We’re a nation of inefficient breathers: many of us are mouth breathing, others are ‘over-breathers’ and we’re snoozing on a silent epidemic of sleep-disordered breathing, says GP and functional breathing practitioner Dr Louise Oliver. Editor Ellie Smith asks her what can be done to get our breath back on track.
Where did your interest in breathing begin?
Like many women, I began snoring in perimenopause, which had a negative impact on my sleep, my husband’s sleep and my ability to function at work and in my personal life. I realised I was breathing inefficiently, despite being fit and running three times a week. When I took steps to improve my breathing efficiency, my snoring stopped, my sleep improved, I felt less breathless during exercise and more resilient to stress. As a GP, I see all sorts of people struggling with breathing inefficiency. We’re at risk if we have a long list of repeat medications, a number of medical problems, if we have a high BMI or if we’re in peri- or post-menopause. I want others to benefit from what I’ve learnt – we can change how we breathe.
Why is how we breathe so important?
Breathing tends to be an unconscious process, but this doesn’t mean it’s automatically efficient. It affects every cell, tissue, organ and system in the body. If we’re not breathing efficiently, we may feel breathless or anxious, and can also experience memory problems and nasal congestion. How we breathe while we’re awake also influences how we breathe while asleep – if we’re not breathing correctly, we can experience all kinds of sleep disturbances, such as reduced sleep quality, waking to pass urine in the night, waking feeling unrefreshed and morning headaches. Breathing inefficiently can also increase our risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, anxiety, depression and obesity – so, it’s important to get it right.
Are we increasingly inefficient breathers?
Yes, there are increasing numbers of people who are not breathing efficiently and there is a hidden epidemic of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). SDB refers to a wide spectrum of sleep-related conditions, including increased resistance to airflow whilst asleep, heavy snoring, marked reduction in airflow (hypopnea) and complete cessation of breathing (obstructive sleep apnoea). It’s thought that this is due to changes in human facial structure that have occurred due to chewing softer processed foods, using our mouths to breathe (instead of our nose) and a reduction in breastfeeding – though I’m no
