5 Breathing Exercises to Reduce Dry Eyes, Heartburn, Brain Fog

Familiar breathing exercises such as abdominal breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, and deep breathing can help reduce dry eyes, heartburn, and brain fog.

Breathing is important. Humans breathe about 17,000 times a day, but we don’t pay attention to our breathing. Breathing exercises or guided breathing can help improve our thinking and mood, as well as improve our physical health.

Abdominal breathing reduces dry eyes

About 61% of women over 50 suffer from dry eyes, which can be improved by three minutes of abdominal breathing. The reason is that this breathing exercise calms the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates the lacrimal glands, increasing tear production in women, according to research published in The Ocular Surface .

To practice breathing, people inhale through their nose for four seconds as their belly expands, then exhale through their nose for six seconds as their belly deflates. Repeat for three minutes.

4-7-8 breathing exercise to reduce heartburn

When you're stressed, your digestive system gets irritated, causing frequent heartburn. A study published in the Journal of Digestive Sciences and Diseases found that stress nearly doubles your chances of heartburn, as it slows down digestion.

To fix this, people inhale for four seconds, hold their breath for seven seconds, then exhale for eight seconds. Repeat for three minutes. Research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that this breathing exercise helped patients reduce the frequency of their heartburn medication use.

Woman practicing breathing and meditation outdoors. Photo: Freepik — Woman practicing breathing and meditation outdoors. Photo: *Freepik*

Deep breathing exercises to reduce brain fog

Research published in Frontiers in Psychology found that deep breathing can improve brain fog. Another study published in PLoS One found that people who practiced tactical breathing exercises were more focused, even in highly stressful environments.

How to do it: Imagine a square in front of you. As you mentally map out each side of the box, inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, then hold your breath for four seconds again to complete the box. Repeat four times.

Cyclic breathing to reduce anxiety

A study in Cell Reports Medicine found that “cyclic sighing,” which is similar to sighing, can relieve anxiety in just five minutes. The reason is that this breathing pattern signals the brain that it’s time to relax.

How to do it: Inhale through your nose until you feel your chest expand. Pause. Then inhale again. Pause. Then exhale slowly through your nose. Repeat for five minutes.

Squeeze the knee and breathe deeply to relieve pain

When in pain, people squeeze a pillow and breathe deeply. A study published in PLoS One found that this can affect the diaphragm and reduce breathing rate by 10 breaths per minute, calming the nervous system. 20 minutes of this breathing can stop pain.

Chile (According to Woman's World )

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