Asthma Breathing Techniques

Asthma is an inhaling disorder caused due to the contraction and swelling of the airways in the lungs. It is unusual lung condition characterized by difficulty in breathing. People suffering with asthma have extra sensitive or hyper responsive airways. Airways become irritate when reacted by narrowing or obstructing of lungs. This makes in and out movement of the air more difficult. This is the starting point of the combination of the following symptoms of asthma like wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. The amount of these symptoms depends to extent to which the affliction has developed. Some other symptoms of Asthma are Airway inflammation and Bronchia construction. Due to Airway inflammation, airways in the lungs become red, swollen and narrow while Bronchia constriction are the muscles that encircle the airways tighten or go into spasm.

The main cause of asthma is allergy and some other respiratory tract ailments. Many symptoms in the list of asthma like bronchial asthma, cough variant asthma and exercise induced asthma are caused due to allergy. The only type of asthma which is not caused by allergy is Cardiac asthma. There is specific allergic reaction for Asthma which is hypersensitivity reactions. These hypersensitive and mediated allergic reactions are caused by specific exogenous antigens, e.g. pollen, animal dandruff, house dust and molds.

The allergy and other symptoms may only aggravate with poor breathing techniques. There are some breathing patterns that manipulated with deep breathing, relaxation sessions and other exercises. These techniques improve the breathing and are known as breathing exercises. The asthma breathing exercises helps the patients to control their respiratory muscles and improve their condition.

In these exercises, Pranayama is most important. It is a set of breathing exercises in yoga and Buteyko. It is the Russian type of exercise which is most helpful in asthma. Yoga is a great treatment that is being widely used to reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks as well as the use of medication. The consistent use of Yoga and pranayama increases the airflow, air capacity, stamina and efficiency of the lungs in patients. Pranayama is the technique that helps the patient to maintain relaxed and controlled breath. Pranayama is a sanskrit word which means control of the life force. In achieving full controls over the life force, two steps are to be followed i.e., control of breathing and organizing the body through posture.

There are three steps involved in pranayama exercises i.e. puraka or inhalation, kumbhaka and rechaka or exhalation. Puraka stimulates the respiratory system of human body and fills the lungs with fresh air while Kumbhaka increases the internal temperature of the body and absorption of oxygen. Through Rechaka, the diaphragm returns to its original position besides forcing out air full of toxins and impurities by the contraction of inter-costal muscles. The practice of Pranayama exercises depends on the intensity of asthma attack. There are some other exercises like Dirga pranayama, Naadi Shodhana, Ujjayi pranayama, Shitali pranayama and Kapalabhati pranayama that can be followed in asthma.

Exercise helps some people with asthma to strengthen and improves endurance and reduces breathlessness to some extent. During the period of learning these breathing techniques, it is important to work with an appropriately trained professional because the techniques are not good for everyone.