilst retaining the oxygen in your lungs

-  Exhale slowly whilst contracting your abdominal muscles

-  Count to five before inhaling again

Did you know

-> The nose plays a vital role in the breathing process.  It warms and moistens the oxygen as it travels through it passages, stripping it of dust and grime at the same time.

->  The nose is also equipped with a mucus lining that humidifies the air as it is inhaled.

->  It is also armed with cilia (nasal hairs) that cpature the particles of dust and then expel them during exhalation.