A high level of stress can be beneficial in a short period of time. However, if the body remain stressed for a longer period, it can have serious consequences. It is therefore important to relieve stress from time to time. Here breathing exercises could be a great source of aide.
Many mediation and breathing exercises can affect the body’s level of stress. The effect is measurable in the concentration of the stress hormones Cortisol and Noradrenalin, which decrease when we breathe deeply and calmly.
A group of scientists at Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University have discovered that the change in the concentration of stress hormones is connected to a nerve cluster in the brain. This cluster is called ‘pre-Bötzinger complex’ and regulates breathing.
The scientists discovered that changes in ‘pre-Bötzinger complex’ can have a calming effect. This means, in short, that changes in breathing have an effect on the body’s level of stress.
Stress is important
Stress is not necessarily a bad thing. When we are stressed, the body is at a heightened state of alert. Blood and oxygen are rushed through the body and the brain is on overdrive. We become more aware of details – to a degree when it can feel as though time is standing still, because our attention is on various elements around us. Many experience this if they are involved in, for example, a car crash.
In terms of evolution, stress plays a major part in our survival. If the brain and body are operating at the highest level, we can sense danger and act accordingly. The is true both for fleeing a predator and avoiding a car crash on the highway.
However, chronic stress can be dangerous. Diabetes, heart attack, and stroke are just a few of ailments stress can cause.
An epidemic
In the past year, 74 % of Britons have experienced being stress to the point, where they feel overwhelmed or are unable to cope, and these number don’t seem to diminish. Norwegian scientists examined 2000 international scientific studies, and have concluded that there are six primary courses of stress in young people:
- Conflicts at home
- Competition with fellow students
- Lack of support from teachers
- Not enough time for social activities
- High expectations of themselves
- High expectations from their school
The scientists further concluded that girls are more stressed than boys. It is therefore important to note our options for preventing chronic stress. Different breathing exercises, regular pauses, and insight into the cause of our stress, can help us keep our level of stress to a minimum.
