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Sep 2022
5:11pm, 12 Sep 2022
4,360 posts
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J2R
I've been looking into different breathing patterns of late, to try to find the best technique for helping reduce stress and improve sleep. There are all kinds of variants out there - 4-7-8 breathing, box breathing, simple 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out diaphragmatic breathing, etc., all of which have touted benefits such as improving heart rate variability (qv.).
But when I watch my very relaxed cats while they sleep, or rest in that half-asleep mode cats have, they often seem to use a pattern which I don't see mentioned much - they breathe in, then out, then pause with empty lungs, then repeat. I.e., there's a gap between breaths. This is different from the patterns I've been looking at, which all seem to involve breathing continuously. Do cats know something we don't?
Has anyone else explored this area? I'd be interested in hearing views.
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Sep 2022
5:18pm, 12 Sep 2022
35,645 posts
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EvilPixie
Wim Hof uses that breathing style I believe
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Sep 2022
5:25pm, 12 Sep 2022
5,371 posts
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K5 Gus
Would it not be better to observe what a relaxed, sleeping human does, rather than a cat ?
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Sep 2022
5:53pm, 12 Sep 2022
4,361 posts
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J2R
K5 Gus, interesting point, yes. Except that cats are rather closer to their instinctive nature than humans are, on the whole. Cats' physiology is clearly very different from ours in many ways, but there are a lot of areas where the differences are only slight.
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Sep 2022
7:09pm, 12 Sep 2022
3,489 posts
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flyingfinn
Not very scientific but I'm told my breathing when I'm fast asleep and completely relaxed is similar to what you describe. To the extent of occasionally worrying the observer that I've actually stopped breathing. Which to me makes sense i.e. I breathe in when my body decides it needs more oxygen and when I'm resting one breath lasts a while.
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Sep 2022
7:12pm, 12 Sep 2022
3,490 posts
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flyingfinn
Sorry meant to say 'what you describe for a cat'.
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Sep 2022
7:13pm, 12 Sep 2022
1,831 posts
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Homeless Kodo
Try watching your own breathing. There’s a usually a pause in humans after exhalation. Try a search for normal respiratory pattern.
People that meditate regularly tend to notice a pause after inhalation & exhalation whilst meditating.
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Sep 2022
4:19pm, 13 Sep 2022
43,826 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Only in Fetch! Loving this thread. Will read any links posted with interest!  G
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Sep 2022
5:13pm, 13 Sep 2022
4,367 posts
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J2R
Yes, Happy, where else would I post something like this?
I have to say that I obviously have the basics of how to breathe sorted out, for quite a while now.
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Sep 2022
11:42am, 15 Sep 2022
19,535 posts
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Chrisull
The end of Nestor's quite good book on Breathing has a set of appendices on some of the breathing techniques practiced. ONe of them was the box breathing technique
"Box breathing, also known as four-square breathing, involves exhaling to a count of four, holding your lungs empty for a four-count, inhaling at the same pace, and holding air in your lungs for a count of four before exhaling and beginning the pattern anew."
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-benefits-and-steps-of-box-breathing-4159900#:~:text=Box%20breathing%2C%20also%20known%20as,and%20beginning%20the%20pattern%20anew.
I use if plagued with insomnia and it's very good, wake up in the morning thinking, I was struggling to sleep than I did a couple of those and bang. The marines allegedly use it to calm themselves in difficult situations.
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