Have you ever watched a baby sleep? Their bellies rise and fall with each breath, so calm and natural. This is how we all used to breathe, but many of us have lost this ability over time.
In our busy lives filled with stress and distractions, we often default to shallow, chest-based breathing. This type of breathing can make us feel more stressed, tired, and anxious.
With World Breathing Day on April 11, it’s a great time to think about how we breathe. If you’re feeling constantly stressed, struggling to sleep, or always tired, your breathing might be a big part of the problem.
This article will explain the difference between deep, diaphragmatic breathing and shallow chest breathing. You’ll learn how to check your own breathing pattern and find simple ways to breathe better.
What is Deep Breathing?
Deep breathing is breathing from the diaphragm, the main breathing muscle that sits below your ribs, separating your chest from your abdomen.
When you breathe deeply, your diaphragm contracts and flattens, moving downward into your abdomen. This creates space in your chest cavity, allowing your lungs to expand more fully.
A truly deep breath is actually quiet and gentle and involves the belly rising and falling naturally with each breath. It’s the kind of breathing you’ll observe in a sleeping baby—effortless and peaceful.
The diaphragm needs room to move properly. Unfortunately, modern lifestyles often compromise this movement:
- Sitting slumped at desks
- Poor posture and sedentary habits
- Chronic tension in the lower back, neck, and shoulders
- The social pressure to maintain a flat stomach
When your diaphragm can’t move freely, you naturally shift to shallow, upper-chest breathing without even realizing it.
Why ‘Big’ Breathing is Not Deep Breathing
Here’s where many people get confused: taking a “big” breath is not the same as taking a “deep” breath. There is a difference between taking a big breath and taking a deep breath.
When most people are told to “take a deep breath,” they typically:
- Tense their shoulders
- Lift their chest
- Take in a large volume of air (often through the mouth)
- Breathe faster than normal.
This type of breathing might feel like you’re getting more oxygen, but it actually creates an imbalance in your breathing biochemistry. When you breathe in too much air, you also expel too much carbon dioxide (CO2).
Contrary to popular belief, CO2 isn’t just a waste gas, it’s essential for your body. It helps release oxygen from your blood into your tissues and organs where it’s needed. Without adequate CO2, oxygen doesn’t get efficiently delivered to your cells, regardless of how much you breathe in.
What is Shallow Breathing?
Shallow breathing is breathing that doesn’t fully engage the diaphragm. Instead, it primarily uses the muscles in the upper chest, neck, and shoulders. This type of breathing is often faster than normal and primarily moves air into the upper portion of the lungs rather than distributing it throughout the entire lungs. Shallow breathing often results in hyperventilation.
Characteristics of shallow breathing include:
- Noticeable rising and falling of the chest (rather than the belly)
- Faster-than-normal breathing rate
- Audible breathing
- Feeling of breathlessness despite breathing more
- Sometimes, pulling in the abdomen during inhalation (paradoxical breathing)
Shallow breathing can become habitual, especially when we’re chronically stressed, have poor posture, or unconsciously try to maintain a flat stomach. Over time, this breathing pattern becomes our default, even when we’re relaxed.
What’s the Difference Between Deep and Shallow Breathing?
Deep breathing engages the diaphragm, promoting better oxygenation and relaxation, while shallow breathing involves the upper chest and can lead to stress and inadequate oxygenation. Below is a table that shows the differences between deep vs. shallow breathing;
| Deep Breathing | Shallow Breathing |
|---|---|
| Diaphragm fully engages | Upper chest muscles primarily used |
| Belly rises with inhalation | Chest rises with inhalation |
| Slower breathing rate (6-10 breaths/min) | Faster breathing rate (>12 breaths/min) |
| Quiet, almost inaudible | Often audible |
| Balanced oxygen/CO2 levels | Can lead to CO2 depletion |
| Activates relaxation response | Can trigger a stress response |
| Improves lung efficiency | Reduces lung efficiency |
| Supports healthy posture | Can contribute to neck/back pain |
To sum up, the difference between deep and shallow breathing is that deep breathing uses the diaphragm to fully expand the lungs, promoting relaxation and better oxygenation, while shallow breathing relies on the chest, limiting oxygen intake and often increasing stress and fatigue.
