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Buteyko Breathing Technique : How To Do & What Are Its Benefits and Drawbacks?

What is the Buteyko Breathing Technique?

The Buteyko breathing technique was developed in 1956 by Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. Dr. Buteyko observed that both healthy and unhealthy people have different types of breathing patterns. He noticed that less unhealthy people were breathing with their mouths open and also had a higher respiration rate. These observations were especially concerning when the person slept. On the other hand, those who were healthy had a regular, quiet, and effortless breathing pattern even when they were at rest. They were able to breathe through the nose, and their breathing was driven by the diaphragm. They also had a normal respiratory volume and rate. In order to help his patients, over a period of four decades, Dr. Buteyko created a breathing technique that focused on controlling the rate of inhalation and exhalation in order to teach people how to better manage their breathing patterns. The focus of his breathing technique was to take in less air into the lungs.(1, 2, 3)

The Buteyko breathing technique is a therapeutic breathing method that makes use of certain breath retention or breath controlling exercises to control the volume and speed of your breathing. This technique helps you learn how to breathe more calmly, slowly, and also effectively.

Buteyko Breathing Technique : How To Do & What Are Its Benefits and Drawbacks?

There are said to be many benefits of the Buteyko breathing technique, including better breath control which is said to help prevent breathlessness in people and also promote better breathing patterns. The Buteyko breathing technique is used to manage and improve a wide range of medical conditions like anxiety, sleep problems, panic attacks and asthma by focusing on controlling the ratio of their inhalation to exhalation.(4, 5)

How to Practice the Buteyko Breathing Technique?

The Buteyko breathing technique teaches you to breathe in a more gentle and less rapid way. While learning this breathing method, you get to know how to breathe deeper and slower, which helps balance your breathing rhythms.

The Buteyko breathing technique involves exercises that help you learn how to hold your breath and refrain from breathing. Over a period of time, this breathing technique will become a natural part of your daily routine.

When you want to start learning how to practice the Buteyko breathing technique, it is best to begin by searching for an instructor who is trained to teach this breathing method. According to the Buteyko Breathing Association, you should attend at least five hours of training with an instructor before doing it by yourself. The association also recommends that you should practice the breathing technique for at least 15 to 20 minutes for three times a day for at least five to six weeks.(6, 7)

Here are the steps to practice the Buteyko breathing technique:

  • Step 1: Sit on the floor or on a chair comfortably.
  • Step 2: Elongate your spine to get into an upright posture.
  • Step 3: Relax your lung/respiration muscles and breathe normally for a couple of minutes.

Doing the Control Pause

  • Step 1: Take a relaxed exhale and then hold your breath.
  • Step 2: Using your index finger and thumb, plug your nose.
  • Step 3: Hold your breath until you feel the need to take a breath. This may include an involuntary movement of your diaphragm. Now inhale.
  • Step 4: Breathe normally for ten seconds.
  • Step 5: Repeat the Control Pause phase at least three to five times.

Doing the Maximum Pause

The second part of the exercise is known as the Maximum Pause. Here are the steps to practice this:

  • Step 1: Do a relaxed exhale and then hold your breath.
  • Step 2: Using your index finger and thumb, plug your nose.
  • Step 3: Keep holding your breath for as long as possible. It should be at least twice the length of time of the Control Pause phase.
  • Step 4: Once you start to feel moderate discomfort, you can then inhale.
  • Step 5: Breathe normally for ten seconds and repeat the exercise at least three to five times.

What are the Benefits of the Buteyko Breathing Technique?

Buteyko breathing technique is known to have several benefits that are associated with its capability of improving awareness of breath, restricting over-breathing, and boosting nostril breathing. When you practice this breathing technique regularly, you will be able to learn how to breathe more efficiently and adequately. This helps prevent many health issues like feeling short of breath, coughing, and wheezing. The Buteyko breathing technique also helps relieve any excessive coughing while clearing up blocked nasal passages.

