How slow, steady deep breathing reduces anxiety and panic states

[Gyakuto]

They’ve found the neural correlates of how/why slow, steady breathing produces calm relaxed states and might explain why activities such as yoga and mindfulness reduce anxiety and panic states!


Abstract. Nature makes you pay for the whole article

 

[Fungus]

Fortunately there seems to be a free preprint at biorxiv

A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect

Breathing is profoundly influenced by both behavior and emotion[1][1]–[4][2] and is the only physiological parameter that can be volitionally controlled[4][2]–[6][3]. This indicates the presence of cortical-to-brainstem pathways that directly control brainstem breathing centers, but the neural...

www.biorxiv.org

 

[Fungus]

Thanks for the link! Interesting! will read it later in more detail. I always found the somewhat questionable HRV measures inconclusive evidence of evidence, simply because it doesn't just depend on the ANS tones, but also the the respiration rate itself which is partly under voluntary control. This is why many stress measurements in psychophysiology must control for respiration rate, otherwise you don't what if the apparent ANS tones from HRV scores are "only" from the respiration rate change. So that paper was interesting!

 

[isshinryuronin]

Fortunately there seems to be a free preprint at biorxiv

A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect

Breathing is profoundly influenced by both behavior and emotion[1][1]–[4][2] and is the only physiological parameter that can be volitionally controlled[4][2]–[6][3]. This indicates the presence of cortical-to-brainstem pathways that directly control brainstem breathing centers, but the neural...

www.biorxiv.org

I have to say I believe this article 110%. With that many scientific technical words I've never seen, nor understand, it has to be true! An amazing discovery by highly educated modern brilliant minds: Breathing slowly is relaxing.

While conscious controlled breathing is relaxing in actual physical application, in merely voicing the thought, not so much. Just the other day during a discussion with my much-agitated wife I suggested she take a slow deep breath and relax. The result was not relaxation in nature. In fact, her level of emotion went even higher! This result and potential danger of getting someone to implement this article's theory was not mentioned.

So, while doing slow breathing causes relaxation, suggesting someone do it has the opposite effect. This is truly an amazing scientific discovery. Perhaps a paper can be written on this, duly explained with plenty of cool scientific terminology. No doubt it would be appreciated by husbands worldwide.

 

[Fungus]

I have to say I believe this article 110%. With that many scientific technical words I've never seen, nor understand, it has to be true! An amazing discovery by highly educated modern brilliant minds: Breathing slowly is relaxing.

While conscious controlled breathing is relaxing in actual physical application, in merely voicing the thought, not so much. Just the other day during a discussion with my much-agitated wife I suggested she take a slow deep breath and relax. The result was not relaxation in nature. In fact, her level of emotion went even higher! This result and potential danger of getting someone to implement this article's theory was not mentioned.

So, while doing slow breathing causes relaxation, suggesting someone do it has the opposite effect. This is truly an amazing scientific discovery. Perhaps a paper can be written on this, duly explained with plenty of cool scientific terminology. No doubt it would be appreciated by husbands worldwide.

As I've read the paper, it seems the "new part" wasn't just that particular breathing patterns can reduce anxiety and stress, but this has been known for a long time, and my own incomplete understanding was that the main mechanism or deep breathing as well as the "humming" that yoga master sometimes do, mechanically stimulate the baroreceptors, and does increase the vagal tone and reduce the symphatetic tone; ie brining you closer to a state of psychological flow, than a distressful anxiety or threat state; which would be the "harmony" and "balance" you seek in yoga. GABA levels in parts of the brain are also known to have been elevated, which is also calming. But this paper also mentions a top-down GABA mechanism "dACC neurons target GABAergic inhibitory neurons in the PnC" as they write in the paper

The new in that article seems to pinpoint how certain parts in the brain, are affected by voluntary breathing, which then via the top down approach downregulates the breath. I think the question of the paper was HOW can a consicious act, modulate part of the autonomous things such as breathing, which is after all automatic. They felt that ONLY considering a bottom up regulatory mechanism seemed unlikely.

The concept of psychological flow is interesting here, as in a combat you do not want to just be allowe CALM or slow down, you want to achive the pscyhological flow, which means you get excited and calmed in synchrony. The "simple picture" I learned is that it is characterised by symphatetic and parasymphatetic tone increasing in balance. This is the "harmony" as the otherwise simple view on "stress" is the reciprocal relation between symphatetic and parasymphatetic done.

 

[Buka]

We use Tactical Breathing in law enforcement and in the dojo.

Breathe in for a slow count of
four.
Hold that breath in for a slow count of four.
Exhale for a slow count of four.
Hold that breath out (before you inhale) for a slow count of four.

It takes a few tries before you regulate it properly. But then it’s a piece of cake, really easy to do.

Used by the military.
Used by law enforcement.
Used by first responders.
Used by martial artists and fighters.
Used by counselors.
Used by teachers.

AND it works really well when you can’t fall asleep for whatever reason.

It’s great way to regulate and calm your body before going into a stressful situation, be it a fight, a test, a belligerent mother in law or the unexpected.

 

[Gyakuto]

While conscious controlled breathing is relaxing in actual physical application, in merely voicing the thought, not so much. Just the other day during a discussion with my much-agitated wife I suggested she take a slow deep breath and relax. The result was not relaxation in nature. In fact, her level of emotion went even higher! This result and potential danger of getting someone to implement this article's theory was not mentioned.

So, while doing slow breathing causes relaxation, suggesting someone do it has the opposite effect. This is truly an amazing scientific discovery. Perhaps a paper can be written on this, duly explained with plenty of cool scientific terminology. No doubt it would be appreciated by husbands worldwid

I’d’ve loved to be a fly on the wall when you said that to her!