‘It took my breath away’ I need ‘breathing space’ ‘waiting with bated breath’

 There is a relationship between how a person feelsand how their breath responds.

This is because breathing directly affects your nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is mainly associated with fear – a ‘fight or flight’ response. Slow controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, slows your heart rate, improves blood pressure and reduces anxiety.

Studies show that controlled breathing activates the vagus nerve, which reduces the stress response by shifting the balance towards the parasympathetic nervous system. This makes slow breathing particularly useful for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders and chronic stress.

Research tells us that airway and breathing patterns affect our emotions. People with asthma are at least 50% more likely than to report anxiety and depression than those without it.

When labour gets intense, your body’s instinct is to tense and hold your breath. That increases pain. Breathing techniques interrupt that cycle. They help you

• Feel more in control
• Panic less when contractions peak
• Communication better with your body
• Have options before pain escalates

“Breathing is like a volume control—you may not turn pain off, but you can turn it down”

So, if we understand the benefits of slow relaxed breathing – what are the risks to breath holding?

Breath holding and rapid breathing is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system and is activated by stress. This type of breathing increases cortisol production and initiates the ‘fight or flight’ response. Your heart rate goes up, your stress hormones increase, your muscles tense and you might get sweaty.

Our forgotten skill

Notice how small children breathe. Watch as their stomach moves with the breath. This is called diaphragmatic breathing.

On the inhalation breath, the stomach should rise slightly as the dome of the diaphragm contracts and compresses the abdominal space. On the exhalation, both the chest and the stomach fall. If you look at young children, this is what you usually see. In fact, all mammals breathe diaphragmatically.

Now check your breathing. As adults we often breathe in and the chest rises as the intercostal muscles contract. When this happens, the stomach is drawn in. For women especially we are very used to holding onto our abdominal muscles. Body image may impact on our ability to deep breathe. A flat stomach is seen as desirable, and our breath often moves into shallow chest breathing. If this is you, you’re not alone.

6 breaths per minute vs 3 breaths per minute

Six breaths per minute is considered optimal for balancing your nervous system. Controlled breathing like this promotes cardiovascular health, stabilises blood pressure, maximises oxygen and reduces anxiety.

Three breaths per minute sees breathing slows dramatically, leading to profound relaxation.  This ultra-slow rate enhances oxygen efficiency, allowing for greater carbon dioxide tolerance and improved cellular metabolism. Commonly used in meditative and therapeutic practices, it induces a parasympathetic state, reducing stress, promoting emotional balance and resilience.

How many breaths per minute are you?

You could set a timer to know your number. Remember that pregnancy means you have a reduced lung capacity so deep breathing will feel challenging. If you are going to practice this, make sure you are sitting or lying down. We are often not used to so much oxygen and can feel dizzy or lightheaded at first.

Breathing for labour and birth

Any athlete will tell you that breath control is crucial. From tennis players, weightlifters, and runners, they all use the breath to maximize their physical potential and strength. In labour, you are an athlete! It’s often a marathon not a sprint, and everyone should understand that fuel/nutrition and breath work will get you a long way.

Labour can be a series of challenges. You will need to adapt to the contractions, navigate a new environment such as a hospital, meet new people whilst you feel vulnerable and cope with pain, all at the same time.

Great breathing techniques can help you manage these changes.

Conclusion

Birth today is very high-tech, which is amazing when needed. But one thing that hasn’t changed is how the nervous system responds to pain. When we’re afraid or tense, pain intensifies. Breathing techniques work directly on that system. They don’t replace medical care—they give you more control and more options during labour.

Breathing techniques can:

• Reduce the stress response
• Reduce blood pressure
• Slow your heart rate
• Enhances oxygen efficiency
• Improves lung function
• Reduce depression, and anxiety
• Reduce physical pain

Breathing is a trainable skill that helps your body work with labour instead of fighting it. Learning breathing doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t use pain relief. It means you have something before, during, and after any intervention.