Diaphragmatic breathing, also known synonymously as "abdominal breathing", is one of two ways of breathing alongside chest breathing. Medically it is incorrect to equate diaphragmatic breathing with abdominal breathing, but both terms are used in the same sense. Breathing with the diaphragm is an automatic, unconscious process. You don't have to think about when and how to inhale or exhale, the body does it by itself. The muscles of the chest and the diaphragm alternately contract and relax. In passive unconscious breathing, diaphragmatic breathing makes up about 70% of total breathing. To test which breathing you use yourself, you can put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach and breathe normally. If the chest rises and falls, you breathe more with your chest breathing, if your stomach arches you breathe more with your diaphragm.
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The diaphragm is an almost round muscle that attaches to the ribs from below. Its fibers are connected by a sinewy center in the middle. You can imagine the muscle like a dome. When he contracts with diaphragmatic breathing, the dome lowers. The abdominal organs are pressed down, the lungs have more space and can expand, and the negative pressure in the chest causes fresh air to flow into the lungs. The organs in the abdomen are compressed a little so that the abdomen bulges out. This process describes inhalation. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, the dome arches upwards again, and the volume in the chest cavity becomes smaller. The lungs contract, the "used" air is exhaled and the stomach flattens out again.
$config[ads_text2] not foundIn general, it can be said that diaphragmatic breathing rarely takes place in isolation. Most people unconsciously use both the diaphragm (diaphragm) and the abdominal muscles, so-called intercostal muscles, which sit between the ribs and auxiliary breathing muscles for breathing. Especially when we are relaxed, sitting or sleeping, we mainly use abdominal breathing.
However, there are circumstances in which someone is particularly dependent on diaphragmatic breathing. Babies in particular are initially reliant on this type of breathing. In addition to musicians who play a wind instrument or professional speakers, singers also train and prefer abdominal breathing. This allows them to absorb a relatively large amount of air into the lungs, so that they can exhale the air in a focused manner and thus be able to produce the right sounds with their vocal folds. Furthermore, diaphragmatic breathing is particularly needed when you are active in sports. More oxygen is needed to supply the active muscles. More carbon dioxide has to be exhaled and oxygen is required, so that both the intercostal muscles, auxiliary respiratory muscles, the diaphragm and the abdominal muscles are required for increased breathing.
There are a few exercises you can do to help you breathe more consciously with your diaphragm. If possible, find a quiet place to be conscious of your diaphragmatic breathing.
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Exercise 1: Lie flat on the floor or sit up straight on a chair, place your hand on your stomach and breathe deeply into your stomach so that you can feel the abdominal wall rise and fall. Repeat this exercise a few times, you can try to let the abdominal wall bulge a little more with each breath. If you feel dizzy or painful, stop doing the exercise.
Read more on the topic: Breathing exercises to relax
Exercise 2: As a step up to exercise 1, you can put books on your stomach while lying down as extra weight. This, too, trains abdominal breathing when you try to breathe deeply into your stomach again, so that the books are raised and lowered. Start with lightweight books, you can always increase.
Exercise 3: If you have problems "stopping" chest breathing, you can use a belt to help you. Buckle this around your chest. Then follow the instructions as in exercise 1. You can of course also practice diaphragmatic breathing in everyday life. Just go inside for a moment, no matter where you are, maybe put your hand on your stomach and breathe deeply into your stomach and out again.
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Both diaphragmatic and chest breathing help with inhalation. The muscles between the ribs (intercostal muscles) move the individual ribs upwards, and the thorax expands as a whole. When inhaling, a negative pressure arises in the pleural space, which separates the pleura from the pleura, so that the lungs follow the expansion of the chest and thus air can flow into the lungs. The diaphragm also contracts when you inhale, flattening towards the abdomen, the organs in the abdomen are displaced and the volume in the chest is also increased.
$config[ads_text4] not foundMore information can be found here: The chest breathing
There are several reasons why diaphragmatic breathing can be restricted. The diaphragm itself can be inflamed, which is called a diaphragm. The cause can be other inflammations in the vicinity such as peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum), pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura) or pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium). The diaphragm hurts and it is difficult to breathe in the abdomen.
But other causes also lead to the restriction of diaphragmatic breathing. Over-inflated intestinal loops, diaphragmatic hernia or hernia, elevated diaphragm or chronic cough can lead to restrictions on inhalation. Paraplegia in the area of the exit point of the diaphragmatic nerve (phrenic nerve) or a lack of function of the nerve is particularly serious. If this is the case, the diaphragm can no longer serve as a respiratory muscle.
Hiccups are caused by a sudden cramping of the diaphragm, whereby the glottis between the vocal folds is closed as a reflex. If the air that has already been inhaled hits the closed glottis, the typical "hiccup" occurs. The cause of the cramping of the diaphragm is an irritation of the phrenic nerve. This is the nerve that innervates the diaphragm. There can be a variety of reasons for causing such irritation. Eating quickly, drinking cold liquids, or breathing quickly and irregularly, such as when having a laughing fit, can all be considered as possible causes. But even a pregnant woman sometimes experiences hiccups from the unborn child. This can be explained by the fact that the immature breathing center in the fetus's brain stem sends information that leads to gasping, which the expectant mother perceives as hiccups. This gasp subsides by the time you are born.
Stuttering is a language disorder that can have psychological and physical causes. When stuttering, the flow of speech is interrupted and repetitions of sounds, syllables and words, elongation of individual sounds or the squeezing out of initial letters can occur.
The causes of stuttering are not yet fully understood. On the one hand, it is assumed that there is a disorder in the interaction of the nerves and organs that are responsible for speaking. On the other hand, genetic predispositions can influence language development and promote speech disorders. Especially children between the ages of 2 and 6 Age start to stutter. Most speech therapists consider this to be a normal development process, as the combination of thinking and speaking is not always congruent at this age. If the stuttering persists for a long time, it becomes more difficult to return to normal flow of speech. Adults can suddenly have speech disorders too. Often traumatic events or psychological stress can be a reason.
Pain that occurs when inhaling deeply into the abdomen can have organic causes. Chest and abdominal organs come into consideration as causative agents. If the pleura or the pericardium are inflamed and moved with the inhalation, pain can occur. An inflamed stomach, gallstones, enlarged liver or air pockets in the intestine can also lead to symptoms. If the diaphragm itself is affected by an inflammation, hernia or breakthrough, it can also lead to unpleasant sensations. If the pain persists for a long time or if it worsens, a doctor should be consulted for clarification.
Read more on this: Pain in the diaphragm
