What To Do When Breathing Exercises Make Me Dizzy!

Stress and anxiety has a way of conditioning you to breathe short and fast.

It’s not a conscious response, but it happens to prepare your body for action. If you’re often anxious, this will probably be your usual way of breathing. If your breathing gets super-fast and shallow, as sometimes happens in a panic attack, you can hyperventilate. So when you see a therapist, they’ll often teach you diaphragmatic breathing exercises. This is so that you can get used to consciously changing your breath when you’re in a scary situation. It will lower your heart rate and calm your body and mind.

Why do breathing exercises give me anxiety?

When you attempt to change your breath, like when you try deep breathing, there’s a change in your body’s physiology. This change can temporarily make you feel a little light-headed which you may interpret as dangerous. But it’s not.

If you already have anxiety (like health anxiety or panic disorder) you may assume the dizziness is due to something terrible and can make you feel more anxious. It feeds into the cycle of worry.

Again, it’s not dangerous, but it’s a sign you should be more gentle with yourself. You don’t have to force yourself to change the way you breathe naturally. It would be like someone telling you to walk pigeon toed. It would probably feel very unnatural to you and you may even trip up a few times. But you would soon get used to walking a different way. The same with learning to belly breathe. It will feel unnatural at first, especially if you’re used to chest breathing.

How to do breathing exercises so they don’t make you dizzy

Some breathing exercises such as alternate nostril breathing are so different to the normal breath that it can lead to hyperventilation. Dizziness is not some rite of passage you have to go through when learning breathing techniques. So here are some tips to prevent that dizzy feeling.

1. Many people get anxious about being dizzy. Therefore, I recommend starting slow at first until you build up to a greater length of time.

In most of my meditations, I suggest doing just two deeper breaths before returning to your normal breathing pattern. That’s enough for you to get the relaxing benefits before dizziness sets in. Once you’ve done that, try doubling it to four breaths. Until eventually you can belly breathe for up to a minute. But it’s not a competition, set your own pace.

Learning how to take a deep breath down into your belly is not meant to replace the way you breathe all day long. So you are not failing if you go back to your normal, regular breathing pattern.

2. If you try belly breathing and it still doesn’t feel comfortable, try slowing down your breath instead. Breathe in for a count of four and exhale for a count of six. Notice I say a count and not seconds. It’s important to go at your preferred pace. But breathing out for longer than your inhale will calm your body, without having to concentrate on anything else.

3. When you first try a new breathing technique, you might feel more comfortable to lie down, either on a yoga mat, the floor or a bed. This is particularly helpful for practicing belly breathing because you’ll notice your belly moving in and out. Place your hands or a light object (like a cuddly toy or a piece of paper) on your belly and breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. Keep your shoulders relaxed and down away from your ears. Notice as your belly lifts your hands (or cuddly toy) while you breathe in. Then purse your lips and breathe out long and slow, and the belly should sink back.

4. If breathwork is still too difficult, take a deep sigh instead. This helps to relax and reset your breathing. (Kristin Linklater’s book on Freeing The Natural Voice recommends sighing to relax).

5. If you’re not ready to change your breath yet, just start by noticing how you breathe when you’re relaxed compared to when you are stressed. It’s an unconscious response your body makes, but by bringing it to the forefront of your mind, it will help you to be more mindful of your breath. You’ll eventually be able to slow it down without feeling dizzy or light headed.

Conclusion

Abdominal breathing is a powerful way to calm your body when you’re feeling anxious. And it is also beneficial for constipation, IBS, insomnia and improving snoring. So it’s an important improvement to make for your overall health and well-being.

When we first start learning how to meditate or do breathwork, it’s normal to be tempted to force the breath. We think, “I want to get relaxed more quickly!”

But don’t force it. You want to learn proper belly breathing in a calm, comfortable environment or right before bed.

When you attempt to change your breath, there’s a change in your body’s physiology.  This change can make you feel a little light-headed which often can make you feel like it’s dangerous. But it’s not dangerous. It’s just different. So take it slow and make changes gradually.

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