Profits taking a nosedive? Performance flagging? Bottom line taking the hit?
Breathe your way to success using the nose. Optimising your team's performance may be more rooted in how they breathe than in the tasks laid out before them.
Read how grasping simple, at-desk, breathing techniques can improve sleep, memory function, mental clarity, posture, hydration, mental health and menopausal symptoms. Take a look at how you can keep that all-important commercial edge and stay at the top of your game - read more.....
Sleep
Breathing slowly, gently, using the nose and diaphragm stimulates the relaxation (parasympathetic) response and is how we have been designed to breathe whilst sleeping to allow the body to repair and recover so we can perform at our best when we wake up. Whereas breathing quickly, loudly, using the mouth and upper chest triggers the fight, flight, freeze (sympathetic) response which negatively impacts energy, focus and work performance. Click for more information
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip
Ask your team 'do you sleep with your mouth open, have noisy breathing or stop breathing during sleep?'
Client feedback
'I've been a life long mouth breather. Reduced snoring. I became aware that adequate sleep and rest is about being able to sleep AND not snoring. If you sleep all night but snore you can still feel rubbish the next day'
'I am already sleeping better, feel more refreshed when I wake and have way more energy during the day'
Learning, memory & cognition
The nose is connected to the area of the brain involved in memory (hippocampus) and nasal breathing appears crucial for learning. One study used brain scans to investigate the impact of nasal versus mouth (oral) breathing:
'We can conclude that various brain regions related to working memory and normal breathing are adequately induced in nasal breathing conditions, but not in oral breathing conditions. This result is similar to that of a previous study in which oral breathing decreased the power of brain waves related to working memory function'
We consolidate learning and memory whilst sleeping. Are your team maximising their learning from your investment in training by breathing through their nose whilst awake and sleeping?
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip
Observe how your team breathe when distracted...mouth open or closed? Ask them if they sleep with their mouth open and closed.
Client feedback
'Having gone from needing a paracetamol on waking nearly every morning for my morning headache I now only very rarely need one. I’m also having fewer headaches generally. It feels as if my sleep quality is better and I guess that better sleep is also clearing my brain more effectively overnight because the groggy feeling I used to feel in my brain is now lighter'
Posture
At rest the body has been designed that 80% of the work of breathing is performed by the diaphragm which sits under the lungs. The diaphragm also has a role in pumping the blood and waste fluid (lymph) around the body. If we breathe using the mouth or with poor posture we start to use the upper chest rather than the diaphragm. This can contribute to neck pain, headaches, fatigue as well as other symptoms.
Place one hand on your upper chest and one hand on your upper stomach. Breathe in using the mouth and observe how your upper chest moves. Now breathe in using your nose and observe how there is less movement in the upper chest. Now experiment taking an inhale with poor posture using the mouth and then the nose. Notice how there is much more upper chest movement when we are not sitting or standing as nature intended.
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip Observe how your team sit and stand. Forward head posture, rounded shoulders, slouching?
Client feedback
'The most significant change is I understand air hunger, am no longer afraid of it, and am able to work with it to help my oxygen levels. This has also resulted in less physical tension around breathing, and I no longer have urges to gasp in a breath through my mouth'
Hydration
'Being dehydrated by just 2% impairs performance in tasks that require attention, psychomotor, and immediate memory skills' (Wittbrodt and Millard-Stafford, 2018)
Switching from nose to mouth breathing increases water loss by 42% (Svensson, Olin and Hellgren, 2016)
Improve the hydration levels of your team by encouraging them to drink water regularly and use the nose to breathe.
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip Observe how your team breathe when distracted. Mouth open or closed? Ask if they sleep with their mouth open or closed.
Client feedback
'A great course, very clear with lots of exercises to do. I was definitely a full time mouth breather which caused me to snore and wake up with a dry mouth and feeling groggy. I am waking feeling more refreshed with a not dry mouth'
Email apnoea
The part of the brain involved with fear (amygdala) is thought by evolution in times of threat to inhibit breathing with a pause to allow prey to go undetected by the predator. Could this be responsible for e-mail apnoea observed and described by Linda Stone. Electronic devices are not natural within our evolution so could the amygdala be triggering episodes of apnoea outside of one’s awareness in response to perceived threat from these devices?
