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Breathing and the brain

For thousands of years people have been aware of the power of breathing. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to live without breathing, but many people are unaware that  breathing incorrectly is also very likely to cause physical problems. What not many people are also unaware of is the fact that if there is a problem with the lungs, the chance that a heart issue can arise is really high. Unfortunately, even in the medical world, insufficient attention is often paid to this. I have personally experienced this with several people in my area who have also developed heart problems while living with a lung disease and where this was diagnosed just in time. So here’s a tip in between. If you have a lung disease, have your heart checked regularly.

Scientific research

What scientists are now also discovering is how breathing affects the brain. A study by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research*, published in the Journal of Neurophysiology, shows that different regions of the brain related to emotion, attention and body awareness, are activated when we pay attention to our breathing. Specifically when we consciously do a breathing exercise in a fixed rhythm. For example, inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 6 counts, hold for 4 counts.

The study
In this study, researchers wanted to better understand how the brain responds to different breathing exercises. They chose six adults who were already undergoing intracranial EEG monitoring for epilepsy. (EEG monitoring involves placing electrodes directly on the brain to record electrical activity and see where the seizures are coming from.) These adults were asked to participate in three breathing exercises while their brains were monitored.

The first exercise
The participants started with resting with their eyes open for about eight minutes while breathing normally. They then accelerated their breathing, at a high rate, for a little about two minutes, while breathing through the nose. Finishing this exercise with slowing back to normal breathing. This cycle was repeated eight times.

The second exercise
Participants were asked to count how often they breathed in and out at two-minute intervals, and to report how many breaths they had taken. Researchers also recorded the number of breaths during each interval with names and noted when the answers were correct and incorrect.

Third exercise
Finally, the participants completed an attention task while wearing a device that monitored their breathing cycle. During this exercise one had to watch a video screen with black circles at different fixed locations. They were asked to press one of the 4 keyboard keys as quickly as possible when they notice one of the circles change from black to white.

At the end of the study, the researchers looked at how the participants’ respiratory rate varied between different tasks and checked whether their brain activity changed depending on the task they were doing. They found that breathing affects brain regions, including the cortex and midbrain, more than previously thought.

Dealing with stress: is it all in the breathing?

This study showed an increase in activity in a network of brain structures, including the amygdala, when participants started breathing rapidly. Activity in the amygdala suggests that rapid breathing can cause anxiety, anger or tension, among other things. Other studies have shown that we tend to tune in more to fear when we breathe quickly. Conversely, it may be possible to reduce anxiety and tension by slowing our breathing.

This study also observed a strong association between the participants’ intentional (that is, stimulated) breathing and activation in the insula. The insula regulates the autonomic nervous system and is linked to body awareness. Previous studies have linked deliberate breathing with posterior insular activation, suggesting that paying special attention to breathing can increase awareness of a person’s physical state – an important skill that is taught in practices such as yoga and meditation.

Finally, researchers noted that when participants closely monitored their breathing, both the insula and anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain involved in moment-to-moment awareness, were active.

Taken together, the results of this study support a link between types of breathing (fast, intentional, and mindful) and activation in brain structures involved in thinking, feeling, and behavior. This increases the possibility that certain breathing strategies can be used as aids to help people control their thoughts, moods, and experiences.

Find the original research article here: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00551.2017