188. Most Listened Episode Series: How Deep Breathing Exercises Help You Manage Reactivity

Do you sometimes wish that there could be ways to shed some weight without having to go to the gym or doing heavy exercise?

One of the reasons you gain extra weight is stress; and it could happen anytime, whether we like it or not. If we could only find a way to handle our stress better, we could also reduce our chances of gaining weight. 

Gladly, there is a really basic and convenient way to avoid getting those unwanted pounds. 

Join me today as I share with you the magic of breathing exercises and how it benefits not only your mental but also your physical wellbeing. Learn how to do it using quick and easy steps!

What you will learn from this episode:

• Learn how our unhealthy relationship with stress ultimately leads to weight gain;
• Find out how you can nurture both your mind and your body by means of simple breathing techniques; and
• Do it yourself: Get a step-by-step guide on how to do diaphragmatic breathing exercises

“Breathing is not only essential to our survival and one of the most important ways that we physiologically detox, eliminating toxins and waste from our body; but breathing is also a really powerful way to regulate our nervous system.” – Dr. Adrienne Youdim 

Today’s Health Bite:

1. When we engage in intentional breathing, we activate the vagus nerve, this nerve that connects the gut to the mind and to the heart. Deep breaths will trigger the parasympathetic nervous system and transmit that information to the brain and to the cardiovascular system, which then responds by slowing the heart rate, dilating the blood vessels so that the blood pressure comes down
2. Short and shallow breathing, like when we do when we're anxious or scared, will inflate just the upper areas of the lung and actually stimulate the receptors that are associated with the sympathetic nervous response. So, you are perpetuating that fight or flight when we take short, choppy breaths; whereas deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and activates that relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Ways that Dr. Adrienne Youdim Can Support You

1. Join the Monthly Free Mind-Body Workshops: Participate in engaging mind-body practices designed to help manage your stress response. Register here.
2. Sign Up for the Newsletter: Stay updated with valuable insights and resources by subscribing to the newsletter. Sign up here.
3. Freebie alert. Register for our monthly free MindBody Workshop and receive a downloadable guide on emotional labeling to help you manage your emotions effectively.

Connect with Dr. Adrienne Youdim

• Website :https://www.dradriennespeaks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dradrienneyoudim/

Transcript

TRANSCRIPT 
The Link between Stress and Weight Gain: How Deep Breathing Exercises Help You Shed Pounds

So, here's a common scenario happening all over the United States: You've just heard that your company is contemplating mass layoffs. The word on the street is that 2500 people will be let go at the end of the month, and you're an employee of that company. Your heart starts to race. Your blood pressure rises, your respiratory rate rises. You don't know this, however, because your mind is racing too fast and you're not used to knowing how this stress feels in your body. You just know that you feel the stress in your body; and it doesn't feel good, and you want it to stop. Next thing you know, you're pouring yourself a glass of wine, or you're lighting up a cigarette, or as I often say, if you're a goodie two shoes, then you find yourself in the pantry.

Welcome back to Health Bite, the podcast for small actionable bites towards healthy living. I believe your relationship with food is a window into your relationship with yourself. In this podcast, we will explore how to redefine this relationship. So, not only can you achieve your weight loss goals, but greater mental, emotional, and physical well being. And in the end, that's what it's all about, is it not? I'm your host, Dr. Adrienne Youdim, and I'm excited to share with you this week's Bite.

WE GET STRESSED OVER CERTAIN SCENARIOS ALL THE TIME; SOME BIGGER, SOME SMALLER – WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT

Here's another common scenario happening all over the United States: You've just heard that your company is contemplating layoffs. The word on the street is that 2500 people will be let go at the end of the month. This time, you are the boss, or the manager, or head of HR at that company. And you are the one that has to break that news. Your heart starts to race. Your blood pressure rises, your respiratory rate rises. You don't know this, however, because your mind is racing too fast; and you're not used to knowing how this stress feels in your body. You just know that you feel the stress in your body and it doesn't feel good and you want it to stop. Next thing you know, you're pouring yourself a glass of wine, or you're lighting up a cigarette, or you find yourself in the pantry.

The reality is that this scenario is happening whether we like it or not. And the truth is that 100 little similar scenarios, some bigger, some smaller, are happening to you every single day. In fact, multiple times a day. And you feel stressed. The same stress that you would feel if you found yourself face to face with a tiger in the wild as your ancestors’ ancestors did. In that case, the stress which triggered a sympathetic response would prompt you to fight; or if you're smart, to flight. Or as I like to call it, to act or react. Because if you didn't, you would be toast, quite literally, for that tiger.

WHEN WE DON'T FIND A WAY TO REGULATE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH STRESS, WE START RISKING OUR OWN HEALTH

The problem is, that same stress response is happening in your body all the time. So, what can be done? Can you prevent the layoffs, the traffic, the nasty email, or even the big stuff? The political climate, global warming, warring nations, divorce, illness and the death of loved ones? No doubt, these are all important and valid stressors. And yet, when we don't find a way to regulate our relationship with that stress, we risk our own health. We risk burnout, anxiety, and depression. We increase our risk of hypertension, heart attacks, stroke, and other illnesses. And we risk turning outside ourselves to harmful coping mechanisms and addiction.

