Breathe, take time to just breathe

White Crane

I was watching a Teepa Snow video the other day for the first time.  Ed mentions her so often that I thought I would see who she is.  One of the things she said was that caregivers often forget to breathe.  I've noticed this with new students in my tai chi classes.  They are trying so hard and feel stressed and end up holding their breath and not breathing properly.  Teepa said if this is done on a regular basis, it leads to a build up of the stress hormone cortisol.  Cortisol build up leads to health issues such as high blood pressure and inflammation among others.  She said their was a study done that measured the cortisol levels of caregivers and non caregivers.  The caregivers had high levels of cortisol.  They were instructed in how to do deep breathing exercises and told to set a timer for five times a day.  At each time they were to stop what they were doing and take three deep, cleansing breaths.  At the end of the study, their cortisol levels were back down to normal levels.

In my classes, I teach participants how to breath deeply and show them breathing exercises.  After watching that video, I am trying to incorporate more deep breathing exercises into my day to help with the stress of caregiving.  I hope this information helps someone.

amicrazytoo

A great reminder!  Thank you!

caberr

I went for my physical in October I had high blood pressure.....dr was surprised since I have never had it before.  He took it again before I left and it had gone down.  I don't want it to happen again so will be trying this.  Thank you for posting.

homecarepalmdesert

Home Care Assistance is a reliable provider of high-quality home care., Palm Desert families can rely on. Our highly-trained experts can encourage seniors to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.

https://www.homecareassistancepalmdesert.com

Lorita

My blood pressure is always a bit high when I go see my doctor.  You get there and when you're ready to go in, the first thing they do is weigh you, then take your BP. I'm sure mine would be lower if they took it again.  My doctor recognizes this - because it was a little high I took it three times on different days at home and it was normal.

2 Young

I believe strongly in the importance of breathing properly but I forget to do it. Going to start setting my timer today.

Ed1937

Those breathing exercises really do help. I've tried them when things got bad.

Ed1937

homecarepalmdesert wrote:

Home Care Assistance is a reliable provider of high-quality home care., Palm Desert families can rely on. Our highly-trained experts can encourage seniors to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.

https://www.homecareassistancepalmdesert.com 

Spamming our forum is the quickest way to have me cross you off the list.

feudman

I guess the moderator "took them off THEIR list" Ed...that post is gone.

I thought Faith Hill posted this thread.

Ed1937

Thanks. I'll delete my post now.

White Crane

 In my tai chi classes, I teach dan tian  breathing.  If you look up dan tian breathing on YouTube, you can find some videos demonstrating the technique.  It is simple to learn and very calming.

Brenda 

Cynbar

This is a good reminder, I too will try this.

And I must say, listening to Faith Hill sing "Breathe" also reduces my stress. If you're not familiar with that song, check it out on YouTube. It's lovely.