Why does deep diaphragmatic breathing work?

Don’t worry if you don’t understand all the medical terms in today’s description. But it is important for you to understand that what happens in your body when you take a deep breath is not a ‘gimmick’ or ‘trick’ or ‘mental game’.  It does something important in your body.

Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. This nerve extends all the way from your brain to the large intestines: down your neck, through your chest, around your heart, around your lungs, and through your abdomen and intestines. It serves as the body's superhighway, carrying information between the brain and the internal organs.

When the vagus nerve is stimulated it sends out messages that shift your body response from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest”.  It sends out a message that lowers blood pressure, releases serotonin, and increases blood flow to the pre-frontal cortex of the brain so that you can think more clearly. 

Don’t do this only when you are in crisis. Try to practice this for five minutes, three or four times per day. You may notice this takes effort at first. You may even become tired while practicing it. But continued practice will make this calming, soothing way of breathing easy when you need to control your emotions.