Diaphragmatic breathing — colloquially known as deep breathing — involves contracting the muscles underneath the lungs.
Sometimes it is called ‘belly breathing’ because it feels like breathing from the belly.
In contrast, ‘chest breathing’ — using the muscles around the upper body — is less efficient.
Dr Melanis Rivera, a clinical psychologist who works at a student counselling centre, said:
“When you breathe with your upper chest, upper lungs, upper body, what happens is you are taking in less oxygen which is vital to your body and organs.”
This sort of shallow breathing is linked to anxiety, fatigue and muscle tension.
It can also lead to headaches and panic attacks.
Belly breathing is best done by breathing in steadily for four seconds from the diaphragm, then exhaling for six seconds.
Dr Nathaly Shoua-Desmarais, a clinical psychologist and biofeedback specialist, said:
“The misconception is the longer you suck in air the better, but it’s the longer exhalation that provides the most benefit.”
While it might seem odd that we need to train ourselves to breathe properly, Dr Shoua-Desmarais said:
“Babies use diaphragmatic breathing.
Somewhere along the way we develop bad habits that develop into thoracic breathing.”
Retraining ourselves to do something so natural, though, can prove difficult.
It is best to start with a 5-minute routine at first, said Dr Rivera:
“If you’ve been chest breathing for a good portion of your life and you suddenly tell your body, hey, let’s stretch out these lungs, you could feel dizzy or get a headache, even hyperventilate.”
The factors that predict recovery from the most common mental health problem.
The factors that predict recovery from the most common mental health problem.
Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness.
However, a study provides hope for recovery for those with anxiety disorders.
Fully 72 percent of people with a history of an anxiety disorder were free of it in the last 12 months, the research reveals.
On top of that, 40 percent were in excellent mental health and 60 percent had no other mental health problems.
A key to recovery from anxiety disorders is having at least one person to confide in.
This provides a sense of wellbeing and security which can triple the chance of recovery, researchers found.
Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson, the study’s first author, said:
“We were so encouraged to learn that even among those whose anxiety disorders had lasted a decade or longer, half had been in remission from GAD for the past year and one-quarter had achieved excellent mental health and well-being.”
The conclusions come from a group of 2,128 Canadians who had Generalised Anxiety Disorder at some point in their lives.
Professor Fuller-Thomson says the results are hopeful:
“This research provides a very hopeful message for individuals struggling with anxiety, their families and health professionals.
Our findings suggest that full recovery is possible, even among those who have suffered for many years with the disorder.”
People found it harder to recover from anxiety if they were depressed, had a history of substance misuse or had insomnia.
However, they were more likely to recover when married and having someone they could share their experience with.
Ms Kandace Ryckman, study co-author, said:
“For those with anxiety disorders, the social support that extends from a confidant can foster a sense of belonging and self-worth which may promote recover.”
Spiritual or religious beliefs also increased the chance of recovery by 36 percent.
Professor Fuller-Thomson said:
“Other researchers have also found a strong link between recovery from mental illness and belief in a higher power.”
People with these conditions experience Alzheimer’s symptoms up to 7 years earlier.
People with these conditions experience Alzheimer’s symptoms up to 7 years earlier.
Both depression and anxiety increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
People who are depressed develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, two years earlier.
Those with anxiety develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s three years earlier.
Having multiple mental health problems is linked to developing symptoms of the disease even sooner.
Dr Zachary A. Miller, the study’s first author, said:
“More research is needed to understand the impact of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety on the development of Alzheimer’s disease and whether treatment and management of depression and anxiety could help prevent or delay the onset of dementia for people who are susceptible to it.
Certainly this isn’t to say that people with depression and anxiety will necessarily develop Alzheimer’s disease, but people with these conditions might consider discussing ways to promote long-term brain health with their health care providers.”
The study included 1,500 people with Alzheimer’s disease who were asked about their mental health.
The results revealed that the more mental health problems people had, the sooner they began experiencing dementia symptoms.
Three or more psychiatric disorders together was linked to developing symptoms more than 7 years earlier them.
Both depression and anxiety were linked to a history of autoimmune disorders.
Dr Miller said:
“While this association between depression and autoimmune disease, and seizures and anxiety is quite preliminary, we hypothesize that the presentation of depression in some people could possibly reflect a greater burden of neuroinflammation.
The presence of anxiety might indicate a greater degree of neuronal hyperexcitability, where the networks in the brain are overstimulated, potentially opening up new therapeutic targets for dementia prevention.”
