OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

When you take a slow, deep breath, it wakes up a special nerve called the vagus nerve. This nerve runs from your brain all the way down to your belly. When the vagus nerve is activated, it sends a message to your heart to slow down. That is why deep breathing makes you feel calm!

Even Navy SEALs, some of the toughest soldiers in the world, use a breathing trick called “box breathing.” They breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, breathe out for 4 counts, and hold again for 4 counts. They do this to stay calm in scary situations. You can try it too!

• You breathe about 20,000 times a day, but you only think about your breathing when you do it on purpose.
• Your lungs have about 300 million tiny air sacs called alveoli. If you spread them all out flat, they would cover a whole tennis court!
• Navy SEALs use “box breathing” with 4-count steps to stay calm during their hardest missions.