Breathing Techniques for Infertility
Breathe Right to Get Pregnant Sooner
Are you a nose or a mouth breather?
It’s one of the first questions I ask my clients and it has nothing to do with relaxation techniques. How you breathe can significantly impact your health yet none of my clients have ever been asked about breathing or have been recommended breath work. It’s such an obvious and simple way to improve health so it’s bizarre that so few in the fertility field are discussing it. It’s also scientifically validated - this is not woo or breathing in rainbows.
Yoga and Pranayama for Fertility
If you’ve been to a yoga class you may already have learned some breathing techniques such as Pranayama for fertility which yoga experts believe helps stimulates the nervous system and increases blood flow to the uterus (if you don’t already know the fight/flight response redirects blood away from the uterus). When you’re pregnant you’ll learn all about how to reduce the stress response in labor so the uterus can work sufficiently. Or maybe you’ve heard of ‘box breathing’ - how about 7 11 breathing where you will simply breathe in for a count of 7, then breathe out for a count of 11 for a few moments.
I’ve included a video lesson module in the FertileMind app on the importance of healthy breathing and several techniques you can practice throughout your day. While you’re sitting in that boring meeting or standing in that supermarket line you can intentionally improve your health and your chances of getting pregnant sooner. These aren’t just breathing exercises for anxiety - practice them regularly so they are second nature to you if you have an upcoming IVF, injections etc.
Breathe for Health
Most people are also surprised to learn that 70% of the toxins inside our bodies are removed through our lungs. Another great reason to learn more about this amazing resource available to you. What’s ironic is that studies show we’re not optimizing our available lung capacity. Think about what you do when you’re stressed. You’re probably not taking long deep nourishing breaths – most likely you’re shallow breathing or at times holding your breath. The way we breathe has the potential to improve your physical and mental health. It’s free…always with you and doesn’t take a lot of work to access a multitude of benefits. Breathing is the only system in the body that is both automatic and also under our control.
Ready for your mind to be blown? (mine was when I first learned about this). For every 10 pounds of fat we lose eight and a half pounds of it comes out through your lungs the rest is lost through sweat or urinated out. According to James Nestor – author of Breath – the New Science of a Lost Art this is the fact that most doctors nutritionists and other medical professionals have historically gotten wrong - that the lungs are the weight regulating system of the body.
Correct breathing can also reduce inflammation in the body - read more here.
Are you an Over Breather?
As our lives have gotten busier and more hectic most people are over breathing. Yes that’s a thing. Unless you’ve taken a yoga class you’ve probably never learned how to breathe properly. It seems like a no brainer after all we’ll take over 600,000,000 breaths throughout our lifetime. Our fast paced lifestyles, lack of exercise and chronic stress has changed the way we breathe. We are over eaters and over breathers. Add to that as women we spend a lot of time sucking in our tummies…instead of breathing down into the belly…those and tight bras restrict the rib cage. But as you now know the way we breathe can contribute to weight gain, inflammation, impact our immune system and potentially even our reproductive system. You might think that taking in more air means your body is getting more than enough oxygen which your cells need right? Well sometimes too much of a perceived good thing isn’t so good for you. People who over breathe tend to use their mouth instead of their nose to breathe.
Nose or Mouth Breathing? Simple Observing and Breathing Exercise
If you find yourself breathing through your mouth through the day or during deep sleep (or snore) it’s likely that you’re over breathing. If you were to sit and observe your breathing for a few moments do you see more movement from up here in the chest or further down you’re your belly. Ironically mouth breathers often end up experiencing more congestion too and suffer from more allergies. Sound familiar? With nasal breathing there’s no effort involved, the breath is usually silent and regular.
Does Habitual Mouth Breathing can Cause Serious Health Implications?
Mouth breathing is often faster than normal, easier to hear, you sigh more and involves visible movements of the upper chest. This type of breathing is normally only seen when we’re stressed but for those who habitually breathe through their mouths, the negative side effects of stress and over-breathing become chronic. Habitual mouth breathing has serious implications on your lifelong health, including the how your facial structures have developed, how straight your teeth are… even your tongue. One study on children found 55% were mouth breathers.
There’s so much more to say on this topic - understanding carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, lip taping and more. Use your 7 day free trial of the FertileMind app to learn how to change your breath for the better (it’ll be good practice for pregnancy and birth too). Try out some of the techniques in the Breathing Playlist and start a new healthier habit today.
