By Chris Pepitone D.C.
Do you every feel dizzy or lightheaded and feel like you need to sit down? Have you ever felt like you can’t take a deep breath in or just can’t seem to catch your breath during exercise, talking a lot, or even just sitting there? Do you sigh or yawn a lot even though you aren’t tired? Do you ever wake up gasping for air with heart palpitations and possibly numbness in the arms and legs? Well, guess what? It might be because of the way you are breathing! Let’s talk about something called “Breathing Pattern Dysfunction” and how fixing it can make you feel great and live a long, healthy life.
What Is Breathing Pattern Dysfunction?
Breathing is something we do all the time without thinking about it. We breathe in oxygen, and our bodies use it to keep us alive. But sometimes our breathing doesn’t work the way it should, and that is when we have “Breathing Pattern Dysfunction” or BPD for short. Let’s try an exercise. First, place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a casual breath in. Make a note of which hand moves more and how much do each move? Next take a deep breath in and make a note of the hand movements again. If your belly is doing about 90% of the work, great job! If your shoulders and moving towards the ears then you might have BPD.
Why Is It Important?
BPD can make you feel all the symptoms that was mentioned earlier in this article. It can also be the cause of chronic neck pain that won’t go away. If you are a person with that constantly tight and painful neck where massages or adjustments make it feel better but it is always coming back within 2 or 3 days then this could be why. You are a neck breather. The trapezius, scalenes, and pectoralis minor muscles lift the rib cage up when you breathe with your neck. They are only supposed to activate when you are in need of the extra oxygen from intense exercise. If you use them during relaxed breathing, you are overworking them. To better understand this overworked concept, it must be known that you breathe between 14,400 and 30,000 times per day! That is why you can get those massages and adjustments and within 2 or 3 days it all comes back.
Fixing BPD
The good news is that you can fix BPD and take your life back! You can learn how to breathe better, and it isn’t hard at all. The first step is to get a proper evaluation to determine the type of BPD that you have so that the best plan of action and an at home breathe re-training program can be developed.
Call PureLongevity at 732.747.0083 and schedule a consult with Dr. Chris Pepitone to determine if you suffer from BPD. At PureLongevity we help people Adapt. Heal. Thrive.
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