Something that a lot of us take for granted is our breathing. Just because we do this involuntarily all the time does not mean we are doing it as well as we could be. There are ways of improving your breathing that will make your entire quality of life better.

Thousands of people partake in cigarette smoking. That smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 50 of those are known to cause cancer. This affects non smokers as well. Exposure to secondhand smoke increases your risk of lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent, and increases your risk of heart disease by 25 to 30 percent. Living in urban areas can contribute to poor lung health as well. One of the worst places for this is Knoxville, Tennessee, which is known for its poor air quality and need for asthma care.

However, there are devices and exercises you can take advantage of that improve breathing significantly. Most people breathe improperly with their chests, resulting in a 5 percent oxygen intake. With the help of a frolov breathing device, though, you can double that oxygen intake, which dramatically improves your health and lung function. You can also learn to utilize your diaphragm and employ belly breathing exercises for weight loss.

Breathing to relax also improves brain function. A small study was conducted in which 30 female college students who did not regularly do yoga, participated in 20 minutes of the exercises before taking cognitive tests, and then later jogging before the tests. The tests administered after the yoga session had significantly higher results across the board. Circular breathing is another great technique for improving the health of your lungs. Vann Burchfield demonstrated the extremes of this method by setting a world record in February of 2000 when he held one continuous note for 47 minutes and 6 seconds, beating the record of 45 minutes and 47 seconds set by Kenny G.

You can utilize breathing exercises for weight loss as well as devices to improve the function of your lungs and diaphragm. These can be taken to extremes, but that is not necessary to see an improvement in your general health. Try some exercises for yourself and you will notice the difference it makes.