Here are some of the major benefits of practicing the Buteyko breathing technique:

  1. Buteyko Breathing Technique Helps Regulate Breathing

    The biggest benefit of practicing the Buteyko breathing technique is that it helps regulate your breathing. Buteyko breathing is especially beneficial for those people who breathe too much or tend to hyperventilate, which has been observed in people who have anxiety and asthma. It often happens that when we are stressed, taking a deep breath helps us feel better and calmer. When this happens, we often tend to speed up our inhalation and start inhaling through our mouths. This helps pull quick, shallow breaths from the upper chest and gets rid of more oxygen instead of taking in more. During this rapid breathing, we prevent the process of gas exchange. The clearance of carbon dioxide can cause a person to continue to speed up the inhalation process, which leads to hyperventilation. This initiates the sympathetic nervous system to begin a stress reaction in the body, which causes a person to panic.(8, 9)

    When this stage of panic hyperventilation begins, we start to feel like our lungs are not getting any oxygen. And furthermore, the rapid clearance of carbon dioxide makes us continue increasing our inhalation speed which ultimately causes hyperventilation. This is why many experts recommend breathing into a paper bag to increase the carbon dioxide in the lungs and correct the pH of the blood once again.(10, 11)

    Since the Buteyko breathing technique helps regulate breathing, it is also useful for people who find it difficult to breathe while performing strenuous activities. At the same time, the Buteyko breathing method can help relieve stress and also, boost athletic performance, improve sleep quality and promote deep sleep, ease sleep apnea, and also reduce snoring.

  2. Provides Relief In Asthma and Anxiety Attacks

    The Buteyko breathing technique is frequently used for the treatment and management of asthma as it helps prevent over-breathing, a phenomenon often found to trigger the condition.(12) Hyperventilation can also cause hypocapnia, which is a condition that leads to low levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.

    Practicing Buteyko breathing can help you learn how to regularize and stabilize your breathing by reducing your respiratory rate and lowering your tidal volume. This will also help in balancing the carbon dioxide levels in the blood while lowering anxiety as well.(13)

    There are many older studies that show the effectiveness of the Buteyko breathing technique in improving the symptoms of asthma. For example, a small study from 2000 found that people who regularly practiced Buteyko breathing exercises were also improved their overall quality of life and also lowered their need for bronchodilator intake more than the group of participants who only watched a video on the Buteyko technique but did not practice the exercises.(14)

    More research in 2008 found that people doing Buteyko breathing exercises had better control over their asthma symptoms. They were also able to decrease their need for inhaled corticosteroid therapy and medications.(15)

  3. Helps Relieve Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Issues

    A small research study carried out in 2019 found that the Buteyko breathing method was very effective in treating people who had obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). This condition causes symptoms because of pressure issues in the middle ear.(16) The group of participants that performed the Buteyko breathing exercises while also continuing to take nasal steroids was found to have significantly improved results than the participants who only took nasal steroids for the treatment of ETD.

Are There Are Drawbacks To The Buteyko Breathing Technique?

There is no doubt that there are many benefits to practicing the Buteyko breathing technique, but it is not suitable for everyone. It is also not a substitute treatment for your doctor’s prescribed treatment plan. This is why it is of utmost importance that you always talk to your doctor before you start any type of breathing exercise.

Avoid doing Buteyko breathing exercises if you have any of the following:

Are There Are Any Alternatives To The Buteyko Breathing Technique?

Buteyko breathing is a form of complementary therapy, and you will benefit the most if you use it in combination with your other prescribed treatments. However, if you find that the Buteyko breathing technique is not the best recommendation for you, or you are unable to practice it, you may wish to try out some other breathing exercises.

