Why is it important to breathe well in quarantine? Some tips to do it better

Breathing not only allows us to live, but it also helps us to be much calmer. According to Uno Santa Fe, humans "breathe in and out between five and six liters of air per minute", which implies that, in 24 hours, a person breathes between 7,200 and 8,600 liters.

However, breathing instinctively does not mean that we cannot improve this technique, as it could help us to go through some of the mental issues brought by the pandemic. For example, the Heraldo website highlights that if confinement generates anxiety, it is necessary to learn to breathe, filling the body with oxygen through deep inhalations and exhalations.

Therefore, it is possible that, although you know how to breathe (because otherwise you would be dead), you do not know some of the most useful techniques to improve the entry and exit of oxygen to your body. Let's see what are the keys and benefits that will give you knowing how to breathe much better.

Breathe better, live better

First of all, what we have to say is that, as the La Vanguardia website mentions, we breathe badly and we don't know it. According to what they mention, in case the cycles are not complete, oxygenation is not enough and can lead to different problems, such as tiredness, stress or headaches, common problems of our daily life in quarantine.

One of the most important explanations for this phenomenon is given in the research carried out by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and the Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). According to what the InfoSalus specialized site mentions, the study, carried out by researcher Simone Tassani, highlighted that breathing "has a direct effect on pain and stress management", emphasizing that most of the population does not seem to know how to breathe properly.

One of the keys is to improve the posture. The main idea would be to raise your back with your head slightly inclined looking down, seeking a 90 degree position. This makes the diaphragm descend and occupy its space, leaving the organism to work completely, says M. Ángels Farreny, trainer specialist in personal breathing of the Natura Respira 3.0 Escola Europea de Respiració.

Also read: How to avoid pajama syndrome working from home

So what we commonly do is breathe shallowly. However, as mentioned by the website of 65 and over, it is important to "increase lung capacity" so that we do not enter a state of fatigue and can generate the energy necessary to carry our day to day.

Continuing with the explanation, we can say, as La Nación mentions, that the breathing process involves the entry of air into the lung through the nostrils, which filter, purify, moisten and warm the air from outside. According to ENT doctor Héctor Ruiz, it can be said that we breathe poorly when the inhalation and exhalation movement "is performed in the upper rib area or at the clavicular level."

This means that the upper or middle area of the lung is used mostly without filling its base. This is why, when we sit down to meditate and take time to focus on our breathing, we observe how air passes through our entire organism and is no longer a simple automatic mechanism, since we stop using it, according to mention, 30% of the respiratory capacity and we amplify it.

One of the best techniques to perceive the entry and exit of air and relax the body is through abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing, as mentioned by El Comercio. Basically, it consists of taking advantage of the empty space that the abdomen leaves when it expands forward, in such a way that it widens the lungs. It is what is said "breathing with the stomach", contrasting it with the thoracic breathing.

This involves sitting and relaxing your shoulders. Once this is done, one hand should be placed on the abdomen and the other on the chest. When we inhale, we will do it for two seconds and direct it towards the abdomen, causing it to expand, causing the stomach to rise. It is the same thing that happens when we cannot “breathe well” and our body makes a small effort to breathe deeper. That's where diaphragmatic breathing happens!

Thus, as the newspaper El Diario portrays, you will notice several improvements. For example, you will correct the respiratory rate to avoid states of anxiety or stress, you will stretch your spine and you will pause the respiratory rhythm, managing to be much calmer. You already know: you can dedicate a little time of your day to breathe correctly and notice all its advantages.