CAN YOU BREATHE YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEALTH?

Breathing is something we do unconsciously.But knowing when and how to take conscious deep breaths could unlock a host of benefits

- DR HELEN PILCHER

Right now, it feels like breathing is having a moment. Everyone's at it, but some people are really putting in the elbow grease. Rather than 'just' breathing automatically, a growing number of devotees now practise deliberate exercises.

With fancy names, such as coherent breathing or cyclic sighing, breathwork has become one of the fastest-growing trends in the wellness industry. Breathing studios are popping up in cities all over the world and breathwork gurus, such as extreme sub-temperature athlete Wim Hof, are becoming household names.

Bold claims are being made. “There's a lot of hype about breathwork changing your life,” says Dr Guy Fincham from Sussex University, who studies the health benefits of breathwork. Some say it can boost the immune system, banish ill health and, perhaps, even lengthen life. But can it? What's the truth behind these breathwork fads? And could we all benefit from breathing a little differently?

BREATH BEGINNINGS

We all take about 20,000 breaths per day, but we don’t all breathe the same. Some people can do extreme things with their breath. The Danish freediver Stig Severinsen, for example, can hold his breath for more than 20 minutes, while the Haenyeo (translated literally to ‘women of the sea’) of Jeju, South Korea, spend more time underwater – up to 10 hours per day (not all at once) - than some diving animals.

You may think that the way you breathe is nothing special, yet your breath is as unique as your fingerprints. In a recent study, scientists found that patterns of inhalation and exhalation are so distinct, they can be used to predict people’s identity, as well as health-related factors, such as depression and body mass index.