Want to sleep better, shed pounds and improve your sex life with almost no effort?

It sounds implausible but there's a very surprising science-backed new way of doing this - by simply breathing less.

We've long been told deep breathing is good for us, whether it's readying yourself before tackling a tricky phone call or taking big gulps after a jog. But now some scientists say we could be breathing too much.

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We've long been told deep breathing is good for us, whether it's steeling yourself before tackling a tricky phone call or taking big gulps after a jog

In fact, over-breathing - if you can hear yourself inhale and exhale, or if you regularly sigh, yawn or pant when you are puffed out - could be bad for you.

The Oxygen Advantage, a book by breathing specialist Patrick McKeown, claims this could be a factor at the root of various ailments including anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and even obesity.

After suffering with asthma as a child, McKeown investigated the findings of Russian medic Dr Konstantin Buteyko, who pioneered special breathing techniques for astronauts. Following Dr Buteyko's regimen, McKeown managed to overcome his asthma, going on to work with thousands of patients.

McKeown believes that by committing to a few simple exercises every day, you too can enjoy swift improvements in your mental and physical health. Here, he sets out how you can transform your life...

WHY IS OVER-BREATHING BAD FOR YOU?

When we breathe in, oxygen goes into our bloodstream and the body dumps a waste product, carbon dioxide, out of the bloodstream in return. When we exhale, we breathe out this carbon dioxide.

We assume that our bodies know reflexively how much air we need, but this is not always the case.

In the same way, you often don't feel thirsty even if your body is dehydrated. The messages in our brains become confused and when we find ourselves gasping for air, there is every probability that what our body really needs is to stop exhaling too much carbon dioxide. This is because carbon dioxide plays a vital role in determining how much oxygen goes into the bloodstream.

15-minute walk can help you breathe better Schedule a daily ‘nose-clearing’ walk - aim to be active for 15 minutes with your mouth closed. This exercise is perfectly safe for the vast majority of people. However, if you are pregnant or have any serious medical conditions, check with your GP before practising the exercises below. While walking, take a small, silent breath in through your nose, and exhale again, then pinch your nose with your fingers to hold your breath, and walk as many paces as you can with your breath held. Release your nose as soon as you feel the urge to breathe, and continue to breathe calmly through your nose. You should be able to recover your breathing within two or three breaths. Aim to do six breath-holds during your walk, increasing the number of paces during them each time. Advertisement

It is a 'facilitator' that loosens the bonds between our blood cells and the oxygen they carry, allowing the oxygen molecules to be released so they reach the muscles and organs.

So if you're tired and your brain and body aren't functioning properly, you might think you need oxygen but there's every chance you need carbon dioxide to release the oxygen you already have, so your brain and body can function effectively.

In other words, you need to stop gasping and breathe more calmly.

Our breathing rate is determined by highly sensitive receptors in the brain. When they detect levels of carbon dioxide getting high, they trigger the urge to breathe to get rid of the excess gas - but leaving enough behind to ensure that oxygen in the blood is doing the right thing.

But if you have a tendency to over-breathe (if you snore at night, or get into the habit of breathing through your mouth during the day), your carbon dioxide receptors can swiftly become oversensitive.

Their tolerance is lowered, triggering frequent urges to sigh, breathe deeply or gasp for air that your body doesn't really need.

BREATHE CORRECTLY AND LOSE WEIGHT

Over-breathing can cause a narrowing of the airways, limiting your body's ability to oxygenate your muscles and organs.

It can constrict blood vessels, leading to reduced blood flow to the heart. Breathing ineffectively can also make you gain weight.

You can even improve your love life Nose breathing harnesses nitric oxide, a gas that is key to a great sex life. Nitric oxide is produced in the nasal cavity and the lining of tiny blood vessels, and transferred (when you breathe through your nose) to the lungs. It plays an important role in dilating the air passages in your lungs and blood vessels, but can also have an impact on sex. As we age, blood vessels can become stiff, restricting circulation. But nitric oxide effectively opens up blood vessels, boosting blood flow to the peripheries - for men and women. So nose breathing is a kind of natural Viagra, improving erections and increasing libido. Advertisement

Carbon dioxide plays a central role in regulating the pH level of the bloodstream. This is the measure of how acidic or alkaline your blood is. If your blood becomes very acidic - which it could be if your diet is unhealthy - you are likely to over-breathe as your body attempts to dump excess carbon dioxide to redress the balance. If your blood is acidic (usually if your diet is rich in fruit and vegetables), your breathing may reduce to let carbon dioxide levels rise and restore pH.

Those who practise breathing habits will kick-start the oxygen levels in their blood, suppressing their appetite and encouraging more efficient processing of food.

BREATHING EXERCISES TO CUT YOUR WAISTLINE

You may find yourself naturally slimming as you do these exercises, so weigh yourself before you start to track your progress.

If you have a BOLT score below ten seconds (see box below), or a pre-existing health concern, start gently to get back into the habit of breathing through your nose.

Practise light breathing exercises four times a day.

Consciously make your breathing smaller and more shallow for a few minutes at a time to create a slight hunger for air, return to normal nasal breathing, then repeat.

This conditions your carbon dioxide receptors to be less sensitive.

If you feel stressed or peckish during the day, try breaking off for a three-minute walk. Pinch your nose and hold your breath for two to five seconds as you walk, then breathe normally through your nose for ten seconds and then repeat the nose pinch, before returning to breathing normally again.

This calms the mind and boosts carbon dioxide levels enough to give your brain, muscles and organs a quick oxygen boost.

If your BOLT score is more than 20 seconds, try simulating high-altitude training by incorporating ten to 15-second breath-holds into your exercise regimen.

This forces the body to work anaerobically (that is, without oxygen) for short bursts, which means you are more likely to burn calories from fat stores, which speeds weight loss. Also, walk for 30 minutes every day breathing only through your nose.

Pay more attention to your appetite and only eat when you're genuinely hungry, stopping as soon as you feel satisfied.

Patrick McKeown's book The Oxygen Advantage

THE EASY WAY TO ACHIEVE DEEP SLEEP

If you sleep with your mouth open, you probably wake up feeling tired and groggy.

Studies show that mouth-breathing can result in fatigue, poor concentration, reduced productivity and a bad mood because it reduces the oxygen uptake in the blood as well as oxygen delivery throughout the body.

If you have a BOLT score below 20 seconds, you are very likely to be breathing through your mouth when sleeping, which makes you more likely to snore, suffer from sleep apnoea or insomnia, and have a dry mouth.

Follow these guidelines for a great night's sleep:

Avoid eating during the two hours before sleep (the digestive process increases breathing, and you want your breathing to be calm and shallow at night).

Keep your bedroom cool and airy - a stuffy room increases breathing, stimulating nasal congestion and therefore making mouth breathing more likely.

Practise this 'light breathing' exercise: focus on breathing in and out through your nose, then slow your breathing and make each breath as shallow as possible, aiming to maintain this mild air shortage as long as you comfortably can (if your first breath is a big gulp of air, you've gone on too long). Breathe normally through your nose for a few minutes, then repeat the exercise.

Try to sleep on your front or on your left side, as these positions are more conducive to effective nasal breathing (sleeping on your back is the worst position you can adopt, because your mouth is likely to drop open).

Keep your mouth closed while you try to get to sleep.

Extracted by Louise Atkinson from The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown, published by Piatkus at £13.99. To order a copy for the special price of £10.49 (valid until September 28, p&p free), call 0808 2720 808 or visit mailbookshop.co.uk