Apple’s newest health-based app is no longer teaching you how to count calories and macronutrients. This time, the company is teaching you how to “Breathe.”
Apple’s new app, set to release for the Apple Watch later this year, guides its users through deep-breathing programs. Some early critics have already noted that the app is backed by Deepak Chopra, a man who has had some of his health practices called into question by the larger scientific community.
But this app isn’t as bogus as it initially sounds.
Many medical experts, including researchers at Harvard University, agree that regularly practicing deep-breathing actually provides many health benefits. Scientifically, engaging in deeper, abdominal breathing “encourages full oxygen exchange” in the body. This allows your body to more efficiently trade carbon dioxide for oxygen, allowing the heartbeat to slow and blood pressure to lower and become stable.
All of these effects help lower stress in the body. High stress levels can not only create high blood pressure, one of the leading causes for heart disease, but it can also weaken the strength of the immune system. Individuals who experience consistently higher levels of stress may be more susceptible to becoming ill.
The stress relieving effects of deep-breathing exercises also supports good mental health. Most people are unfamiliar with the feeling of deep breathing because they generally engage in shallow, chest-level breathing. Though common, this type of breathing may leave people constantly feeling short of breath due to the lack of oxygen in their body, which then causes them to feel stressed and anxious.
Intentionally engaging in deeper breathing will alleviate the anxiety caused by oxygen deficiency, and can teaches individuals to become more mindful of their stress levels. Apple’s “Breathe” app aims to help its users learn to set aside time to just engage in deep-breathing practices and become healthier people.
