Can abdominal breathing relieve tension caused by stuttering?

Feb 11, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Ren Yi
Introduction
In general, abdominal breathing can alleviate stuttering and tension. Abdominal breathing involves deep breathing that moves the diaphragm up and down, thereby engaging the abdominal muscles. This breathing technique helps relax muscles, especially those related to phonation in the mouth and throat, thereby improving muscular coordination. Tension in the oral and throat muscles often leads to difficulty in speech production.

Generally, abdominal breathing can alleviate stuttering and tension. The specific analysis is as follows:

Abdominal breathing involves deep breathing that moves the diaphragm up and down, thereby engaging the abdominal muscles. This breathing technique can relax muscles, especially those involved in speech production such as the oral and throat muscles, thereby improving muscular coordination. For individuals who stutter, tense oral and throat muscles often lead to difficulty in articulation. Abdominal breathing helps relieve this tension, making speech more fluent. Additionally, abdominal breathing increases oxygen intake in the lungs and improves oxygen supply to the brain, thereby aiding in restoring normal brain function and enhancing verbal expression.

When the body is under stress, breathing typically becomes shallow and rapid, which deprives the body of sufficient oxygen and exacerbates feelings of tension. Abdominal breathing, through deep inhalation, increases the intake of fresh air and raises blood oxygen levels, helping the body relax and relieving tension and anxiety. Moreover, abdominal breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, a system that promotes physical relaxation and recovery, further assisting in reducing emotional tension.

In daily life, it is important to maintain the correct posture for abdominal breathing, such as standing or sitting upright and relaxing the shoulders and upper back, to facilitate deeper breathing.