Many people don’t practice proper breathing techniques on a regular basis, taking short, shallow breaths instead of long, slow, lung-filling ones. This can lead to an upset in the balance of gases in our bodies, which can make getting oxygen to the body’s vital organs a challenge. While many people experience this under normal circumstances, putting a mask on a shallow breather can make matters potentially dangerous.
Additionally, shallow breathing can be the culprit of anxiety, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, confusion, numbness or tingling in hands and feet, and sleep problems, and these are some of the most common complaints from people who wear masks on an all-day basis.
According to PN Medical, a company that provides respiratory education, employees can take the following steps to combat some of these unpleasant side effects of long-term mask-wearing:
1.Take 5 quality breaths
Perform five quality breaths prior to putting on a mask, immediately after putting it on and when it is removed to prevent being locked into a dysfunctional breathing pattern.
A quality breathe is four seconds of breathing in through the nose, six seconds of exhaling through the mouth and pausing two seconds before repeating.
- Take longer, slower breaths
Focus on slowing down your breathing while wearing a mask to ensure you combat the side effects of shallow breathing.
- Take mask breaks
If you have to wear a mask for an extended period of time, take regular breathing breaks by removing the mask when it’s safe and practicing the five quality breaths protocol above.
- Practice respiratory muscle training (RMT)
Set time aside to practice RMT for five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. RMT is the method where both inhaling and exhaling are trained under resistance to improve respiratory muscle strength.