What You Can Do to Avoid Caregiver Fatigue: Recovery Tips Based on Breathing and the Autonomic Nervous System
Written by: 市川 塁 (Physical Therapist)
Have you heard the term “caregiver fatigue” (kaigo-zukare in Japanese)? As the words suggest, it means the tiredness, or fatigue, that caregivers experience as a result of caregiving.
Many caregivers are probably in a state like this: pressed for time, with no time to spare; facing one task after another, with no peace of mind; and with fatigue building up in the body, leaving no physical reserves. As this shows, many factors lie behind caregiver fatigue.
In this column, I’ll share ways to keep caregiver fatigue from building up that take just five minutes a day. Accumulated fatigue causes many changes in the body; here I’ll focus on breathing and the autonomic nervous system, and talk about these changes and how to address them.
When fatigue builds up, breathing becomes shallow
As fatigue builds up, breathing becomes shallower. Then not enough oxygen reaches the whole body, the body’s recovery can’t keep up, and even more fatigue builds up: a vicious circle.
That is why I recommend setting aside time for deep breathing at least once a day.
A recommended deep-breathing method
Sit and close your eyes, then take a big breath in through your nose. Then, with your lips pursed, breathe out through your mouth in as thin and long a stream as you can. Repeat this for about 3 minutes.
A chest and shoulder-blade stretch to pair with deep breathing
To boost the effect of deep breathing, I also recommend pairing it with a stretch for the chest and the area around the shoulder blades. Here is how to do it lying down:
Lie on your back
Place a soft cushion under your back
Raise both arms above your head
Keep breathing deeply in this position for about 3 minutes
Please try it at least once. After 3 minutes, I’m sure you’ll feel refreshed.
Staying on alert upsets the autonomic nervous system
Another factor behind caregiver fatigue is being pressed for time and having no peace of mind. Staying constantly on alert makes the sympathetic nervous system dominant (and weakens the parasympathetic nervous system), upsetting the balance of the autonomic nervous system.
Autonomic imbalance is closely tied to recovery from fatigue. When the autonomic nervous system is out of balance, the body’s recovery mechanisms are hindered, and fatigue builds up.
Breathing is the key to rebalancing the autonomic nervous system
So how can we rebalance an upset autonomic nervous system?
The autonomic nervous system governs functions such as the heartbeat and the movement of the intestines, and it is said that we basically cannot control it at will. However, there is one function that is governed by the autonomic nervous system and yet can also be controlled consciously: breathing.
It is said that when the autonomic nervous system is out of balance, the rhythm of breathing in and out is disrupted and the depth of breathing becomes unstable. So how can we use breathing to rebalance the autonomic nervous system? Here are two breathing techniques.
1. Equal-interval breathing
This technique consciously restores a disrupted breathing rhythm.
Breathe in for 4 seconds
Breathe out for 4 seconds
Repeat this. When you want to relax (that is, to activate the parasympathetic nervous system), you can also lengthen the out-breath, for example by breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 8.
2. Alternate-nostril breathing
This technique makes use of a phenomenon called the nasal cycle (alternating nasal congestion). It is said to be normal, because of the workings of the autonomic nervous system, for one nostril to be slightly more blocked than the other. The blocked side switches every few hours, and this phenomenon is called the nasal cycle. Alternate-nostril breathing uses it to rebalance the autonomic nervous system.
Here is how to do it:
Close your right nostril with a finger; breathe in through your left nostril for 4 seconds and out for 4 seconds
Switch sides; breathe in through your right nostril for 4 seconds and out for 4 seconds
Repeat for 3 minutes
Five minutes a day for your own body
What did you think? To keep caregiver fatigue from building up, and to relieve it, why not spend just five minutes a day on your own body?
Deep breathing
Chest and shoulder-blade stretch
Equal-interval breathing
Alternate-nostril breathing
Start with whichever you can, and try them without pressure. If you feel unwell or short of breath, don’t push yourself; consult a medical institution.
About the author: 市川 塁 (Physical Therapist)
This article is a contribution from a medical or care professional, re-edited by our editorial team. It provides general information as of the time of writing, and symptoms and circumstances differ from person to person. For specific decisions, please consult your doctor, dentist, pharmacist or another professional.
This is an English translation of a column originally published in Japanese by Next Co., Ltd.
About Next Co., Ltd. We are a Tokyo-based company working in Japan’s senior care and end-of-life planning field. Alongside these expert columns, we publish professional training textbooks and support businesses entering Japan’s eldercare market. More expert columns | Our English textbook | Contact us
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