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.