Posture and Breathing: The Physiological effects of Shallow Breaths - Part 2

In Part 1, we saw about text neck and how it affects our breathing and how your posture affects breathing and impact on overall health. It time for the Part 2 to know more.

How muscles affect our posture

To understand how posture affects breathing we need to understand the difference between Postural and Phasic muscles

Phasic muscles, consisting mostly of fast-twitch fibres, are the primary movement muscles of the body. Phasic muscles generally come in pairs (biceps – triceps, quadriceps – hamstring) that work against each other (to control movement and stability).

The torso is where most of your postural muscles live and do their work.

Activating your postural muscles might sound difficult and there’s no denying that for the untrained and deconditioned muscles, it takes effort. But the rewards of proper postural muscle control are huge. Anyone that sits at a desk or uses a phone for long periods should pay close attention.

Our diaphragm is our main breathing muscle doing 80% of the work of relaxed breathing. It sits like a dome separating our lungs and abdominal cavity and has several key roles including respiration, stability and speech.

When we look at activating our core muscles the first step we need to be do is learn to breathe. Then our core cylinder, which includes transversus abdominis, multifidus, pelvic floor muscles and diaphragm, can activate to provide core postural alignment and support. But often breathing is the last thing we think about when it comes to finding optimal posture.

In the modern work environment, the body is required to recruit postural muscles more than phasic muscles. Sitting and slouching are not fast-twitch muscle activities. As a result, the phasic muscles begin turning off. Our nervous systems use them less and the connection breaks and the Cinderella Hypothesis is activated.

A study from 2018 found that exercising and activating the deep muscles of the body significantly improved the body’s alignment but also increased breathing capacity.

The breaths you take depend on the strength and coordination of the breathing muscles in the body. Like any muscle, breathing muscles need training too. For many of us in the office-work environment, deep muscles are not something we concern ourselves with. Sitting for long periods does not challenge the deep muscles of the body in a positive way. We’ve lost the ability to recruit these muscles. Proper training by a physiotherapist, exercise coach, or breathing coach can help bring back this ability.

Take a moment now to length through the crown of your head growing tall then take a breath into your belly. It’s easier, right? Even the act of putting yourself more optimal position for your spine allows the right muscles to activate drawing air into the lower lobes of the lungs where the best bloody supply is. Our bodies know what’s good for them, even if we don’t. If we don’t breathe in this way the habit of dysfunctional breathing can get stuck altering your blood chemistry and blood flow around the body long term.

Can poor posture cause shortness of breath?

Yes, it can. One of the main reasons it does this is by limiting your ability to access your diaphragm and belly breathe. Your brain can’t get the oxygen it requires and you experience a sensation of ‘air hunger’ so it will recruit your back up breathing muscles that we have highlighted above. These need to work more frequently to get the required oxygen intake which makes you breathe fast and shallow.

Over time that faster breathing expels too much carbon dioxide from your blood and alters your blood chemistry. The receptors in your arteries then set a new threshold of carbon dioxide and when you reach it will stimulate you to breathe faster then you may actually be required. The shortness of breath sensation can come from your body requiring oxygen or that your suffocation response has been triggered with an increase in carbon dioxide levels. It is important to work with your GP and breathing physiotherapist to rule out other reasons for shortness of breath.

When you alter your breathing pattern, even the easiest forms of exercise can become difficult. This is what happens to people with poor posture. They can’t get sufficient intake of air or stay hyperinflated and they struggle to complete tasks that the average person has no difficulties with.

Learning to breathe in a way that is appropriate for the task in front of you can reduce that feeling of shortness of breath. Breathing 360 degrees into the belly and back using the diaphragm with good posture can help with reducing shortness of breath long term.

What can you do to improve posture and breathing?

• Take a break. A small amount of movement frequently through the day can help reset our postural muscles and burn off the adrenalin dumping into our bloodstream when stressed.

• Change phone. The type of phone you use affects the level of postural stress. Bigger, easier to read phones with better ergonomics might help.

• Dump the phone and have a technology holiday. A bit drastic, but what’s more important, Facebook or your health? Why not start with one day a week that is technology free.

• Do yoga, Pilates, or some form of stretching. Exercises like the downward dog, cat-cow, and chin tuck are great for stretching those tight shoulders, upper back, and neck muscles that get over worked (just like Cinderella) when stressed.

• Good Ergonomics. Computers have the potential to improve our posture if used correctly. Standing desks and ergonomics go a long way towards not only fixing postural issues but improving concentration, reducing fatigue, and creating a more creative environment for learning.

• Find neutral. Good posture isn’t about standing bolt upright and having shoulders pinned back. It is about finding neutral position of our spine and limbs making it easier to adopt a joy, belly breathing technique. Set an alarm every 30 minutes when at the computer or sitting to reset your posture. Practice makes perfect.

• Perform breathing techniques – Not only will controlled conscious breathing exercises help activate the diaphragm, the physiological and mental responses to proper breathing helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. When feeling stressed, focus on the exhale. Remember without fail, exhale.

Hope you had a good insight into your posture and breathing. If you have not read

Part 1 - https://www.dyofitx.com/post/posture-and-breathing-the-physiological-effects-of-shallow-breaths.

Kindly leave your views in the comments below. Thank you.

By Hariharan. V

DYOFITXⓇ Instructor

DYOFITXⓇ does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Credits

1. https://www.thebreatheffect.com/posture-breathing-physiological-effects/