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Some recent research shows the reason controlled,
purposeful breathing is so calming is because it doesn’t activate specific
neurons in your brain that communicate with your arousal center. Put another
way, the reason rapid, shallow breathing is so stress-inducing is because it
activates neurons that trigger arousal, which typically translates into worry
and anxiety.
In this animal study, researchers were attempting to
identify different types of neurons and their role in breathing function. They
were focused on the pre-Bötzinger complex, also known as the breathing
pacemaker. As reported by The New York Times:
“More
than 25 years ago, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles
first discovered a small bundle of about 3,000 interlinked neurons inside the
brainstems of animals, including people, that seem to control most aspects of
breathing. They dubbed these neurons the breathing pacemaker.”
The researchers honed in on 175 neurons in the
breathing pacemaker, which they then "silenced" (eliminated) in the
mice, with the expectation that this would alter their breathing patterns.
However, that didn’t happen. There were no changes at all in their breathing
patterns after the neurons were knocked out.
Instead, the researchers were surprised to find the
mice became very relaxed, and remained relaxed even in situations where anxiety
would normally be triggered. What they discovered is that these neurons
positively regulate neurons in a brainstem structure called the locus
coeruleus, which is linked to arousal. It is, in other words, the formerly
hidden link between breathing rate and emotional state. Study co-author Jack
Feldman, distinguished professor of neurology at UCLA, told The Verge:
"It's
a tie between breathing itself and changes in emotional state and arousal that
we had never looked at before. It has considerable potential for therapeutic
use."
While the creation of drugs to target this brain
region is likely part of the agenda, there are natural methods already known to
do so. Controlled breathing, or pranayama as it's known in the practice of
yoga, is a central part of many ancient traditions.
Article Source: http://articles.mercola.com
