Altering Your Breathing May Help Reduce Pain Associated With Fibromyalgia

When people are angry, become stressed, or get upset over circumstances in their lives, they are often told to “take a deep breath.” The thought behind this is that taking in a slow, deep breath will allow them to refocus their energy and handle the situation more easily. Some new studies show that this same type of breathing technique may also work for people who suffer with chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia. Some researchers even believe that practicing breathing techniques on a regular basis can take the place of traditional drug regimes for certain individuals.

In the studies, scientists examined people who took half as many breaths as the average, healthy adult, which is approximately between twelve and eighteen breaths per minute. They found that individuals who cut those breaths in half were able to tolerate short-term pain from burns or cuts, as well as the chronic pain affecting muscles and joints. The research indicated that by reducing breaths to as few as six breaths a minute had a radical effect on pain experienced by individuals over the long term.

In the United States study, researchers evaluated a group of healthy, middle aged women and a group of women suffering from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, for which there is currently no cure. The research team exposed the women to various probes that generated heat against their hands at different temperatures. The scientists wanted to measure how much pain they could tolerate. The women were instructed to take fewer breaths while handling the probes. After taking half the amount of normal breaths, the women reported that the pain was less intense than when they breathed normally. The researchers found that the pain was rated about the same in both groups when fewer breaths were taken.

The theory behind why fewer breaths may ease pain stems from the idea that slow, measured breathing has a direct impact on the sympathetic nervous system. Fibers within the nervous system help to regulate blood flow and skin temperature. It appears that taking fewer breaths dampens the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn blocks pain. Other believe that taking shallow, slow breaths help to get the oxygen to the tissues in a more effective fashion, thereby helping the body react to pain. Breathing techniques have been around a very long time and in various cultural settings. Practicing breathing is cost-effective, easy, and can fit into your everyday schedule with relative ease. If you do suffer from pain associated with fibromyalgia, try to decrease the amount of breaths you take and truly concentrate on your breathing. It could just be that you find some of your pain minimized upon taking a deep breath.