We had to laugh at a recent post by writer James Protsman in Manitowoc, Wisconsin's Scene magazine. The title of his piece, "It's Time For A Fashion Necktie Party," railed against the wearing of neckties. Of late, we've had several inquiries about the sartorial effect of some clothing on breathing (i.e., belts and neckties).
Turns out, there are legitimate reasons you're asked to wear loose-fitting clothing in yoga and other workout classes. Rants Mr. Protsman, a university instructor for the University of Wisconsin:
"During the years I wore a tie and wanted to relax after a hard day of work, the first thing I instinctively did was remove my tie. This has a relaxing effect on body and mind that millions of tie-wearers will readily attest to.
"There is a reason for this relaxing effect: better breathing. Long ago animal researchers interested in testing the complex nerve pathways that control breathing discovered that if you touch the larynx of some animals (including dogs) it inhibits breathing. One reason physiologists study dogs is because their physiology in many ways is similar to that of humans.
"The discovery about the larynx and breathing was published but nobody checked to see if this breathing reaction was true for humans.
"Verbal breathing, the special kind of breathing we do when we produce word sounds, suffered a lot. When I checked how many words I could read in a single inhalation, which is a simple measure of reading prowess, it was far less than when the larynx was untouched. Singing and speaking were worse because of poor breath support.
"It is harder to produce word sounds when anything touches the larynx. Because of this, the operational speed and quality of every word-based cognitive process declines. It is actually not necessary to touch the larynx to get these grossly depressing effects. A touch anywhere on the neck does the same thing, especially when the area over the windpipe is touched.
"You need to prove this yourself. With neck bare, untouched by anything, sing a song or read out loud or silently, then touch your neck anywhere and try these activities again. You should notice touching the neck makes word production more difficult. When something touches the neck, the pressure, no matter how slight, causes neck muscles to reflectively tense.
"This is a pressure reflex. It seems to be a defense mechanism to protect the windpipe and arteries in the neck from attack. Neck muscles stay tensed until the pressure is removed. A tensed neck makes it harder to move the air formation of word sounds when speaking, reading, thinking, etc. Because of this pressure reflex, the necktie has to go whenever a male wants to be at his mental and vocal best."
We'd like to add our vote to the ban-the-necktie movement! Tell your boss they're a health hazard!
For the full article click here
health
science
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