Man says you've been breathing wrong your whole life and it can improve your sex life

We all do it every day without even thinking, but one man claims that most of us are breathing wrong - and it can have a massive impact on our health

An expert contends that many of us fail to breathe correctly, a fundamental biological function, and it's his mission to change that. Jamie Clements believes that proper breathing can bolster our health, alleviate anxiety, and even enhance our sex life.

Based in south-west London, Jamie stumbled upon the art of breathwork after leaving a taxing career in corporate finance which led to serious burnout and mental health issues. A personal tragedy the suicide of an old school friend sent him spiralling into a state of deep anxiety.

Speaking about his journey, Jamie reveals, "I was very, very anxious and struggled with my mental health through my teenage years and started having panic attacks in my early twenties".

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Reflecting on his difficult times, he added, "I was working in the city and breaking myself down. It got to a point where I needed help but didn't really know where to go."

Finding solace initially in meditation to counteract his severe panic attacks, Jamie repeatedly encountered the concept of breathwork - a technique for calming the nervous system through regulated breathing. Despite initial doubts, he admits, "I ignored it for as long as I could, because I was very sceptical and close-minded," but finally decided to try it out, finding it transformative for his anxiety, reports the Mirror.

"It sounded a bit out there, a bit 'woo-woo', but decided to give it a go, and that was the central key that unlocked the anxiety for me. I was going from having daily panic attacks to not having one in six years now."

Jamie traces his anxiety back to the age of 15, following his parents' split. He acknowledges a difficult relationship added to his stress, but pinpoints a lack of strong personal identity as the main issue: "but actually what I think was the number one suspect was never really developing a strong sense of identity and sense of self," he reflects.

"I was living from a place of fitting in and doing what I thought I should be doing. I thought I should be following in someone's footsteps, going into finance, making money. I only really started questioning that when I found breathwork."

Breathwork has been around for a while - even Taylor Swift has praised its benefits for core strengthening, and US gymnast Simone Biles posted about using breathwork and meditation before clinching gold at the Paris Olympics this summer.

Jamie offers advice on how to harness the power of breathing to improve our lives: "The first step is just becoming more aware of your breath. Do you breathe in through your nose or your mouth? Are you breathing into your belly or your chest? Start to pay attention and track how it changes," he suggests.

Jamie suggests that just ten minutes of slothful breathing exercises before bed can be a massive help in alleviating stress. "On the other side of the coin, we can use power breathing to speed up our responses, which is ideal for when you're feeling lethargic or can't get out of bed."

He notes that quick inhalation through the nose followed by rapid exhalation through the mouth can slice through brain fog and fatigue.

But what does poor breathing look like?

According to Jamie, a common issue is mouth-breathing, particularly during sleep, which can lead to a host of problems including substandard sleep quality, often seen with sleep apnea, as well as oral health and jaw issues. Mouth-breathing at night might cause tooth decay, gum disease, and even result in chronic morning breath, with more grave concerns such as heart disease potentially on the cards.

To address mouth-breathing, he suggests using mouth tape to gently close the lips overnight. "I did it for a couple of years, but now I do it typically only if I have a blocked nose," admits Jamie.

He elaborates on the importance of this simple technique: "When we sleep, we obviously can't consciously control how we're breathing, so if you are prone to mouth-breathing during sleep, you'll get worse quality sleep, you'll wake up dehydrated and you may experience more stress. Mouth-taping is a very simple but effective remedy to help someone breathe through their nose while they sleep."

It should be noted, however, that this method is not recommended for individuals with heart conditions, those who have weight issues, are expecting, or have consumed alcohol before bed. Those affected by sleep apnea are also advised against attempting this without prior consultation with their GP.

Jamie has observed that the majority of his clients are battling stress - yet he highlights that breathwork can assist with a range of issues, not just everyday annoyances. "Life is hard for a lot of people right now," he remarks.

He categorises the problems as 'micro' and 'macro' challenges. "The micro is actually how to exist in the world that we live in, which is very intense, very fast-paced. We're never switching off, and that's probably the biggest micro-level challenge I see in people - chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, insomnia."

On a larger scale, he identifies what he calls macro issues: "And then the macro, which is about the missing link of purpose and meaning and connection to something outside of ourselves, because I think we've got very good collectively at the micro. It's like morning routine, habits, all of that stuff is great and it sets a solid foundation, but people are showing up in my practice with this void."

Jamie further elaborated: "It's like, 'Okay, I feel like I can handle my stress, but what is life? ' And I think breathwork in its deepest form of conscious, connected breathing, these therapeutic styles of breathwork, can give people access to that and actually start helping people ask that question: 'Why am I doing what I'm doing? Am I following a path that I want to follow? ' And to gain a different perspective on that really propels people towards finding meaning, finding progress, and ultimately finding themselves through that."