In-water solutions to breathlessness
Having focused on solutions - out of the water - to breathlessness, let's now focus on solutions to do in the water, against breathlessness.
Knowing how to breathe
When you look at a swimmer who is no longer afraid of water, he will still often be out of breath when he swims, for a very simple reason: in general, he doesn't know how to breathe properly and oxygenate himself.
Our reptilian brain nous trompe en nous disant de garder tout l’oxygène possible alors que nos poumons sont comme une bouteille. Je ne peux pas les remplir si je n’ai pas au préalable fait de la place (vider les poumons en soufflant).
It's an internal struggle between our angel, who wants to breathe, and our demon (reptilian brain), who wants to keep as much air as possible. As the reptilian brain is powerful, we often tend to renew our pulmonary air very little, and so quickly feel the effects of oxygen deprivation.
When I swim, it's essential to concentrate on a very deep and regular exhalation. This helps to avoid feelings of suffocation and breathlessness.
Embracing immersion
Putting your face or head underwater, knowing that we breathe through our mouth and/or nose, is the same as obstructing our airways. It is therefore not uncommon to see swimmers keeping their heads above water, even in freestyle, to avoid this inconvenience (not so unpleasant when it's managed).
But this position is tiring and restrictive for muscles and joints. Putting your head in the water improves body alignment.
Exercice
The fear of “sinking” is often very present. To combat it, here's an exercise.
Step 1
In shallow water, try to sit at the bottom of the pool - without gestures - only by blowing the air out of your lungs.
After a few tries, I will manage to get my butt to touch the bottom of the pool, then by blowing again to sit down and finally, by blowing again to stay seated at the bottom.
Step 2
Once I have finally succeeded, I'll do the same thing at greater and greater depths. Always descending without any movement, just blowing the air out of my lungs.
It is a complicated exercise because our demon (reptilian brain) doesn't agree. We're frequently surprised to see how much air we have to blow to “sink” and stay at the bottom.
This exercise can also be used to relax and unwind the diaphragm, when I feel stressed during a swimming session, for example.
Taking the time to breathe and sit at the bottom of the water in a medium depth will have the same effects as cardiac coherence previously mentioned.
Do not close your mouth
It's a known feeling for swimmers, the impression that once our face is in the water, all the water in the pool is going to enter our mouth. As a result, we usually try to limit the amount of time our mouths remain open below the surface.
This feeling is wrong. When I'm lying on my stomach and I open my mouth, the water doesn't flow back up into my oral cavity. A balance is automatically created and I don't swallow water.
Exercice
1
Hold the edge of the pool with both hands and do kicks to be at horizontal position. When I feel the need, lift the head to inhale and blow into the water very regularly to let small bubbles come out permanently.
2
After a few cycles, remain in a horizontal position and blow non-permanently, but do not close the mouth.
Observation
The water does not go into my mouth.
3
Do the same thing with your kicks and a board (and fins if you like). Move forward until you won't close your mouth at all while moving.
4
Finish by swimming front crawl and see that I can swim perfectly well without closing my mouth.
I will then be able to adopt a very regular breathing pattern, knowing that I won't swallow in any water.
By not closing my mouth, I don't tense up. The diaphragm will remain in a low, relaxed position, thus preserving my breathing amplitude. It's essential not to tense up my mouth in order to keep myself relaxed and not asphyxiate during exercice.
To conclude
To stop being out of breath or to be less out of breath, I must:
- travailler en dehors de l’eau dans un premier temps
- Identify my breathlessness factors
- find the right solutions for me to limit my breathlessness
- Implement these solutions under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
- Have backup mechanisms when I feel the first effects of breathlessness
- Set up my routines
This article is part of a series of articles about breathing and breathlessness. Visit here for other articles.