Using Essential Oil Inhalers: The Science Behind Better Breathing

The Power of Your Breath

Breath is the essence of life, yet often taken for granted. It is a powerful tool that can profoundly impact our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Understanding how the breath works and its profound effects on our overall health can empower us to harness its full potential for a balanced and fulfilling life.

At B. Divine Aromatherapy, we believe that using essential oil inhalers can help you harness the power of your breath.  Curious? Read on to explore how using aroma inhalers can help you.

The Importance of Breath

Breathing is essential for our survival, but it’s not just a basic bodily function. It is vital to our overall well-being. While this seems like a no-brainer, I often find that when I am stressed, I hold my breath or take shallow breaths without even realizing it.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, breathing this way for an extended time can increase tension and anxiety. This is because shallow breathing limits the diaphragm’s range of motion, and you don’t get full air into the lungs, leaving you feeling short of breath and anxious.

Side effects of this type of chronic stress response can lead to physiological responses such as:

• High blood pressure
• Suppressed immune system
• This can lead to anxiety and depression

Why does breathing well matter?

Breathing well benefits both your physical and mental well-being. Maintaining a healthy breathing pattern can:

1. Increase Oxygenation: Sufficient oxygen supply supports energy production, cognitive function, and overall vitality.
2. Enhance Respiratory Function: Proper breathing techniques strengthen the respiratory muscles, promoting lung capacity and improving the efficiency of oxygen exchange. 
3. Encourage Stress Reduction: Deep, slow breathing (diaphragmatic breathing, belly breathing) encourages sufficient oxygen exchange; this activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system slows your breathing rate, triggering the relaxation response and reducing stress hormones like cortisol. It promotes a sense of calmness, relaxation, and emotional balance.
4. Improve Immune Function: Adequate oxygen levels obtained through proper breathing contribute to a robust immune system. Oxygen supports the production of immune cells, helping to defend against infections and diseases.
5. Provide Mental Clarity and Focus: Oxygen is vital for brain function. Optimal breathing supplies the brain with sufficient oxygen, improving mental clarity, concentration, and cognitive performance.
6. Promote Relaxation and Sleep Quality: Deep, slow breathing before sleep helps calm the mind and prepare the body for rest. It can alleviate insomnia, promote deeper sleep cycles, and improve overall sleep quality.
7. Lower Blood Pressure: Controlled breathing techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing, can help regulate blood pressure by reducing stress and promoting relaxation. 
8. Stimulate the Vagus Nerve: Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and helps activate the relaxation response.
9. Supports Emotional Well-being: Breathwork exercises and conscious breathing can help regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and promote a positive mindset. It allows for increased self-awareness, mindfulness, and emotional resilience.

Knowing how important it is to develop and maintain healthy breathing patterns, let me share with you how you can use our Essential Oil Inhalers as a tool to enhance your deep breathing exercises, mindfulness practices, and conscious breath awareness.

Unsure of what an Essential Oil Inhaler is? I get this question a lot, because people often confuse it with an asthma inhaler. It’s totally different. It is a cotton wick that has been infused with essential oils. Usually, it’s contained in a colorful plastic tube. You may also know it as a sniffy stick, diffuser stick, aroma inhaler, aroma stick, nasal inhalation tube, or nasal scent tube.

The Anatomy of Your Breath

To understand how incorporating Essential Oil Inhalers into your daily routine can help you, let’s look at essential oils and how they work with the anatomy of breath.

• The Power of Your Breath: Essential oils can naturally balance your breathwork. Using aroma to cultivate your desired intention or mood can help to direct you to unlock a deeper level of relaxation.

Example: During my yoga practice, I love to grab my Stress Relief Inhaler. The soothing scents of bergamot, coriander, and spearmint remind me to focus on the present and leave my stress behind.

• The Mind-Body Connection: Using essential oils for a specific purpose, such as relaxation or focus, can support our emotions as we practice our breath.

Example: My go-to blend for grounding and balance is our Vitality Essential Oil Inhaler. Using it during my meditation practice helps me control my emotions when I feel anxious or sad.

• Inhalation Therapy: Breathwork can aid in emotional release. Calming, soothing aromas can help facilitate emotional healing, increase self-awareness, and cultivate emotional resilience.

Example: It’s the middle of the day; I have a million things to do and feel completely overwhelmed. This is when I take a time out, grab my Focus Essential Oil Inhaler and take a few breaths to reset my breathing and get myself back on track.

•  Mindfulness Support: Using nasal inhalers as a tool to make your breath a focal point in mindfulness meditation to cultivate present-moment awareness and enhance mindfulness practices.

Example: True story; I am sitting on the patio on a Friday night, enjoying the beautiful weather, when my watch goes off and tells me I need to relax.  I feel relaxed but realize I am holding my breath and don’t even know it. Practicing regular breathing can help your body adjust during times like this easily. (Something I am working on myself.)

• Integrating Breath into Daily Life: Incorporating conscious breathing techniques daily to reduce stress, increase focus, and enhance overall well-being. 

Example: Each day before I begin my day, I grab my Energize Essential Oil Inhaler and set my intention for the day. This helps me focus and start my day on the right foot.

• Breath as an Anchor: By inhaling the aroma of essential oils, you can create a sensory anchor that helps you focus on your breath. The pleasant scent reminds you to be present and intentional in your breathing.

Example: Does your mind wander when you try to meditate or pray? I know mine does. Using an essential oil inhaler to encourage relaxation can help block out the noise of the day and allow you to focus on the present.

• Personalized Experience: With an aromatherapy inhaler, you can choose the essential oils that resonate with your intentions and needs. Whether you seek relaxation, mental clarity, energy, or emotional balance, you can choose an inhaler that aligns with your goals and preferences and has a scent you like.

Scents are very personal. The same oil that relaxes you may not elicit the same response for me. Many factors go into your emotions surrounding scents (that is an entire blog for another day). For example, I will tell you that Lavender is not my favorite relaxing oil. For many, it is, but for me, give me a blend of florals and vetiver, and I am in heaven.

In a fast-paced world filled with distractions and stressors, finding moments of peace and tranquility becomes crucial for our well-being. Mindfully breathing is a powerful tool to cultivate our ability to breathe well in all situations, even stressful ones.

A therapist once told me that meditation and breathing must be practiced regularly to develop muscle memory so that our body can automatically turn on a “relax” mode.

Regular practice of mindful breathing can have far-reaching benefits beyond our personal well-being. As we cultivate inner peace and balance, we become better equipped to handle the challenges and conflicts that arise in our relationships and daily interactions.

The practice of breathing well offers a pathway to finding tranquility in our fast-paced world. By dedicating time to cultivate stillness and present-moment awareness, we can experience profound shifts in our well-being and our relationships.

I hope you will try our aromatherapy inhalers, letting them help you as you embark on a journey of self-discovery and inner peace, one breath at a time, one mindful moment at a time.

Curious about how an essential oil inhaler works? Check out my YouTube channel which gives a full explanation about how they work.

Head over to: https://youtu.be/CSlurdcKxfU

Click on this link to discover our selection of inhalers: You searched for inhaler | B. Divine Aromatherapy (bdivinearoma.com)

Want to learn more about how you can make your home smell good? Check out the recent Redfin article that I am featured in: How to Make Your Apartment Smell Good: 13 Ways | Redfin

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