In other words, deep breathing is slow, quiet, and comes from the diaphragm, allowing your belly to rise and fall as air moves deeply into the lungs. It supports better oxygen exchange, calms the nervous system, and improves both physical and mental health. Shallow breathing, by contrast, is fast and chest-based, often triggered by stress or poor posture. It reduces breathing efficiency, overuses neck and shoulder muscles, and keeps the body in constant tension or anxiety. Thus, it is always better to breathe deep than shallow.
Shallow Breathing: Effects, Symptoms, and Causes
Shallow breathing occurs because of certain lifestyle factors, which often leave visible symptoms and negative effects. They are discussed below:
Symptoms and Causes
Symptoms of habitual shallow breathing include:
- Frequent sighing or yawning
- Feeling short of breath during normal activities
- Tension in the neck and shoulders
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Fatigue despite adequate sleep
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
Shallow breathing can be caused by:
- Chronic stress and anxiety: The mind-body connection works both ways, mental stress causes shallow breathing, and shallow breathing signals stress to the brain. Menopause can also lead to shallow breathing.
- Poor posture: Slouching compresses the diaphragm and encourages chest breathing.
- Respiratory conditions: Asthma, COPD, and other lung diseases can lead to compensatory breathing patterns.
- Mouth breathing: Breathing through the mouth is almost always shallow breathing.
- Sedentary lifestyle: Lack of movement leads to weakened breathing muscles.
- Environmental factors: Pollution, allergens, and even tight clothing can restrict proper breathing.
Effects of Shallow Breathing
The long-term effects of shallow breathing can be far-reaching and serious:
- Chronic stress: Shallow breathing mimics and triggers the body’s stress response, creating a cycle of anxiety and tension.
- Poor oxygenation: Despite breathing more, less oxygen reaches your cells and tissues.
- Musculoskeletal problems: Overusing accessory breathing muscles can lead to neck, shoulder, and back pain.
- Sleep disorders: Shallow breathing during the day often translates to disrupted breathing at night, potentially leading to snoring and sleep apnea. It may even cause insomnia.
- Immune system suppression: Chronic stress from improper breathing weakens your body’s natural defenses.
- Cardiovascular issues: Long-term shallow breathing is a risk factor for heart disease.
- Mental health impacts: Anxiety, poor concentration, and mood disturbances can all stem from disrupted breathing patterns.
Benefits of Deep Breathing
The benefits of proper diaphragmatic breathing are extensive and well-documented:
Physical Benefits
- Improved oxygen exchange: Slow, deep breathing allows more time for air to reach the alveoli, where gas exchange occurs. In one research study, scientists demonstrated the difference between fast, shallow breathing and slow, deep breathing, finding that slow breathing at 6 breaths per minute delivers 20% more oxygen to the bloodstream than faster breathing at 12 breaths per minute, as more air reaches the alveoli where oxygen transfer occurs, providing greater oxygenation to vital organs including the brain.
- Better posture and core stability: The diaphragm is part of your core musculature, supporting spine health and functional movement.
- Reduced muscle tension: Proper breathing releases tension in the neck, shoulders, and back.
- Lower blood pressure: Regular deep breathing practice has been shown to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Yes, proper breathing can lower hypertension.
- Improved digestion: The gentle massage-like action of the diaphragm aids digestive processes.
- Pain reduction: Deep breathing can help manage chronic pain conditions.
Mental and Emotional Benefits
- Stress reduction: Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering the body’s relaxation response. In fact, a 2017 study revealed that diaphragmatic breathing significantly reduces negative emotions, improves sustained attention, and lowers stress hormone levels, making it an effective technique for enhancing mental wellbeing.
- Anxiety management: Studies show deep breathing can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and panic.
