Is your breathing “disordered”???
Have you ever thought that something you do, completely involuntarily and without thinking about, might be considered “disordered”?? What a bizarre thought, right? Breathing? How can breathing, just breathing, possibly be considered an issue?
When I was in my mid 20s, I was diagnosed with asthma. This wasn’t actually surprising, considering that I had a very long history of pretty severe allergies, which started with really severe eczema when I was a year old. My eczema was so severe, in fact, that my childhood dermatologist requested permission from my mother to document my case in a book he was writing.. turns out I had pretty bad environmental allergies, also.. and as named “The Big Three”, kids like me typically develop asthma in their late 20s.
While my allergies and eczema have quieted down as I’ve gotten into my 40s, I do still battle the asthma, especially as an athlete, as my asthma likes to crop up around exercise and ESPECIALLY during changes of the season. MANY years ago, as the research nerd that I am, I discovered a very interesting book (no doubt introduced to me by one of the many interesting people I have met throughout my life), called “Breathing Free“, by Teresa Hale. The premise of the book is that many respiratory issues are caused by improper breathing, basically by chronic mouth breathing, which as a kid with allergies and chronic stuffy noses, I have always had a tendency to do, even into my 40s (catch myself doing it all the time now). At the time of reading, I was super interested and even worked on retraining myself to breath through my nose… much to the bewilderment of my ex-husband, who watched me tape my mouth closed at night. Literally. I’m not kidding. But I understood the reason behind it and it was helpful.
Fast forward many years.. got lazy… busy.. life changes, kids, career… whatever you might want to call it.. I discontinued and forgot. Until recently, when a different issues have led me back to the very same path.
I’m a swimmer. I try to be a good swimmer and am a member of the local Masters swim club. I strive for 2 swim workouts a week, and I love it, but I am constantly battling soreness in my ribs (and even experience dislocation of my ribs occasionally) and pain in middle of my right back, and while not debilitating, it has annoyed me enough to research it. I don’t hear of other swimmers annoyed by this ribside pain, so what is my problem?
Again. “Improper” breathing is likely stressing my breathing muscles, which coincidentally, are also the muscles you use a lot in swimming.. the core and rib muscles. “Respiratory Dysfunction“, as they call it. I’m over-stressing my breathing muscles because I have a lifetime of breathing issues to overcome, not only physically but mentally too. Ouch.
There is, literally, TONS of research on the effects of proper breathing. But, like, no one knows this!
And so again I am reminded that I need to focus more on the things I don’t focus on enough… like breathing. Really? So simple, yet so profound.