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In an article by Carol Krucoff in The Washington Post (August 18, 1998, page Z16) Robert Freedman, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences in the School of Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, points out that studies show that the frequency of hot flashes can be reduced by about 50 percent through slow, deep breathing.

According to the article, women going through menopause who use belly breathing and slow down their respiratory rate (to seven or eight cycles of inhalation and exhalation a minute) at the onset of a hot flash can apparently either "abort" it or "reduce its severity."

Are you breathing deep abdominal breathing or short shallow breathing?

Here's how to check:

1. Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
2. Now take a nice slow deep breath
3. Ok, which hand moved more?
4. Not sure? Try again

If the hand on your chest moves more than the hand on your belly you are breathing shallow. A lot of adults do. We have been conditioned to hold our breath, suck in our belly and we have forgotten how to  really breathe. Watch a  baby sometime. They breathe naturally, the way we were designed to do. Their little bellies go up and down with no concern about how they look. :-)

Other Resources:

Facts about Breathing

Deep Breathing Exercises

Should you breathe through your nose?

Deep Breathing Reduces Hot Flashes

Breathing Techniques to Relieve Anxiety

Breathing Exercise to Improve Digestion

Breathing for Focus

Breathing Technique for Stress Relief

Breathing and Headaches