Why exhalation is longer than inhalation

Why does this technique work so well? Because of the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in your body, running from your brain stem all the way down to your colon. The vagus nerve monitors the state of your organs and feeds information to the central nervous system.

And it helps regulate your heartbeat. As experiments have shown, while you inhale, your heartbeat speeds up slightly. Then while you exhale, the vagus nerve releases a neurotransmitter substance called acetylcholine or ACh which goes directly to the heart, telling it to slow down.

Having your heart rate slow is a very calming thing, but even more important, inhaling slowly and then exhaling more slowly increases your heart rate variability, according to Bergland. With the very useful Bhramari breath Timothy expanded on Bhramari Breath with Mudras , we do the opposite. As we hum during the exhalation, the exhales get longer relative to the inhales, as when we do a ratio breath practice without the humming. This new respiratory cycle begins to slow down the heart rate, sending a message to the brain that everything is more peaceful and calm than five minutes ago, allowing the brain to support this shift further by activating the Parasympathetic portion of the ANS the Rest and Digest or Relaxation response that goes back from brain to body.

Research has shown that the vagus nerve as well as certain chemical neurotransmitters account for these effects of breath patterns on heart rate and subsequently on shifting the balance between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic parts of the ANS.

Keep in mind that the ANS is trying to keep all background systems in balance and responding appropriately to ever-changing circumstances of our day. Our conscious choice of breathing differently can shift us to a more desirable part of the ANS, either by stimulating the active Sympathetic branch or the quieting Parasympathetic branch.

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Explore Classes. Robin Berzin, M. Last updated on February 7, What makes this kind of breathing so calming? The Ultimate Guide To Breathwork. Take the class now. An error occurred. In addition, they proposed a neurophysiological model of respiratory vagal nerve stimulation.

Also in , an international group of scientists carried out two studies. The first study which included 30 participants analyzed how slow breathing practices affected HRV metrics. The second study which included 56 participants examined the effect of breathing exercises on perceived stress and decision-making. The research showed that slow breathing practices significantly increased time and frequency domain HRV metrics, diminished perceived stress, and improved decision-making.