Why You Hold Your Breath When Stressed (& How It Makes Pain Worse)

Dr. Amy Konvalin wants us to breathe easy:

The ins and outs of it

Holding your breath during stress or pain is a normal fight, flight, or freeze response that prepares your body for danger by activating accessory breathing muscles in your neck and chest instead of your diaphragm, often leading to the “freeze” response when you cannot escape the situation.

This has an evolutionary advantage, but it also means it can increase the experience of pain.

There are two kinds of breathing to remember:

• Shallow chest breathing: this increases pressure in your abdomen, reduces diaphragm use, decreases stimulation of the vagus nerve, and keeps your body in fight, flight, or freeze. Because the vagus nerve helps regulate digestion, liver function, and other organs, reduced activation contributes to poor digestion, prolonged stress, and yes, heightened pain.
• Deep diaphragmatic breathing: consciously switching to diaphragmatic breathing, on the other hand, increases oxygen intake, stimulates the vagus nerve, and helps move your nervous system out of fight, flight, or freeze, whether the trigger is pain or emotional stress. Although many people struggle with deep breathing because chronic stress, fatigue, or pain has conditioned them to breathe shallowly, you can override this automatic pattern.

A good approach is to begin practicing diaphragmatic breathing while lying comfortably on your bed or the floor, then check your breathing regularly throughout the day to build the habit. Be patient as you retrain your body, gently reminding yourself to switch from chest breathing whenever you notice it. Use reminders, too; they can be helpful.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Take care!