Breathing Exercises That Can Aid Your Digestion

For people who suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, it can feel like the uncomfortable symptoms are out of your control. But there's a simple technique that can help.

"It's helpful for people who have been dealing with ongoing GI symptoms to learn behavioral strategies that allow them to actively manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life," says Tracey Torosian, Ph.D., a GI health psychologist at Henry Ford Health.

The solution may be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, using a technique called diaphragmatic breathing.

What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that sits below your heart and lungs and above your stomach and intestines. "It's the most efficient muscle for breathing, increasing blood flow so that more oxygen is delivered throughout the body," says Dr. Torosian.

When you focus on diaphragmatic breathing, your diaphragm contracts and flattens as you inhale. This allows the lungs to fill more fully. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and returns to its dome shape, allowing the lungs to empty.

How Can Diaphragmatic Breathing Help GI Issues?

The gut and the brain share a special connection. But for someone who has a digestive disorder, that relationship isn't a healthy one. "Diaphragmatic breathing is one strategy for changing the dysfunctional communication between your mind and your gut," says Dr. Torosian. "Using this breathing strategy can help improve the mind-gut interaction, resulting in improved symptom management."

Diaphragmatic breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, putting your body into a state of relaxation in which all of your basic bodily functions operate smoothly and efficiently. "Specific to GI conditions, being in a relaxed state allows normal digestive functioning," says Dr. Torosian. "Food moves through the stomach and intestines, salivation is active and digestive enzymes are produced and released."

Diaphragmatic breathing also helps aid digestive woes by reducing your overall stress levels. Stress not only interferes with normal GI functioning, but it can increase GI symptoms and make them more difficult to manage. "Then your GI symptoms cause more stress, creating a cycle of stress worsening symptoms and symptoms causing more stress," says Dr. Torosian.

"Diaphragmatic breathing is one strategy that can help disrupt this cycle and have a positive impact." Reducing stress reduces symptoms, which in turn reduces stress-and so on.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises

There are many different techniques you can use to practice diaphragmatic breathing. Dr. Torosian recommends this simple exercise:

1. Start in a lying position, with your head supported and your knees bent or with a pillow under them.
2. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly below your ribcage. Take easy breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth for a few moments and observe how your hands are moving.
3. Now focus on breathing so you're pushing out the hand on your belly and keeping the hand on your chest still.
4. Breathe deeply just to the point that your lungs feel full down to your diaphragm. Exhale to the point that your lungs feel empty.
5. Once you're comfortable with your breathing, inhale through your nose to a count of 4 and exhale through your mouth to a count of 6.
6. When you're ready, practice diaphragmatic breathing in a sitting position with your feet on the floor. Practice so that you become comfortable lying, sitting and standing as you breathe.

When To Use Diaphragmatic Breathing

Like any new skill, diaphragmatic breathing takes some practice. That's why Dr. Torosian recommends trying it at random times until it starts to feel more natural. "Start with 3 minutes, three or four times a day, increasing the time as you're comfortable" she says. "Then start to identify times or situations when you can use it to help with your GI issues."

Regularly practicing diaphragmatic breathing can help reduce your overall stress level, which can lessen GI symptoms. You can also use it in the moment. "You want to start recognizing and catching early signs of GI distress," says Dr. Torosian. "Get your attention, do the breathing and calm yourself down."

For example, if you have anxiety about eating because of the discomfort it can cause, do a few minutes of breathing exercise before a meal. If you typically feel nauseated after eating, try it at the end of your meal.

"Think of this as just one helpful tool in your toolbox of strategies to manage GI symptoms," says Dr. Torosian. "Diaphragmatic breathing isn't a stand-alone strategy, but it can be a wonderful tool used in combination with medical treatment, lifestyle changes and other behavioral strategies."

Reviewed by Dr. Tracey Torosian, a health psychologist who specializes in gastrointestinal health and illness. She sees patients at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.