We’re well into the NFL regular season, the NBA and NHL have kicked off their seasons, and the MLB is days away from the World Series (featuring our historic Red Sox, yahoo!). With all of the reasons in the world to cook, gather, and celebrate, here is the last tip of our blog series, Posture and Potluck: Keys to a Successful Fall.
Heard the Valsalva Maneuver? This is when you close off the passage of an exhale. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few fans in New England have caught themselves doing this during a Pats game this season. While this technique will increase spinal stability, it comes with consequences for other systems in your body.
That brings me to Tip #3: Just Breathe. (Faith Hill and Pearl Jam were right on track.)
Always remember to breathe when you perform a lifting activity (or activity for that matter). Most people coordinate their breath to perform the exhale during the most challenging part of the lift, and the inhale during the easier aspect of the movement. As previously noted, holding your breath increases pressure within your abdomen, which will make your spine more stable. Along with this increased stability however, comes a whirlwind of effects on your cardiovascular system.
The Valsalva Maneuver causes increases and decreases in both blood pressure and heart rate. It can also cause significant changes in the pressure within the arterial system in our bodies, which can trigger different autonomic reflexes to change the flow of blood within the body. The body has to accommodate for these changes very quickly due to the change in the amount of blood returning to the heart.
This reaction within the cardiovascular system can definitely put someone in a precarious situation, especially if there is any known history of heart or lung problems. In case all of that was not concerning, all of this mayhem in your vascular system also briefly decreases the amount of blood circulating to your brain, and pressure is increased within the skull when a person holds their breath. That could cause an episode of syncope. Hey, at least you’ve been warned!
The good news is your instructions to avoid all of this are easy, just breathe! Remember to choose PT before a small problem becomes a big problem. Enjoy the rest of the foliage and the crisp fall nights that make New England so special. Go Pats!
References
- Hackett DA, Chow C-M. The Valsalva Maneuver. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2013;27(8):2338-2345. doi:10.1519/jsc.0b013e31827de07d.
Perry BG, Cotter JD, Mejuto G, Mundel T, Lucas SJE. Cerebral hemodynamics during graded Valsalva maneuvers. Frontiers in Physiology. 2014;5. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00349.