Deep Breathing can Lower Your Blood Pressure

Yes, you read it correctly. Something as accessible, inexpensive, and easy as deep breathing can lower your blood pressure.

The Vagus Nerve

Here’s how it works in a nutshell. We have a very long nerve that runs from the brainstem down to the abdomen called the vagus nerve. This nerve is responsible for controlling many different processes and functions in the body, including heart rate, breathing, digestion, mood, and even immune response.

All of these functions served by the vagus nerve comprise what is referred to as the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with calmness and relaxation (the opposite of “fight or flight” which is associated with the sympathetic nervous system).

Here’s why this vagus nerve is so, so important. Many of us are walking around with understimulated vagus nerves. Why? It’s because we are constantly stimulating that sympathetic “fight or flight” response. In this fast-paced, bad-news-247 world, we are honestly encouraged to be anxious, angry, fearful, impatient, and a whole host of other negative emotions that lead to chronic stress.

The physical effects of this constant stress include increased heart rate, high blood pressure, indigestion and other digestive issues, and shallow breathing. Case in point, check yourself throughout the day and I wouldn’t be surprised if you catch yourself sometimes holding your breath. I just caught myself, as a matter of fact.

Anyhow, stimulating that calming, parasympathetic nervous system response by toning the vagus nerve is a long-studied topic as a way to alleviate and control a host of bodily disorders like what I just mentioned above. As a matter of fact, Vagus Nerve Stimulation is a method of stimulating the vagus nerve by applying electrical impulses to it, and this is used to help with psychiatric disorders. However, a simpler, more accessible, and potentially less invasive way of stimulating your vagus nerve is by watching how you breathe.

Deep Breathing and the Vagus Nerve

Deep breathing is an easy way that you and I can tap directly into the parasympathetic nervous system function. The specific elements of deep breathing that make it effective for toning the vagus nerve are:

• you breathe from your diaphragm, which means your abdomen should be expanding as you take a deep breath (“belly breathing“)
• you exhale twice as long as you inhale. For example, if inhalation takes 4 seconds, exhalation takes 8 seconds. Exhalation is the phase of the breathing cycle that is specifically associated with the parasympathetic response, which is why emphasis is put on exhalation
• you take fewer breaths per minute (6-10 breaths in 1 minute)

This sort of breathing is something that you have to intentionally set aside time for, and to get results, you should practice it daily for 5-15 minutes for at least a solid week – and perhaps up to 3-5 weeks – to see any effects.

So Does Deep Breathing Really Affect Blood Pressure?

Let me put it this way. There is a portable electrical device called Resperate, which doctors sometimes prescribe. The device is handheld, and it guides you through musical tones that notify you of when to inhale and exhale. This device has helped people achieve “modest but significant” blood pressure decreases in some individuals. In one study, individuals who used the device saw an average decrease of 14 in systolic blood pressure and 8 in diastolic blood pressure after 8 weeks, which is pretty significant.

I say this to say, deep breathing is something to consider. If you’re willing to take some time to sit in a quiet place and give deep breathing a good try, perhaps you will be able to experience a blood pressure decrease yourself.

I’ve created a video to guide you through a deep breathing exercise that I do daily, and if you’re interested in more tips for naturally lowering your blood pressure, you can check out my blood pressure book.

Remember, your doctor is not responsible for your health. You are.

Did you know that there are a lot of things you can do to lower your blood pressure without medication? I talk about these things in my booklet, What You Can Do About High Blood Pressure. Order your copy here.