What are the Benefits of Deep Breathing Exercises to Smoking Cessation?

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Even though smokers inhale deeply while smoking, they forget to continue deep breathing after they quit. Yet, deep breathing is so beneficial to quit smoking. It does not only strengthen lung capacity, it eases nicotine cravings and improves the moody feelings smokers experience upon quitting. It also releases the toxins that may have accumulated in the body or lungs as a result of many years of smoking and boosts the energy level. Shallow breathing is not good for smokers who recently quit because they need a lot more oxygen to get their body, brain and lungs into proper shape. Suffice to say, deep breathing exercises should be consistently practiced the first few weeks after cessation. Just like physical exercises which are beneficial to quit smoking, breathing exercises will also do you a lot of good.

According to Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon in his book; Cigarette Smoking: What It’s Doing to Smokers and Nonsmoker, “the first step in stopping smoking is learning how to breathe properly. Up until now, you have been steadily decreasing the amount of oxygen your body takes in because of your smoking. Initially, it may be difficult to take a deep breath,” but keep at it, it will soon become a part of you.

Dr Dhillon emphasizes that breathing exercises are beneficial because:

* They provide a physiological and psychological substitute for smoking,

* Educate smokers in the proper use of the lungs,

* And help the cleaning and regeneration of the respiratory system

How to do Deep Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are best done in the mornings when there is an abundance of fresh, unpolluted air in circulation.

Kicking It: The New Way to Stop Smoking Permanently, a book by David L. Geisinger and Claude M. Steiner, recommends smokers follow the instructions below to do deep breathing exercises. According to the authors,

“Sit down on chair, legs uncrossed, feet on the floor, hands in your lap, spine straight but relaxed. Take a long, deep breath through your nose, mouth closed, until your ribcage and chest are fully expanded with air. Hold your breath for about 10 seconds and then exhale exclusively through your mouth, all at once, allowing your chest to relax abruptly with a sigh. Let 10 seconds pass, then repeat the breathing pattern; after another 10 seconds, do it a third time. Wait about 30 seconds and then repeat the entire cycle of three relaxation breaths. Two or three cycles should produce the desired effects, though one is often sufficient.”

While claiming that this exercise will undoubtedly relax you, Geisinger and Steiner advise that you “do the relaxation breathing exercise while sitting because it may make you feel slightly light-headed for a few seconds, as a result of the enriched supply of oxygen to your brain.”

Advantages of Breathing Exercise after Quit Smoking

* It eases nicotine cravings and improves the moody feelings smokers experience upon quitting: The first few days after cessation is usually tough as you’ll experience irresistible urges to smoke. Each time a craving hits you, Review and Herald Publishing, authors of How to Stop Smoking say you should pause right where you are and say to yourself:”I choose not to smoke.” Then get a drink of water, start deep breathing, and ask for divine aid. You will note that the craving begins to lessen in a few minutes and that you have made it through a real crisis.”

* As regards emphysema, Building Healthy Lungs Naturally, a book by Mike White, Michael Grant White opines that some breathing exercises have contained and backed off shortness of breath classified or mis-classified as emphysema, while some breathing exercises have made it worse.

* It gets rid of the toxins that have accumulated in the body as a result of many years of smoking. The oxygen the body gets as a result of deep breathing clears off the carbon dioxide and other poisonous elements residing in the body as a result of smoking.

* Deep breathing boosts the oxygen levels in the body. This, subsequently, relaxes the brain, body and lungs of smokers. The pleasurable and relaxing feeling it brings is incomparable to the ‘relaxation’ smokers claim they get from lighting up.

* It also relieves the stress and tension that smoking cessation brings. There is no doubt about the fact that quit smoking is stressful but deep breathing can keep the stress at bay.

* Deep breathing also strengthens lung capacity and keeps shortness of breath in check.

Ultrabreathe asi7492 Compact Breathing Exerciser

If you’ve just quit cigarettes and feel breathless just after climbing a flight of stairs, you may need to use the Ultrabreathe ASI7492 Compact Breathing Exerciser to help you regain lung function. It’s convenient to use and helps relieve the feeling of breathlessness from some lung ailments like emphysema, asthma and bronchitis. It helps to exercise your lungs better; you’ll breathe deeper and more easily than before. Unlike other breathing devices, it’s small, compact and can be taken anywhere you’re going. You can get it for less than $35 from Amazon this very minute. Just click the link below:

Ultrabreathe ASI7492 Compact Breathing Exerciser

Conclusion

Deep inhalation and exhalation is a relaxing activity for both smokers and non-smokers alike. Enjoy your relaxation without a cigarette – the reason you find cigarettes pleasurable is because you deep breathe while puffing! Cigarettes never relaxed anyone by themselves. Relaxation should have nothing to do with smoking. Disengage those connections now! Clear your head, lungs and body of those toxins now! You deserve a clean life; you deserve a clean body; you deserve relaxation without toxins; you deserve deep breathing. So, get into the act now! Deep breathing is one of the healthy habits you must adopt after cessation, so, get into the act now!

Ultrabreathe ASI7492 Compact Breathing Exerciser

References:

* How to Stop Smoking for Life; Review and Herald Publishing; 2004

* Building Healthy Lungs Naturally; Mike White, Michael Grant White; Optimal Breathing Press; Jul 22, 2005

* Kicking It: The New Way to Stop Smoking Permanently; Wellness Institute, Inc.; Jan 1, 2000

* Cigarette Smoking: What It’s Doing to Smokers and Nonsmoker; Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon; Amazon and Barnes & Noble; 1985

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