4-C. How to stop or prevent bouts of coughing, sneezing, sighing, yawning, hiccups, deep inhalations, sniffing, and other deep breathing activities using Buteyko breathing exercises

Learning the Buteyko method by modules

Here is another practical application of the Buteyko breathing method. In a recent study (Giardino et al, 2007) done in the Departments of Radiology, Psychiatry and Bioengineering, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, American doctors and MDs revealed that sighing is a "diagnostic feature of several anxiety disorders... Sustained hyperventilation causes large reductions in global CBF, but even a single sigh can produce a 1–3 mmHg decrease in PCO2, enough to decrease CBF".

Indeed, during one sigh we blow out up to 2 l of air and it takes about 3-5 minutes to restore blood gases, even if the person breathes normally after this sigh. Hence, sighing every 3-5 minutes means chronic hyperventilation. How to prevent it?

Stop and prevent sneezing, sighing, yawning, hiccups, deep inhalations, sniffing, and other deep breathing activities

When you get a desire to sigh, yawn, or sneeze, do the opposite thing. Breathe less for about 1-2 minutes or practice shallow or reduced breathing. It will remind you about the fundamental role of breathing for your better health. Use the Emergency Procedure to improve your health and oxygenation instead of these deep breathing activities.

Coughing for many minutes is annoying and a health hazard. It not only washes out CO2, reduces oxygenation, but also resets the breathing centre to the state of chronic hyperventilation. Moreover, during normal breathing at rest the air travels though nasal cavities at a speed of 8 km/h. When we cough, the air rushes out at 120-160 km/h due to a large pressure gradient. Such disturbance can easily rupture alveoli, tiny air sacs of our lungs due to their fragility.

Prevention of bouts of coughing

Do coughing only through the nose. You can reduce the durations of coughing bouts about 2 times, if you keep the mouth closed.

The next step is to learn how to cough with both, the mouth and the nose closed. If you achieve this, your bouts will almost disappear.

Finally, if you are feeling slight symptoms, like itching in the throat, use the Emergency Procedure of the Buteyko method. It will help you to remove mucus and phlegm from airways much faster. You can cough out these secretions in tissue paper or a towel only if you know that they are already in your throat.

References

Giardino ND, Friedman SD, Dager SR, Anxiety, Respiration and Cerebral Blood Flow: Implications for Functional Brain Imaging, Compr Psychiatry. 2007 ; 48(2): p. 103–112.

Departments of Radiology, Psychiatry and Bioengineering, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

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