BREATHING IS NOT JUST A SURVIVAL INSTINCT; IT IS A WAY TO REGULATE OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

So this week, I want to return to breathing; a topic I've discussed in prior podcasts, but to return to it with a different lens. Having recently trained at the Center for Mind Body Medicine, I have been doubling down on my own use of mind body practices that help cultivate a sense of ease and well being in times of stress. And you know what? I'm practicing with my patients as well. I have been so moved by how impactful this practice has been. So, over the next few weeks, I'm going to dig deep into some of the mind body practices that I have learned.

 
And the first of them is breathing. Yes, breathing. Something so simple, so essential, and yet so underutilized. If you think you've heard it all before, I encourage you to keep listening anyway. And if you do, I'll end with our own little breathing practice, just you and I together.

So, why the breath? Breathing is not only essential to our survival and one of the most important ways that we physiologically detox, eliminating toxins and waste from our body; but breathing is also a really powerful way to regulate our nervous system. So, you're likely aware of the sympathetic nervous system that I described above, as well as the parasympathetic nervous system, the counter to that “fight or flight”, which is the rest and relax. Activating this part of the nervous system is exactly how we can counter the acute stress response that hijacks our mind and our body in times of stress. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system literally dials back this response. When we engage in intentional breathing, we activate the vagus nerve, this nerve that connects the gut to the mind and to the heart. Deep breaths will trigger the parasympathetic nervous system and transmit that information to the brain and to the cardiovascular system, which then responds by slowing the heart rate, dilating the blood vessels so that the blood pressure comes down. That change in our physiology is experienced by the body as a feeling of ease and well-being that builds on itself in what we call a feedback loop, looping around the body again and again and again.

WHAT IS DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, AND WHAT BENEFITS DOES IT GIVE OUR MIND AND BODY?

It turns out that there are many ways to breathe. As Caroline Gamble, the breath coach for Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global Shared, and you can scroll back to find the link to this podcast in the show notes, different forms of breathing can have different physiologic effects. For example, short and shallow breathing, like when we do when we're anxious or scared, will inflate just the upper areas of the lung and actually stimulate receptors that are associated with the sympathetic nervous response. So, you are perpetuating that fight or flight when we take short, choppy breaths; whereas deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and activates that relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system.

So, what is diaphragmatic breathing? And first of all, what is the diaphragm? So, this is a large muscle that's located at the base of the lungs. By using our abdominal muscles, we can effectively open up the lungs, maximizing its ability to obtain oxygen and to release that waste chemical or gas CO2, which is the byproduct of our breath. Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as abdominal breathing or belly breathing, has other benefits. It includes strengthening that muscle, the diaphragm. It also decreases the work of breathing by slowing down your breathing rate or your respiratory rate. Also, it decreases the oxygen demand or the use of oxygen, which also results in a lesser effort and less energy used to breathe.

So, during this belly breath or diaphragmatic breathing, you consciously use your diaphragm to take deep breaths. When we breathe normally, we don't tend to use our lungs to their fullest capacity. Diaphragmatic breathing, however, allows you to use your lungs at 100% to increase lung efficiency. It has been shown to have additional benefits, like helping you relax. Not surprisingly, also reducing blood pressure and reducing your heart rate. And thus it can help us manage anxiety and stress. It has also been shown to be useful in other medical conditions like asthma and COPD.

PRACTICE EXERCISE ON DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

And you can train yourself to engage in diaphragmatic breathing by engaging in this practice: Try placing one hand on the chest and the other on your belly. Breathe slowly in through the nose and exhale into the belly. Soften the belly to allow it to expand. You should notice when you do this that your hand on your belly moves out with the expansion of the belly, while the hand on the chest should remain still. And then, as you exhale, tighten those stomach muscles, encouraging them to work by moving in and help push against that diaphragm, which then pushes against the lungs, allowing for a complete exhalation of air from the lungs. And I tell you, you may find this way of breathing difficult at first, but with practice, you will make it easier.

So, let's practice. First, I want to give you a few other pearls that I'll guide you through during this exercise. Try and prolong your exhale. What I mean by that is for however time it takes you to breathe in or to inhale, I want you to add on to that time when you exhale; really prolonging that exhalation so that you really allow for the belly to do the work that it needs to do. Another helpful practice is to direct your attention to your body. As you do this, notice areas in your body where you might be holding on to tension. And perhaps use your breath to loosen those areas of tension. And finally, if you've ever done a breathing practice or a meditation practice, quite frankly, an anything practice, you will find that your mind will run astray. Your mind will start running to the to-do list. “What are you going to make for dinner? What did you say yesterday during that conversation or in that meeting?” And that's when the rumination begins. It's okay if this happens. It's normal. But consider using a mantra, some words that can help bring you back to the present moment. I like to use the words “just this”. “Just” on the inhale, “this” on the exhale. Reminding you that just this breath, just this present moment, is all that you need to think about in this moment. If you find that your mind scatters again, again, don't worry. The purpose of this is not to remain kind of Zen on a lotus pad. That's not really possible. The point of this practice is to catch yourself when you find your mind running astray; and bring yourself back to the presence of the breath.

