Are you constantly busy and stressed? Always tired or struggling with chronic neck and shoulder pain? Do you have cold hands? Find yourself gasping for air sometimes? Shallow breathing could be behind your symptoms. By shallow breathing we mean taking breaths up high in the chest, using the neck and shoulder muscles, which prevents the breath from reaching its proper depth. Those accessory muscles tire, tighten and become sore from the extra work.

The basic purpose of breathing is to deliver oxygen to the blood for the tissues (the cells) and to remove carbon dioxide on the exhale. The balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide affects our body’s acid–base equilibrium, and shifts in that balance can cause a range of unpleasant—and often vague—symptoms. The diaphragm is the most efficient breathing muscle and one of the body’s most important muscles.

Breathing affects many things:

• The diaphragm is the primary muscle of inhalation, so it’s largely responsible for ensuring that the body, tissues and brain get enough oxygen; using it also enables automatic and efficient removal of carbon dioxide when we exhale.
• The diaphragm influences pressure changes between the chest and abdominal cavities, so it plays a significant role in moving bodily fluids and supporting lymphatic and venous return.

Where the diaphragm is located

When learning diaphragmatic breathing, it helps to know where the diaphragm sits. You can think of it like a parachute or piston within the chest cavity. When the diaphragm contracts it moves downward a few centimetres, pressing against the liver and stomach and drawing air into the lungs. When it relaxes it returns upward toward the heart, which almost seems to sit on top of the diaphragm.

Vague symptoms of shallow breathing

Symptoms of shallow breathing are often vague and underdiagnosed — they’re not always linked to breathing, even though they can include:

• tension in the neck and shoulders >> tension headaches, dizziness, tingling or numbness in the hands
• cold fingers and toes
• weakness and trembling
• sharp pain when taking a deep breath
• frequent yawning or “blowing”

And then again, which came first — the chicken or the egg? Sometimes pain, anxiety, stress or rush can cause shallow breathing. Either way, it’s worth pausing to listen to how we breathe and whether it could be improved. Breathing matters, which is why I check most clients’ breathing patterns. I also explain the diaphragm’s many effects on the body and teach how to breathe so the diaphragm can work efficiently.

Shallow breathing, aka chronic hyperventilation

Shallow breathing is also called chronic hyperventilation. Hyperventilation alters the body’s—and especially the blood’s—acid–base balance in an unfavorable way when too much carbon dioxide is expelled. Shallow breathing can be described as “panting,” where the breathing rate increases from the normal roughly six breaths per minute to a higher rate. The faster breathing can cause respiratory alkalosis, where CO2 deficit and disrupted neural control of breathing create a malfunction. This becomes a vicious cycle that further increases hyperventilation. Chronic hyperventilation should not be confused with an acute hyperventilation attack, which I won’t cover here.

What helps

Shallow breathing is often a sneaky symptom that goes unnoticed unless you suspect it as the cause. The good news is it can be corrected by doing the right things.

• I recommend seeing a therapist who specializes in respiratory physiology, treatment and coaching to receive guided breathing exercises.
• You can practice breathing exercises yourself or take up activities that relax the body and mind, such as mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, meditation, etc.
• Listen to and feel your breath. Does it reach your belly, or is it shallow and confined to the chest?

Slow, mindful breathing exercise

Practicing slow, mindful breathing is a resource worth using. This exercise is also called diaphragmatic breathing because it aims to engage the diaphragm. Research shows it can help with stress and pain management and various vague symptoms.

“Lie on your back (or sit) on a comfortable surface in a dim, quiet space. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Close your eyes. Inhale through your nose for about 4 seconds and feel the hand on your belly rise toward the ceiling while the hand on your chest moves slightly forward and upward. After inhaling, exhale slowly and steadily through your lips for about 6–8 seconds. Repeat this for a few minutes.”

During the exercise your heart rate and blood pressure drop, brain electrical activity slows, the sympathetic nervous system calms down, peripheral circulation improves, and blood pH balance moves back toward normal.

To make a lasting change in your breathing pattern you need many correct repetitions. It may take weeks or months for diaphragmatic breathing to become automatic and for vague symptoms to fade. You can do these exercises almost anywhere—on the bus to work or at your desk during a busy day. After a short pause you’ll feel more alert and able to handle work and home life better.

You can get more out of breathing exercises if you consciously relax your muscles throughout the body at the same time. A body scan is a great way to do that. You can start from the toes or from the crown of your head — the point is to move through the body part by part. Pause to feel your toes, then your feet, ankles, shins, and so on, lingering for a moment in each area. Move on once you notice that area starting to relax. A body scan can take around 10–20 minutes, and I’d bet you’ll feel more relaxed afterward.

Would you like to come to my clinic in Metsälä so we can take a look at how your breathing is working? You can book an appointment using this link.

Also read another piece I wrote about breathing here >> “Pain when breathing — osteopathy can help immediately.” You might also be interested in this related Iltalehti article.

Thanks for reading my blog 🙂

Jerry
osteopath, personal trainer

Sources:
Recognizing and Treating Breathing Disorders: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 2nd ed. by Leon Chaitow ND DO (UK). 2014.

Breathing Pattern Disorders: Including Biomechanical Influences. Evidence-Informed Osteopathic & Rehabilitation Approaches. Seminar materials, Barcelona, Leon Chaitow, DO, ND. 2015.

The effect of deep and slow breathing on pain perception, autonomic activity, and mood processing — an experimental study. Busch V et al. Pain Med. 2012.