Thread by @SandeepMall

I study a lot on fitness related things and it has been my bad that I never studied about breathing. Thanks to the Chinese virus everybody now is talking of breathing. And this led me to do some reading about it. I read somewhere that respiratory health is directly related ...

...to Covid survivors. Breathing for us is a passive action. We just do. The day it stops we die. How we breathe is important for our health, longevity and happiness. I have been following correct breathing techniques for last few months and see a huge improvement. ...

.. My sleeping patterns are much better. I am 80-90% time in deep sleep. My RHR is improving further. I have got much better in my running. My energy levels through out the day are very good. Here are some pointers

1) Most of us over breathe. 12-20 breathes a minute has become average these days. This can raise blood pressure, overwork the heart and keeps our nervous systems into a state of stress. Like we over eat, we over breathe.

2) Breathe from your nose. Mouth is for eating. For a few nights I tapped my mouth so that automatically I don’t switch to breathing from mouth.
3) Take diaphragmatic breathes. Never from your chest.
4) Your breathing should be so slow that even you should not hear it’s sound

4) I have found my ideal breathing is 5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out. That’s about 5.5 breathes a minute and takes in 5.5 liters of air in. I practise using breathing app on iWatch.
5) Another exercise I do is @WimHof_Iceman method.There is WimHof app and it’s a guided exercise

Dr Sarfaraz at Queens hospital, UK prescribes this for Covid patients.
You can read about breathing in The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown. I have also ordered - The new science of a lost art by James Nestor.

Typically a person take 670 mn breathes in their lifetime. Maybe you would like to take more. Try breathing exercises few times a day. It will not only help your lungs but also calm your frazzled mind. Stay fit and healthy.