Monitoring your breathing can help reduce anxiety. By learning your maximum breathing rate and monitoring it day and night, you can discover when anxiety may have been a factor. And knowing that your body is changing, for better or worse, can help prevent future episodes. You’ll learn to use this information to improve moods and health throughout the day.
Tips to help monitor breathing rate
- Get a wrist or chest monitor.
Along with measuring your pulse rate, these monitors also measure your breathing rate. The ideal monitor measures both at the same time. Make sure you get one that is as accurate as possible, with instructions on how to use it. You can also use a pulse oximeter, which is generally easier. But it doesn’t measure breathing rate directly.
- Use the monitor daily.
Using it daily will make you more aware of your breathing patterns, allowing you to recognize when it’s a bit high or low. This awareness is an important step in managing anxiety.
- Note your breathing rate first in the morning and before bedtime.
These are times when anxiety is most potent because of circadian rhythm changes, so these times will show greatest differences in your breathing rate. Breathing rates tend to be higher in the early morning and just before bedtime compared with the rest of the day, especially if you feel anxious or stressed or if anxiety keeps you awake at night (a side effect of too much adrenaline).
- Note your breathing rate throughout the day and your mood.
Anxiety and depression both bring about changes in breathing rate, but anxiety is typically linked more to increased rates, and depression more to decreased rates. You may notice that when you’re anxious, your breathing rate is higher than normal. Or it might be lower. If you’re unsure if you have anxiety or depression, look for symptoms of both conditions (for example, depressed people often show signs of agitation as well), or discuss your concerns with a mental health professional.
- Note patterns over several days and weeks.
It’s important to keep a record of patterns over time so you know how much it varies from day to day or week to week. You may find that it fluctuates more on some days and less on others. You will also see how it may be related to your mood, other symptoms, or even certain situations.
- Update your results over time.
Keep notes about changes in breathing rate versus mood, and any patterns you notice during the day, week, month and year. This will help you recognize when there’s a problem before it gets worse so that you can take steps to manage your anxiety symptoms. A good tool like this is only useful if you update the results regularly to track any changes in breathing rates and their relationship to mood and other symptoms.
Conclusion
By learning how to monitor your breathing, you can better help your anxiety symptoms. And as you continue to do so, you’ll figure out how to make changes that will improve your moods and health. By understanding your own body, you can rely on some natural tools. You’ll be able to make daily changes in how you respond to anxiety symptoms and manage how they affect your everyday life.
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