The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 73rd Annual Meeting (Miller et al., 2021).
In comparison, a ‘stress management’ actually increased stress, the researchers found.
In comparison, a ‘stress management’ actually increased stress, the researchers found.
Mindfulness meditation helps to decrease anxiety, according to the physiological evidence.
Meditation reduces the body’s inflammatory response as well as causing a striking reduction in levels of stress hormones, new research finds.
In comparison, people who took a stress management course actually saw an increased response to stress.
Dr Elizabeth A. Hoge, the study’s first author, said:
“Mindfulness meditation training is a relatively inexpensive and low-stigma treatment approach, and these findings strengthen the case that it can improve resilience to stress.”
The research included 89 people who had been diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder.
Half were given an 8-week mindfulness meditation course, the other half a stress management course.
Because the courses were very similar in most respects, the participants were not aware what the researchers were hoping would work.
This helps reduce a well-known effect in psychological research called the ‘expectancy bias’.
This is the idea that when people expect to get better, they magically do.
It is akin to the placebo effect.
Before and after the two different courses, participants were given a stress test.
This involved giving a short speech to an audience.
Dr Hoge explained:
“We were testing the patients’ resilience, because that’s really the ultimate question—can we make people handle stress better?”
The researchers monitored key markers of the stress response in the blood.
They found that those who had taken the stress management course saw a slight rise in physiological stress levels in the second test.
In the meditation group, though, participants showed large drops in the stress response at the second test.
Not only that, but people reported feeling much less stressed after the meditation course.
The study was published in the journal Psychiatry Research (Hoge et al., 2016).
Learn how systematic desensitisation helps overcome phobias and anxiety with gradual exposure and relaxation techniques.
Systematic desensitisation is a behavioural therapy technique used to help individuals overcome phobias and anxiety disorders.
Overview of systematic desensitisation
Systematic desensitisation is a therapeutic approach developed by Joseph Wolpe in the 1950s.
It aims to reduce anxiety responses by gradually exposing individuals to anxiety-inducing stimuli while teaching them relaxation techniques.
The therapy is based on the principles of classical conditioning, where new associations are formed between previously fear-inducing situations and feelings of calmness.
It follows a step-by-step process designed to help individuals confront their fears in a controlled and manageable way.
This technique is particularly effective for specific phobias and some types of anxiety disorders.
Systematic desensitisation emphasises controlled progress, reducing the risk of overwhelming feelings.
Its structured approach makes it adaptable to various therapeutic contexts, including individual and group sessions.
Mechanisms and process
Systematic desensitisation involves three key stages.
The first stage is establishing an anxiety hierarchy.
The therapist works with the individual to identify situations that cause fear and rank them from least to most anxiety-provoking.
Examples include thinking about a spider, seeing a picture of a spider, or holding a live spider.
A well-crafted hierarchy ensures incremental exposure, providing a steady path toward reducing fear.
The second stage is learning relaxation techniques.
These techniques might include progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing exercises, or guided visualisation.
Mastering these skills helps the individual calm their physical and emotional reactions when exposed to fear-inducing stimuli.
Effective relaxation counteracts the body’s fight-or-flight response, a key component in anxiety management.
The third stage is gradual exposure to the anxiety-provoking stimuli.
Starting with the least frightening situation, the individual uses relaxation methods to stay calm while confronting the stimulus.
Progress is made gradually, moving up the hierarchy until the most challenging scenario is faced without significant anxiety.
Consistent practice enhances long-term resilience against anxiety triggers.
Applications and efficacy
Systematic desensitisation is widely recognised for its success in treating various anxiety-related conditions.
It is particularly effective for phobias, such as fear of heights, flying, or animals.
In cases of generalised anxiety disorder, the technique can help reduce overall anxiety levels by desensitising the person to common triggers.
Research has consistently demonstrated its effectiveness, with many individuals reporting long-term benefits after treatment.
Comparative studies show that systematic desensitisation often outperforms simple exposure therapy because of the added focus on relaxation training.
Studies also highlight that combining systematic desensitisation with cognitive strategies enhances outcomes.
Techniques used in systematic desensitisation
Several relaxation techniques enhance the effectiveness of systematic desensitisation.
Progressive muscle relaxation involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups to create a deep sense of relaxation.
This technique helps the individual recognise physical tension associated with fear and reduce it consciously.
Deep breathing exercises help regulate breathing patterns and reduce physical tension associated with anxiety.
Slow, diaphragmatic breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a calming effect.