Okay, so let's get started. I want you, if you're sitting, to take some time to sit back in your chair. Try and adjust your body so that your feet are planted on the floor. And I like to take my hands and place them palms down on the tops of my thighs. Take a moment to really sit into your position and to try and rest and relax your body into the seat of the chair. And when you're ready, I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold a second or two at the top of that breath, and then really prolong that exhale into the belly. If you haven't done so already, consider putting one hand on your chest, one hand on your abdomen, and let's do it again. Deep breath in through your nose. Hold at the top of the breath and prolong that exhale out. Again, in through the nose, hold, and exhale out deeply through the mouth and into the belly. Again, you want to notice that your hand on your chest should remain still, while the hand on the belly should move out with the inhalation and the exhalation. You can do this practice breathing out through the mouth or through the nose. I personally find breathing out through the nose limiting, but if that's more comfortable for you, you can do that as well.

If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to look down and even to close your eyes. In doing so, you limit the distractions around you, or at least your awareness of those distractions. And consider turning your phone off and putting it away. As you may have noticed, I already got interrupted by a call. Again, in through the nose, hold, and exhale.

Now let's get into a rhythm, your own rhythm of inhaling, in and out. Use the time as you see fit, however long it takes to breathe in. Hold it at the top, and then prolong that exhale out. In and out. Your own rhythm, your own time. Now, I want you to bring your attention to the top of your head, to your forehead, to your eyebrows. Notice if you might be holding tension in that area, and gently remind yourself to drop your eyebrows down. Now bring your attention to your jaw. Loosen your jaw and your mouth, perhaps opening it slightly and dropping your tongue to the base of your mouth. Bring your attention to your shoulders. If they're shrugged up, make the attention of dropping them down. Loosening them. Bring that same relaxation into your arms and into your hands. Make sure you are not gripping your thigh, but just gently placing your hands on the tops of your thighs. Bring your attention into your sacrum. Relax that area and allow yourself to really sink into your chair. Relax your thighs. Your calf muscles. And notice the bottoms of your foot against the floor. Not gripping, just gently placed and planted on the floor. Now let's bring our attention back to the breath. Inhale in through the nose. Hold at the top. Prolong that exhale out. Again, in through your nose. Hold the breath. Prolong that exhalation out into the belly. Soften your belly. Remember that softening the belly will allow you to really get the full exhalation, fully utilizing your diaphragm and the capacity of your lungs. Finally, I want to remind you of the mantra. Perhaps you want to use “just this”. “Just” on the inhale, “this” on the exhale. Reminding yourself that just this breath, just this moment is all that we need to focus on. I'm going to give you now a few minutes to do this on your own without my guidance and my voice.

Inhale in through the nose, hold, and exhale. Make it slow and rhythmic. Perhaps notice if you have tension again in any area of your body, any area that I mentioned or anywhere else. You may want to gently guide your exhalation into that area as a way to loosen or soften the tension contained in the body.

And it's now let's take a couple more deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, as we slowly wrap up this exercise. If you're finding that this feels good and you need some more time, hit pause and take some additional breaths on your own. Maybe you want to extend this exercise for another five minutes, another ten minutes. And if not, take your remaining one or two breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. And when you're ready, start to bring your awareness back into the room. Gently open your eyes.

YOU CAN ENGAGE IN BREATHING PRACTICES WHEREVER YOU WANT, WHENEVER YOU WANT

You can use this recording to practice five or ten minutes several times per day. You can choose to start your morning off with a breathing practice. You can choose to close your day out, perhaps engaging in this breathing practice before bedtime. You can also bring it into your day to day. And you don't even need five or ten minutes. If you start to become more attuned to your body and to your stress, you can take a minute and just swivel yourself in your swivel chair and do this in your office, do it in your bedroom. Hell, you can even do it in the bathroom, wherever it needs to be. Sometimes I recommend to my patients to take five minutes before they get home. I remember when my kids were younger, I used to take an alternate road home and just park one or two streets over, turn off the car and engage in ten minutes of breathing before I came to the chaos of homework in dinner time and bedtime routines.

Well, I hope that felt good. It felt good for me, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Hopefully, you could experience some of the feelings of ease, of rest, and relaxation that came with that practice. And if not, as I mentioned, give it time and practice.

Thank you for joining me this week. I hope you found this to be valuable. And if you found value here and think it would be of benefit to someone you love, please share this podcast with your friends and family. Maybe you can even practice this with your kids, or take it into your workplace and practice it with your colleagues and your staff. And come back next week where I'll offer you some more mind-body practices to help you cultivate presence and ease. I look forward to seeing you then.