How breathing can help you make better decisions

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY

Normal breath rate fluctuates to match the body’s needs, ranging from 16 breaths per minute (BPM) at rest to well over 100 BPM during exercise. Rhythm also tends to yo-yo in a system that isn’t exactly ideal for managing modern stress.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that my body breathes without my conscious input, but sometimes it just can’t comprehend the situation I’m in. Hyperventilating, for example, makes it hard to relax while trying to donate blood because B-neg is apparently at emergency low levels in the Northwest.

The trouble here is that the autonomic nervous system kicks your body (and breath) into high gear typically without your leadership, unless of course, you’re Wim Hoff, who appears to somewhat sway the reaction using today’s topic: breath work.

THE STUDY

Researchers in Belgium looked at two studies to see how breathing patterns (rate and rhythm) can lower your stress response, improve the way you make decisions, and even improve your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) – a good indicator that your nervous system is on an even keel.

They wanted to know, specifically, if an exhalation that is double the length of inhalation can help control the oft-unwanted flight or fight response that is part of our daily (hourly?) life.

THE RESULTS

Controlled breathing, both skewed breathing and symmetric, significantly improved HRV when compared to watching an “emotionally neutral” film, which I’ll presume was not A Star is Born as I’m still emotional when I hear that soundtrack three months after watching.

In the second study, a control group took the backseat and let the body breathe the way it wanted, only to report elevated stress levels. Those who increased their exhalation time did not. In fact, participants who focused on their breathing technique for 2 minutes also had a higher percentage of correct answers in the stress test, leading me to suspect the stories of transcendence mentioned in the book The Autobiography of a Yogi aren’t as far-fetched as us Western folks are led to believe.

TAKEAWAY

Two minutes of skewed breathing patterns – exhalation that is double as long as your inhalation – increases HRV and improves decision-making. When you’re all riled-up, the adage to “just breathe” should be replaced with “just breathe out”.