Buteyko helps reduce or eliminate asthma, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety and panic attacks
This October, Dr. Adams hosted a three-day seminar about the Buteyko Breathing Method. The entire team attended, as well as patients and other medical professionals. We didn’t know what to expect. Would it be interesting and worthwhile, or would we be bored to tears? To our surprise, it was extremely interesting.
I have heard Dr. Adams speak to both children and adults about the importance of mouth/tongue position and nasal breathing for years, but I never fully understand its importance. Preparing for the course, we heard that Buteyko breathing would help reduce sleep apnea, ADD, asthma, stress, and rhinitis. It wasn’t until attending the course that we experienced firsthand how these simple Buteyko exercises could impact our patients and ourselves.
Our instructor, Patrick McKeown, is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and has spent the past ten years, teaching thousands of people to successfully reduce or eliminate their asthma, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, and panic attacks. He has also helped athletes control their breathing to enhance their performance.
This October, Dr. Adams hosted a three-day seminar about the Buteyko Breathing Method. The entire team attended, as well as patients and other medical professionals. We didn’t know what to expect. Would it be interesting and worthwhile, or would we be bored to tears? To our surprise, it was extremely interesting.
I have heard Dr. Adams speak to both children and adults about the importance of mouth/tongue position and nasal breathing for years, but I never fully understand its importance. Preparing for the course, we heard that Buteyko breathing would help reduce sleep apnea, ADD, asthma, stress, and rhinitis. It wasn’t until attending the course that we experienced firsthand how these simple Buteyko exercises could impact our patients and ourselves.
Our instructor, Patrick McKeown, is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and has spent the past ten years, teaching thousands of people to successfully reduce or eliminate their asthma, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, and panic attacks. He has also helped athletes control their breathing to enhance their performance.
This October, Dr. Adams hosted a three-day seminar about the Buteyko Breathing Method. The entire team attended, as well as patients and other medical professionals. We didn’t know what to expect. Would it be interesting and worthwhile, or would we be bored to tears? To our surprise, it was extremely interesting.
I have heard Dr. Adams speak to both children and adults about the importance of mouth/tongue position and nasal breathing for years, but I never fully understand its importance. Preparing for the course, we heard that Buteyko breathing would help reduce sleep apnea, ADD, asthma, stress, and rhinitis. It wasn’t until attending the course that we experienced firsthand how these simple Buteyko exercises could impact our patients and ourselves.
Our instructor, Patrick McKeown, is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and has spent the past ten years, teaching thousands of people to successfully reduce or eliminate their asthma, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, and panic attacks. He has also helped athletes control their breathing to enhance their performance.
- Our nose humidifies, filters, and warms the air we breathe. Breathing through your mouth forces your tonsils to do the filtering, this in turn makes them inflamed. Dry unfiltered air goes into the mouth and constricts arteries and reduces oxygen. This can lead to poor concentration and mind-wandering because not enough oxygen is going to the brain.
- Mouth breathing changes normal craniofacial development in young children. We were shown slideshows showing face development and chronic mouth breathers have faces that become elongated, their nose becomes larger, and they have a very narrow upper arch leading to crowded teeth.
- The “breath holds” and “calm breath” exercises we were taught help increase the amount of nitric oxide in our nasal cavities. When breathing in slowly through our nose, our body delivers oxygen and nitric oxide to our tissues and cells. The benefits of nitric oxide include opening and relaxing blood vessels and reducing the amount of cholesterol and plaque. Nitric oxide cannot be replicated or supplemented by vitamins. Our body forms nitric oxide, and doing these breathing exercises and calming our breath is the only way to get the real benefits of nitric oxide.
- Over-breathing can cause health problems. When our bodies are stressed and we take deep breaths or breathe faster, it constricts our blood vessels, which in turn sends less oxygen to our brain, cells, and organs. This alters the natural level of gases in the blood.
- Habitual over-breathing is primarily due to the elements of our modern lifestyle, such as eating processed foods, a lack of exercise, pollution, smoking, and excessive talking. As a result, breathing volume can increase to as much as 2-3 times the norm, resulting in a variety of common complaints, including weight gain, lethargy, difficulty sleeping, and poor concentration.
- Typical characteristics of over-breathing are: Breathing through the mouth, breathing using the upper chest, regular sighing, taking large breaths prior to talking, and breathing loudly during rest.
“Quiet your breath”
Achieving a better night’s sleep
Here are a few tips that Patrick gave to help us calm our minds and breath before sleep:
- Do reduced breathing exercises 15 minutes before sleep. This entails holding hands on your chest and stomach to almost restrict your breathing and focusing on calming and slowing down your breathing. Do this in a dim room.
- No food two hours before bed as it increases breathing.
- No lights, cell phones, or tablets right before sleep. It activates sensory overload in our brain and tricks it into thinking it’s daytime, and we should be awake.
- Keep your bedroom cool and airy
- Try not sleeping on your back, but in turn, sleep on your left side as it reduces breathing.
- Daily intake of the vitamin Magnesium
Patrick sent us home with 3m medical tape after the first day and we were told to sleep with our mouths taped to prevent mouth breathing during sleep. A few of us were a little worried about trying it; however, the feedback the next day from all of us was similar. We felt more refreshed when waking up and had more energy earlier in the morning.
We now understand why Dr. Adams is so passionate about the Buteyko Method. We urge you to do some research for yourself and If you’re interested in learning more, give the office a call for details. We’re excited to help you become a healthier and happier you!
About the author
Jackie attended The Dental Studies Institute of Fairfield, NJ, and received an assisting certification in 2003. She is natural in the dental field because she has the innate ability to put people at ease in any situation and is excellent with children. Jackie was born in Morristown and spent the majority of her life in New Jersey. She moved to Southern California in 2008 where she met her husband. She enjoys art, snowboarding, surfing, and outdoor activities. She relocated to back to Morris County in 2010 to start a family. She has a five-year-old daughter and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in July 2017!