We breathe automatically, and most of us never notice it, unless we’re panting after exercise or shocked by a sudden noise perhaps.

Breathing forms the foundation of all our therapy sessions, which might surprise you when it’s tinnitus that’s the issue here. The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide while breathing, changes the body’s biochemistry, including the brain’s responses. Our brains use up 20% of all the oxygen we inhale. Every time you breathe in, millions of sensory receptors in the lungs fire off biochemical electrical signals, they travel through the vagus nerve and into the brainstem. Breathing quickly increases the speed of these signals and creates stress hormones, which can lead to feeling anxious or stressed. This can then make tinnitus worse, as we discuss in the Core Therapy.

Conscious breathing and related breathing techniques that you’ll find here force these exchanges to work more slowly, often reducing your blood pressure and heartrate. It can also increase the production of chemicals that make you feel better, like serotonin. This will quickly reduce the stress you are feeling.

The most important reason to practice breathing techniques is to help you feel more in control. These exercises will teach you how to play with and control your breathing to help your body relax and your brain respond to your tinnitus differently, so that you feel more in control.

They are a great way to interrupt any unhelpful thought cycles that occur when you hear your tinnitus. Because breathing is automatic, conscious breathing will take time and practice to become natural. This is where you can practice it.