- Improved concentration: Better oxygen delivery to the brain enhances cognitive function.
- Emotional regulation: Deep breathing creates space between stimulus and response, allowing for better emotional control.
- Better sleep quality: Proper breathing reduces sleep disturbances and improves overall sleep architecture.
Deep Breathing Techniques
Effective deep breathing isn’t about taking bigger breaths—it’s about breathing more efficiently. Here are techniques that focus on quality rather than quantity:
Basic Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Lie on your back with knees bent or sit in a comfortable position
- Place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen
- Breathe in slowly through your nose, feeling your abdomen rise while your chest remains relatively still
- Exhale slowly, feeling your abdomen fall
- Aim for 6-10 breaths per minute.
The Buteyko Method
The Buteyko Method is a beathing technique focusing on deep and slow breathing. This is a method of deep breathing that reduces the volume of the breath towards normal, improves levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, and reverses hyperventilation.
Here is a simple Buteyko breathing exercise you can do:
- Sit up straight, either in a chair or cross-legged on the floor
- Place your hands on your lower ribs on each side of your abdomen
- Begin breathing through your nose only, making your breath light and quiet
- At the top of each inhale, consciously relax your entire body
- Exhale slowly and gently through your nose
- Gradually reduce your breathing to create a slight air hunger sensation
- Focus on breathing deeply into your lungs, feeling your ribs expand outward as you inhale
- Count your breathing rhythm: inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds
- Maintain this pattern for approximately 4 minutes
- Remember the key principles: breathe light, slow, and deep
This exercise helps retrain your breathing pattern to be more efficient and beneficial for overall health. The Buteyko and box breathing techniques both focus on deep breathing.
Deep Breathing for Kids
Children naturally breathe from their diaphragms, but many develop dysfunctional breathing patterns due to stress, asthma, allergies, or mimicking adults’ breathing habits. Teaching children proper breathing early can prevent a lifetime of breathing problems. There are some fun breathing exercises for kids available,
Simple approaches for children include:
- Make it fun: Use props like stuffed animals on their bellies to watch them rise and fall
- Practice together: Children mirror parents’ breathing patterns
- Use imagery: “Smell the flower, blow out the candle” can help teach nasal breathing and proper exhalation
- Keep sessions short: 2-3 minutes at a time is plenty for young children
- Be consistent: Daily practice yields the best results
The distinction between deep and shallow breathing isn’t merely academic—it has profound implications for your physical and mental health. True deep breathing isn’t about taking bigger breaths but breathing more efficiently using your diaphragm.
This World Breathing Day, take a moment to notice your breathing pattern. Is your chest rising more than your belly? Do you breathe through your mouth? Are your breaths fast and shallow? If so, the simple techniques outlined in this article can help you establish healthier breathing habits that support your overall wellbeing.
Remember: you don’t need to breathe more—you need to breathe better.
You Can Prevent Shallow Breathing Today
How can you prevent shallow breathing at night when sleeping? Keep your mouth closed at night to prevent shallow breathing, stop snoring, and reduce sleep apnea symptoms. Nasal breathing naturally engages your diaphragm, delivering the deep, restorative breathing your body craves during sleep.
MYOTAPE offers a simple solution that comfortably secures around your mouth—not over it—eliminating anxiety while still allowing you to speak or drink when needed. CPAP users particularly benefit as MYOTAPE prevents air escape that compromises treatment, dramatically improving compliance and sleep quality.
The BUTEYKO BELT gently reminds your body to breathe properly through your diaphragm without creating tension for daytime awareness and nighttime training. Wear it at night to normalize your breathing pattern or during the day to build the muscle memory, leading to better breathing habits.
Start your journey to better breathing with the FREE BREATHING APP, which provides you with tailored deep breathing exercises to improve your health, reduce stress, and enhance sleep quality. This expertly tailored breathing app supports both adults and children in developing proper breathing techniques.
Take control of your breathing tonight. Your body has been waiting for this change your entire life.
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