11 Ways to Improve Metabolic Health… by Improving Your Breath

Most women think metabolic health starts with what we eat or how we exercise. And while those matter, there’s a powerful metabolic lever that’s often overlooked…

Your breath.

Breathing isn’t just something we do. It’s a metabolic control system,  influencing our hormones, nervous system, blood sugar, inflammation, and energy levels.

In midlife, as hormones shift and stress often increases, breathing becomes one of the most important tools to calm the nervous system, support weight loss, and improve metabolic balance.

Here are 11 science-backed ways to improve metabolism through better breathing:

1. Breathe Through Your Nose (Not Your Mouth)

Nasal breathing improves oxygen uptake, supports nitric oxide production, lowers stress hormones, and helps regulate blood pressure and glucose.
Mouth breathing, on the other hand, triggers stress physiology and raises sympathetic (fight-or-flight) activation.

When in doubt: lips closed, tongue up, breathe through the nose.

2. Lengthen Your Exhale

A longer exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol, a key hormone linked to belly fat and insulin resistance.

Try: inhale for 4, exhale for 6.

3. Breathe Less (About 6 Breaths Per Minute)

Slow breathing improves HRV (heart-rate variability), increases insulin sensitivity, and enhances fat-burning efficiency.

Aim for calm, slow, effortless breaths, not big dramatic inhales.

4. Mouth Tape at Night

Nighttime mouth breathing contributes to:

• Blood sugar spikes
• Poor sleep and snoring
• Increased cortisol
• Fatigue and weight gain

A small strip of mouth tape can help support deep restorative sleep and better metabolic balance.

5. Release Your Diaphragm Trigger Points

Most women carry tension in their diaphragm from years of stress and shallow breathing. Soft pressure along the rib margins can release tension and improve breath depth.

6. Breathe Into Your Belly

Diaphragmatic breathing helps regulate insulin response, gut motility, and nervous system tone. Let the belly expand gently on your inhale, without lifting the shoulders.

7. Rest Your Tongue at the Roof of Your Mouth

This proper oral posture helps support nasal breathing and airway function.
Think: tongue up, lips sealed, teeth relaxed.

8. Strengthen Your Diaphragm (Crocodile Pose)

Lie face-down, forehead on your hands, and breathe into your belly.
This position trains proper diaphragm engagement and builds breath strength.

9. Let Yourself Laugh, Cry, Scream (Yes, Really!)

Emotional release supports hormonal balance and nervous system regulation.
Laughter increases oxygenation and boosts metabolic function. Crying lowers stress hormones.

Your body needs to express, not suppress.

10. Become “Breath Aware”

Pause throughout the day and notice:

• Am I breathing through my nose?
• Am I breathing slowly?
• Am I relaxed or tense?

Awareness alone retrains patterns over time.

11. Experience Guided Breathwork

Breathwork sessions help you create profound shifts in:

• Stress & cortisol
• Energy & clarity
• Emotional release
• Nervous system balance
• Metabolic regulation

If you’d like to experience guided breathwork, you can click here for breathing assets and step by step guided experience 

Why This Matters

If you are in perimenopause or menopause, stress physiology becomes even more important. Cortisol, nervous system tone, oxygenation, and sleep deeply impact:

• Weight & metabolism
• Mood & emotional balance
• Hormones & inflammation
• Sleep & energy
• Digestion & cravings

Breathwork is free, powerful, always available and often the missing link in a midlife healing journey.

Final Takeaway

You don’t have to force your way into healing.
Sometimes weight loss, hormone balance, and metabolic healing begin with a softer approach,  like a slower breath.

Breathe deeply. Breathe slowly. Breathe with intention.
Your metabolism will thank you.

If you're tired of feeling stuck and want support implementing these tools, I’d love to help.

👉 Book a Metabolic Road mapping Call
https://go.thelivingproofinstitute.com/apply/

References

• Bernardi et al., 2001 – Slow breathing improves autonomic function & oxygenation (Circulation)

• Stanford Health Research – Nasal breathing improves metabolic efficiency & NO production

• Harvard Medical School – Longer exhales activate parasympathetic nervous system
  

• Baylor College of Medicine – Mouth breathing linked to high cortisol and metabolic dysfunction

• HeartMath Institute – Slow breathing increases HRV and stress resilience

• Journal of Applied Physiology – Diaphragmatic breathing improves oxygenation & metabolic markers

• Sleep Medicine Reviews – Nasal breathing improves sleep and glucose regulation