Health and wellbeing guru Dr Michael Mosley has revealed a simple method that can help to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and aid in calming yourself.
Speaking on his BBC Podcast Deep Calm, Dr Mosley explained how basic breathing techniques can have a profound effect. He pointed out that while breathing is largely an automatic process, research indicates it's also a straightforward way to trigger one of the most beneficial physiological systems - the relaxation response.
According to Dr Mosley, this is the antithesis of the 'fight or flight response', saying: "It's part of the parasympathetic nervous system, an intricate network of nerve fibres that connects and regulates organs throughout your body, helping us to rest and digest, repair and restore reducing pain and inflammation, refreshing your mind and improving immune function, regulating our body, brain and energy levels."
Dr Mosley further clarified that just five minutes a day of breathing exercises could make a difference, reports Gloucestershire Live. He added: "In a 2023 study, researchers found that after just four weeks of slow breathing, participants had significantly lower levels of amyloid beta, which is a protein linked to the development of Alzheimer's."
The key to all this, according to neuroscientist Mara Mather, a professor at the University of Southern California, is the vagus nerve, which links the brain to the internal organs. She explained: "As you slow your breathing down, you take in more air and your lungs stretch more, and there are stretch receptors in your lungs that send signals via the vagus nerve. So every time you take longer, bigger breaths, those signals are going to be stronger than if you're breathing more quickly and more shallowly, the vagus nerve transmits acetylcholine.
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"That's the neurotransmitter it uses to communicate with organs in the body. And if we slow down, our breathing acetylcholine transmitted via the vagus nerve sends a message to the heart to slow down the rate of beating."
Dr Mosley added: "As your breathing rate lowers, so does your heart rate and blood pressure. And researchers think that at about six breaths a minute, the signals from the lungs, heart and blood vessels are all converging, which further boost the stimulation of the vagus nerve. ".
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