2. Breathe Deeply to Help Manage Stress and IBS Symptoms
Deep breathing is one of Riehl’s go-to techniques when teaching her patients to reduce stress.
“Stress makes for shallow, short breaths,” she says. “When we slow our breathing down, we kick-start the parasympathetic system that calms us down and gives a nice massage to the digestive organs. That reduces spasming and urgency.”
One technique that she is particularly fond of is diaphragmatic breathing. It involves slow and deep belly breathing, affecting the brain as well as the cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. A small study of people with constipation-predominant IBS found that slow, deep breathing at a rate of six breaths per minute for 30 minutes, at least five days a week for six weeks, improved symptoms and rectal sensitivity in the group that did the breathing exercise intervention, compared with a control group.
Another small study found that just five minutes of breath work per day improved mood and reduced anxiety. The researchers found cyclic sighing, which uses a double inhale and emphasizes prolonged exhalations, to be the most effective form.
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