Deep or diaphragmatic breathing improves the body’s airflow and plays a crucial role in calming the nerves. Yokogawa et al. (2018) expound that this technique is among the best ways of reducing anxiety and stress because deep breaths send positive messages to the brain. It also helps relieve pain, improves digestion, immunity and enables people to maintain the correct posture (Yokogawa et al., 2018). However, a nurse can opt for pursed lip breathing to intervene in severe lung diseases when patients experience shortness of breath.
Sakhaei et al. (2018) explain that these illnesses, for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are life-threatening and can adversely affect a person’s mental and physical well-being. After taking in the air, the process is done by tightening the lips so that a rounded shape can be formed and exhaling through them deliberately and slowly. The backpressure from pursing the mouth open up the airways and ensure they remain that way for long (Sakhaei et al., 2018).
This helps an individual remove the air that might be trapped in the lungs, which can adversely affect their expansion and result in breathing difficulties. On the contrary, individuals use the diaphragm muscles, which are dome-shaped and not the neck or muscles in deep breathing (Yokogawa et al., 2018). This mechanism involves inhaling air through the nose and letting it deeply towards the lower belly. Pursed lip breathing improves ventilation because it removes the old air (carbon dioxide) and makes room for fresh air (oxygen) to enter the lungs (Sakhaei et al., 2018). In contrast, deep breathing helps people to detoxify the body because it releases carbon dioxide. Therefore, both techniques play crucial roles in promoting airflow in the body, although pursed-lip breathing is more convenient for severe lungs’ abnormalities.
References
Sakhaei, S., Sadagheyani, H. E., Zinalpoor, S., Markani, A. K., & Motaarefi, H. (2018). The impact of pursed-lips breathing manoeuvres on cardiac, respiratory, and oxygenation parameters in COPD patients. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 6(10), 1851. Web.
Yokogawa, M., Kurebayashi, T., Ichimura, T., Nishino, M., Miaki, H., & Nakagawa, T. (2018). Comparison of two instructions for deep breathing exercises: non-specific and diaphragmatic breathing. Journal of physical therapy science, 30(4), 614-618. Web.