Take this Faulty Breathing Quiz
Daytime indicators of faulty breathing:
[ ] audible
[ ] fast (> 14 breaths/minute in adults)
[ ] heavy
[ ] mouth breathing
[ ] breathing from your upper-chest
[ ] pushing the air out of your lungs
[ ] frequent deep breaths
[ ] irregular i.e. sighs, yawns, snorts, coughs, breath holds
[ ] obvious
Night-time indicators of faulty breathing:
[ ] audible, noisy, snoring
[ ] fast (> 14 breaths/minute in adults)
[ ] heavy or ‘windy’ breathing (bed partner may feel it blowing on them)
[ ] mouth breathing
[ ] erratic i.e. changing pace and volume, stop-start, snorts, gasps, choking
[ ] obvious
IF you answered YES to ONE or more of these, then you likely have a disordered breathing pattern and may benefit from breathing retraining.
Normal breathing, day and night, is:
[ ] silent
[ ] slow i.e. 8-12 breaths/min
[ ] easy
[ ] nasal
[ ] diaphragmatic
[ ] regular, smooth
[ ] invisible
Do you treat your car better than your body?
If your car’s idle speed, fuel/air mixture, carburetor balance and ignition timing were out, you would get a tune up.
If your breathing speed, air mix, air consumption and breathing regulator ‘set point’ are out of balance, you need breathing retraining – or else you will malfunction and possibly break down. Getting the most fundamental of all behaviours right – your breathing – can make all the difference to your sleep, wellbeing and performance.
Breathing pattern is rarely considered
Observation and assessment of a patient’s habitual breathing pattern is not part of standard medical diagnosis. The extent of ‘dysfunctional’ breathing in the population is grossly underestimated.
Chapter 4 of Relief from Snoring and Sleep Apnoea and Chapters 1 and 3 of Relief from Anxiety and Panic have a comprehensive guide to identifying faulty breathing habits and related symptoms.