These breathing practices can still benefit your overall well-being and also stabilize your breathing patterns. Some of these other breathing techniques include:

  • Box breathing
  • Belly breathing
  • Nasal breathing
  • 4-7-8 technique
  • Diaphragmatic breathing
  • Pursed lip breathing
  • Resonant breathing
  • The Papworth method
  • Alternate nostril breathing or the Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
  • Three-Part Breathing
  • Breath of fire or Kapalbhati breathing
  • Lion’s breath
  • Humming bee breath of Bhramari Pranayam

Tips for Beginners

If you are a beginner to the Buteyko breathing technique, here are some helpful tips:

  • When practicing the Buteyko breathing technique, you should always breathe in and out from your nose only.
  • If at any time you start to feel short of breath, anxious, or any form of discomfort, you need to discontinue the exercise and resume breathing normally.
  • As you progress and get better at the technique, you will be able to hold your breath for longer periods of time.
  • Over time, you should be able to hold your breath in the Control Pause for at least one minute and the Maximum Pause phase for at least two minutes.

Conclusion

Practicing the Buteyko breathing technique can help improve your health and breathing in many ways. It is especially helpful in improving the symptoms of asthma, lowering anxiety, and improving your sleep quality. This method will also teach you how to restrict over-breathing in stressful situations, helping you breathe in a more calm manner.

You will also find it easier to relax in strenuous conditions.

However, you must always talk to your doctor before beginning any type of new breathing exercises, especially if you have asthma, take any medications, or have a medical condition.

References:

  1. Bruton, A. and Lewith, G.T., 2005. The Buteyko breathing technique for asthma: a review. Complementary therapies in medicine, 13(1), pp.41-46.
  2. McHugh, P., Aitcheson, F., Duncan, B. and Houghton, F., 2003. Buteyko Breathing Technique for asthma: an effective intervention. Journal of the new zealand medical association, 116(1187).
  3. Opat, A.J., Cohen, M.M., Bailey, M.J. and Abramson, M.J., 2000. A clinical trial of the Buteyko breathing technique in asthma as taught by a video. Journal of Asthma, 37(7), pp.557-564.
  4. Courtney, R., 2008. Strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities of the Buteyko breathing method. Biofeedback, 36(2), pp.59-63.
  5. Arora, R.D. and Subramanian, V.H., 2019. To study the effect of Buteyko breathing technique in patients with obstructive airway disease. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research.
  6. Buteyko Breathing Association. 2022. Buteyko Breathing Technique – Buteyko Breathing Association. [online] Available at: <https://www.buteykobreathing.org/buteyko-breathing-technique/> [Accessed 12 August 2022].
  7. Dongol, A., 2021. Social Innovation of the Breath.
  8. Chaudhary, D., Khanna, S., Maurya, U.K. and Shenoy, S., 2021. Effects of Buteyko breathing technique on physiological and psychological parameters among University football players. Eur J Mol Clin Med, 8, pp.1790-1800.
  9. Courtney, R., 2009. The functions of breathing and its dysfunctions and their relationship to breathing therapy. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 12(3), pp.78-85.
  10. Jones, M., Harvey, A., Marston, L. and O’Connell, N.E., 2013. Breathing exercises for dysfunctional breathing/hyperventilation syndrome in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (5).
  11. Barker, N.J., Jones, M., O’Connell, N.E. and Everard, M.L., 2013. Breathing exercises for dysfunctional breathing/hyperventilation syndrome in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (12).
  12. Campbell, T.G., Hoffmann, T.C. and Glasziou, P.P., 2018. Buteyko breathing for asthma. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018(8).
  13. Sankar, J. and Das, R.R., 2018. Asthma–a disease of how we breathe: role of breathing exercises and Pranayam. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 85(10), pp.905-910.
  14. Opat, A.J., Cohen, M.M., Bailey, M.J. and Abramson, M.J., 2000. A clinical trial of the Buteyko breathing technique in asthma as taught by a video. Journal of Asthma, 37(7), pp.557-564.
  15. Cowie, R.L., Conley, D.P., Underwood, M.F. and Reader, P.G., 2008. A randomised controlled trial of the Buteyko technique as an adjunct to conventional management of asthma. Respiratory medicine, 102(5), pp.726-732.
  16. Zeng, H., Chen, X., Xu, Y., Zheng, Y. and Xiong, H., 2019. Buteyko breathing technique for obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction: Preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 40(5), pp.645-649.
Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:September 23, 2022

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