Breathing that relaxes your body may help with dry eyes

The solution for dry eyes could be simpler than we previously thought. Recently conducted research showed that abdominal breathing helps in deep muscle relaxation and in the production of tears, which are required for the lubrication of the eyes.

The cause of dry eyes is an imbalance in the nervous system

Reduced tear secretion can be caused by an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is made up of the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates heart beat and helps keep blood pressure under control, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates digestion and receives signals related to rest and relaxation. Tears are produced in the lacrimal glands, which are linked to the parasympathetic nervous system.

Abdominal breathing

Breathing for muscle relaxation could be a solution to the problem of dry eyes. The technique consists of breathing in deeply through the nose so that our stomach rises rather than our chest, holding the breath briefly, and then breathing out.

The research, in which 20 Japanese females aged 20-54 years took part, was recently conducted in order to clarify the relationship between breathing and dry eyes. The group was divided in two with one half of participants, initially, breathing normally and the other half breathing abdominally, for 3 minutes. Abdominal breathing consisted of breathing in for four seconds and then out for 6 seconds. The groups then swapped roles. Tear volume was measured before and after the breathing sessions, as well as 15 and 30 minutes later.

It was revealed that tear volume increased by around 48%  after the abdominal breathing session 15 minutes. Tear volume did not increase after normal breathing.

It’s proven that abdominal breathing relaxes the body and helps keep our nervous system functioning properly. Slow breathing through the nose also regulates the production of tears and helps with dry eyes.