{"id":110020,"date":"2025-05-17T21:29:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T21:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/110020\/"},"modified":"2025-05-17T21:29:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T21:29:08","slug":"your-brain-loves-deep-breathing-science-explains-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/110020\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Brain Loves Deep Breathing, Science Explains Why"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Breathwork, or the practice of intentionally controlling one\u2019s breathing, has been shown to calm brain activity, reduce anxiety, and even ease symptoms of depression.<\/p>\n<p>Deep, slow breathing engages neural circuits that regulate emotional states, producing a measurable calming effect. This process is rooted in biology, not belief\u2014animal studies show that consistent slow breathing reduces fear responses, confirming the effect isn\u2019t just placebo.<\/p>\n<p>Simple techniques like box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing can offer benefits in as little as five minutes. While intense breathwork methods can cause altered states, most people benefit from basic breathing exercises. Breathwork offers a powerful, accessible tool for managing stress and enhancing mental well-being.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Neurobiological Basis:<\/strong> Breathwork activates calming signals across brain circuits.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proven in Animals:<\/strong> Mice trained to breathe slowly showed reduced fear responses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simple Is Effective:<\/strong> Techniques like box breathing can lower stress in just minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>UCLA<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breathwork \u2013 intentionally changing breathing patterns to improve physical, mental or emotional well-being \u2013 may seem woo-woo, but the science behind the practice is sound, says\u00a0Jack Feldman, PhD, a professor of neurobiology at the\u00a0David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Feldman discussed how breathing affects the brain in a conversation with Tyrone Lindqvist, lead singer of the Australian electronic dance trio Rufus Du Sol, on a recent episode of the \u201cSing for Science\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n<p>  <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/deep-beating-calmness-neurosicnce.jpg\" alt=\"This shows a person in the lotus position. The brain and lungs are highlighted.\"  \/> In other words, do deep breaths calm us down because we expect them to? Credit: Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p>The band has incorporated breathwork into its pre-performance ritual, Lindqvist said, and its new album, \u201cInhale\/Exhale,\u201d was partly inspired by the practice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBreathwork has felt like a big part of our last three years,\u201d Lindqvist said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Feldman has been studying breathing and the brain for more than 40 years. In 1986, he discovered and named the area in the brain responsible for generating and controlling breathing, known as the preB\u00f6tzinger Complex.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, he and colleagues have\u00a0investigated the effects of breathing rhythms and patterns on emotions, finding that slower breathing leads to a calmer mental state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think that the survival of early mammals was improved by their ability to breathe slowly,\u201d Dr. Feldman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll mammals sigh, and we think under proper conditions they use their own form of breathwork in response to stressful situations. \u2026 It\u2019s something we think that evolved early that we ultimately hijacked in terms of breathwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What makes breathwork work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Feldman started his research in this area probing what he thought was a simple question: What mechanisms in the brain allow it to create a reliable breathing pattern that persists throughout the lifespan and adapts to movement, speech and other activities instantly and without thought?<\/p>\n<p>This line of inquiry has led him to publish more than 150 scientific papers to date.<\/p>\n<p>The short answer to why breathwork can have such profound effects on the body and mind is that there are signals related to breathing throughout the brain, he said.<\/p>\n<p>An intentionally deep breath affects those signals, resulting in a calming response. Breathing is also involved in the signaling pathway for depression, he said, adding that studies show that consistent breathwork practice can be effective in treating conditions such as anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n<p>But one doesn\u2019t need to understand how breath affects the brain to benefit from breathwork, Dr. Feldman said, \u201cmuch like you can drive a car without understanding how an engine works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Practicing common breathing techniques, such as box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, for a few minutes a day is a great way to start, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Box breathing involves inhaling for four counts, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding for four; 4-7-8 breathing refers to inhaling for four counts, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Feldman said Navy SEALS are known to use box breathing and other breathwork techniques to calm themselves in highly stressful situations.<\/p>\n<p>Some of Dr. Feldman\u2019s\u00a0recent work has investigated whether the placebo effect contributes to the efficacy of breathwork. In other words, do deep breaths calm us down because we expect them to?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a stressful situation, just sit down and take a few deep breaths, five minutes, and people will discover it\u2019s restorative,\u201d\u00a0says Dr. Jack Feldman.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, he and his colleagues modified breathing rates in mice, causing them to breathe more slowly for 30 minutes a day over a period of four weeks. Tests afterward showed the mice were much less fearful than a control group whose breathing wasn\u2019t slowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s pretty amazing how much less fearful they were,\u201d Dr. Feldman said. \u201cThe fact that we can see the effect of breathwork in mice really indicates that it\u2019s \u2026 not all placebo components.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hopes the study, which is awaiting publication, \u201cwill have a positive impact on individuals who think breathwork is one of these woo-woo things, that you have to believe in something in particular to make it work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breathing methods<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lindqvist was introduced to breathwork by his father-in-law, who was interested in Wim Hof, a Dutch athlete who advocates an intense breathing technique of quick, deep breaths followed by holding the breath for as long as a minute.<\/p>\n<p>The practice can lead to lightheadedness and tingling sensations in the hands and feet. Hof claims it supports stress reduction and improves sleep. His website also indicates the technique can lead to loss of consciousness.<\/p>\n<p>For Lindqvist, the practice created a feeling of being \u201cextremely present\u201d that lasted for several hours, he said.<\/p>\n<p>People new to breathwork should start with something less intense, Dr. Feldman suggested: \u201cDon\u2019t go out and run a marathon when you\u2019ve been sitting on the couch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Wim Hof Method and a similar technique, Holotropic Breathwork, can lead to altered states of consciousness, which both Lindqvist and Dr. Feldman described as \u201cpsychedelic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This \u2013 and the tingling physical sensations \u2013 likely results from changes in carbon dioxide levels caused by hyperventilation, Dr. Feldman explained.<\/p>\n<p>Carbon dioxide levels determine the pH, or acid base balance, of the blood, which has \u201ca profound effect on the neurons in your brain as well as the rest of your body,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Techniques such as the Wim Hof Method or Holotropic Breathwork can be invigorating, he said. But basic, slow breathing is all that\u2019s needed for most people to experience the stress-reducing benefits of breathwork.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a stressful situation, just sit down and take a few deep breaths, five minutes, and people will discover it\u2019s restorative,\u201d Dr. Feldman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe not everyone, but a lot of people will find that to be beneficial, and to me, that\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>About this breathwork and neuroscience research news<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#b9eef1d6cccacdd6d7f9d4dcddd7dccd97ccdad5d897dcddcc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Will Houston<\/a><br \/><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ucla.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UCLA<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact: <\/strong>Will Houston \u2013 UCLA<br \/><strong>Image: <\/strong>The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: Breathwork, or the practice of intentionally controlling one\u2019s breathing, has been shown to calm brain activity, reduce&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[2665,215,50008,50009,50010,105,218,219,220,222,11228,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-110020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-anxiety","9":"tag-brain-research","10":"tag-breathwork","11":"tag-calm","12":"tag-deep-breathing","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-neurobiology","16":"tag-neuroscience","17":"tag-psychology","18":"tag-ucla","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114525304569488324","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}