How Deep Breathing Can Improve Your Health & Your Life

Take a deep breath. Just in that simple action you can tell that deep breathing is a good thing. There is something instantly relaxing about it. Deep breathing forces you to slow down, to stop and smell the roses, even if it's only for a moment. But those moments could make an incredible difference in your life.

Studies show that the relaxation induced by deep breathing can reduce depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders while enhancing the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems. Sound complicated? Not when all you have to do is breathe!

How does deep breathing do all this? Your body's functions need to communicate with each other. Breathing facilitates this communication. When breathing is consistently shallow, your body may have a harder time getting things done.

Take the lymphatic system, for example. Your lymphatic system handles the toxins in your body. Breathing keeps that process pumping. And when you keep toxins moving through and out of the body, you fend off weight gain, muscle loss, high blood pressure, fatigue and inflammation - to name a few.

Breathing keeps the cardiovascular system going too. Deep breaths help your body just like exercise does - although they shouldn't serve as a substitute! When breathing deeply, you increase lung capacity and promote fat-burning even while doing the most low-impact activities. Pair this with exercise and watch out! You'll be healthier, lose weight, and feel great.

You should expect to feel great every time you breathe deep. The moment you take that breath, your body triggers a relaxation response. That's why it's a great way to handle stress. And it doesn't hurt that when you've got less stress, you're much less likely to have muscle tension, gastrointestinal issues or even insomnia.

Feeling good physically will lead to feeling good mentally too. An overall sense of well-being can be maintained if you keep at it. And the calming effects of deep breathing will help you cope with what life throws at you. You'll start to deal with stress in a much more positive and clear way.