Watch the video to understand how this may contribute to feelings of anxiety. (Feinstein, Gould and Khalsa, 2022)
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip Ask you team if they notice they unconsciously hold their breath whilst on an electronic device.
Client feedback
'I have tried many apps and read many books in an attempt to improve my sleep pattern to no avail, but this course cracked it! I am now sleeping fully through the night which has been a life changer for me. Everyday living, work, emotions & general well-being become so much easier to manage, more positive & happier with sleep. I generally feel calmer and am more in tune with my stress levels through changes in my breathing. I have learnt so much from this course and will be forever grateful. Thank you Louise'
Anxiety or stress
How we breathe instructs the body if we are safe or if there is a potential threat. Breathing fast, loudly, with the upper chest and through an open mouth is more likely to activate the fight, flight, freeze (sympathetic) response. Whereas breathing slowly, gently, in and out of the nose using the diaphragm is more likely to stimulate the relaxation (parasympathetic) response.
Consider how are your staff breathing whilst resting, moving and sleeping. Is their unconscious breathing pattern increasing their fight, flight, freeze response making them feel more anxious, overwhelmed or stressed. Click for more information.
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip Observe if your team sigh or yawn frequently, breathe using their mouth, can you hear them breathe at rest, can you see their shoulders and upper chest move?
Client feedback
'I’m calmer, relaxed and more creative. I am no longer at the top of my tree even when something arrives to shake me up a bit'
Menopause
It appears biologically as women transition through menopause the dial on the ‘fight, flight, freeze’ sympathetic system turns up which can increase feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. In addition there is a steep rise in sleep disordered breathing (mouth breathing whilst sleeping, increased resistance to airflow through the upper airway, heavy snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea) as women transition through to post menopause which can lead to daytime fatigue, lack of energy, insomnia, morning headaches, mood disturbance, nightmares and other symptoms.
Knowledge is power. Consider sharing my menopause page and menopause stress blog.
The good news is we can change how we breathe
Tip
Start a conversation with your workforce who have ovaries regarding the impact of changing hormones and offer support.
Client feedback
'Helped daily by the knowledge, tools, techniques and general mindset you taught on the breathing re-education course that my husband and I joined last spring. I evangelise about your methods to friends and family. These have been a key part of my midlife health overhaul, which has been tremendously positive. Thank you hugely'
Bespoke programme for commercial success
Would you like my help with a bespoke programme to help your team breathe their way to commercial success?
I am flexible and engaging in my approach offering breathing assessments, workshops, retreats and breathing re-education programmes tailored to meet the needs of your organisation. Click to contact or e-mail info@drlouiseolivertherapeuticlifecoaching.com
References
Feinstein JS, Gould D, Khalsa SS. Amygdala-driven apnea and the chemoreceptive origin of anxiety. Biol Psychol. 2022 Apr;170:108305. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108305. Epub 2022 Mar 7. PMID: 35271957; PMCID: PMC10227885.
Jung JY, Kang CK. Investigation on the Effect of Oral Breathing on Cognitive Activity Using Functional Brain Imaging. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 May 29;9(6):645. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9060645. PMID: 34072444; PMCID: PMC8228257.
Schwarz KG, Vicencio SC, Inestrosa NC, Villaseca P, Del Rio R. Autonomic nervous system dysfunction throughout menopausal transition: A potential mechanism underpinning cardiovascular and cognitive alterations during female ageing. J Physiol. 2024 Jan;602(2):263-280. doi: 10.1113/JP285126. Epub 2023 Dec 8. PMID: 38064358.
Svensson S, Olin AC, Hellgren J. Increased net water loss by oral compared to nasal expiration in healthy subjects. Rhinology. 2006 Mar;44(1):74-7. PMID: 16550955.
Wittbrodt MT, Millard-Stafford M. Dehydration Impairs Cognitive Performance: A Meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018 Nov;50(11):2360-2368. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001682. PMID: 29933347.
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