A Lung and Healthy Life

Adapted from the book YOU: The Owner's Manual by RealAge doctors Michael F. Roizeon, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD

Most people think about their breath at three times in their lives: when it stinks (garlic shrimp); when it's in imminent danger (boa constrictor); and when it's heavy (after a hard workout). Breathing is one of those things we take for granted.

What's astounding is that most people breathe the way they dance: They think they know what they're doing, but they really don't have a clue about how to do it right.

Stop for a second and focus on your breathing. Now, look down. See anything moving? Probably not. That's because most people typically take very short, shallow breaths.

To really improve your lung function, you need to practice taking deep breaths.

How to Breathe: 3 Simple Steps

1. Lie flat on the floor, with one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Take a deep breath -- slowly. Lying on the floor when you first practice is important, because if you stand up, you're more likely to fake a deep breath by doing an exaggerated chest extension, rather than letting your lungs fill up naturally.

2. Imagine your lungs filling up with air; it should take about 5 seconds to inhale. As your diaphragm pulls your chest cavity down, your belly button should move away from your spine. Your chest will also widen -- and maybe rise slightly -- as you inhale.

3. When your lungs feel fuller than a sumo wrestler's lunch box, exhale slowly -- taking about 7 seconds to let all the air out.

Benefits of Better Breathing

Okay, now you know how to breathe deeply, so what's the benefit? What will deep breathing get you?

A lot, actually. For one, it helps transport nitric oxide -- a very potent lung and blood vessel dilator (expander) that resides in your nasal passages -- to your lungs. It makes your lungs and blood vessels function better. Taking deep breaths also gets more oxygen into your lungs.

And it helps improve the drainage of your lymphatic system, which removes toxins from your body.

It also helps in stress relief. Slow, rhythmic, deep breathing acts as a mini meditation. Shifting to slower breathing in times of tension can help calm you and allow you to perform, mentally andor physically, at higher levels.

In Chinese medicine, lungs are considered the orchestra conductor of the entire body -- they set the rhythm that everything else follows. That's why yoga instructors spend so much time teaching proper ways to breathe -- to put the whole body in balance.

The Tree of Life in Your Body

Think of your respiratory system as an upside-down tree. When air enters your body, it goes down your trachea. That's the trunk. Then it quickly divides into two airways (the tree's limbs). Those are your bronchial tubes.

Then, like tree branches, those airways break off into four, then eight, then hundreds of thousands of little airways in each lung. Those are your bronchi.

At the end of each airway are tiny sacs called alveoli. Think of them as leaves at the end of the branches. Healthy lungs have hundreds of millions of alveoli. Each is covered with a thin layer of fluid that keeps the tiny sacs open, so oxygen is absorbed and carbon dioxide is excreted.

Your lungs also have millions of tiny hairs called cilia. Cilia act like little brooms -- constantly moving back and forth to clear out nasty stuff that makes its way into your lungs with every breath.

Cigarette smoke, by the way, kills cilia, destroying the very mechanism that protects your lungs from toxins.

The last part of healthy breathing is the musculature that supports your lungs -- the diaphragm. This large muscle pulls air down into your lungs. By using your diaphragm, you can develop techniques to help you breathe deeper.

Feeling Breathless?

Most people think that as long as you don't pollute your body with such toxins as nicotine or factory smoke, your lungs will function smoothly throughout your life. But, although smoking and other environmental toxins are potent attackers of your airways, many things can affect how easily your lungs bring oxygen in and push carbon dioxide out. One of the most common is severe snoring -- the kind that leaves the sleeper choking and gasping for breath.

What does excessive snoring indicate?