Easy Rx: ‘Double-duty’ breathing

Women with moderate anxiety are nearly three times more likely to report hot flashes. “Whether hot flashes trigger anxiety or the other way around is an ongoing debate, but finding ways to manage both can help,” says ob-gyn Sara Gottfried, M.D., author of Brain Body Diet. Numerous studies have shown that paced breathing lowers anxiety, and a Mayo Clinic study found it also slashed hot flash frequency by 52%. To do: Twice a day for 20 minutes, inhale deeply through your nose for 5 seconds. Hold the breath for 10 seconds. Exhale for 5 seconds. “I do this first thing in the morning and, when time is short, while driving.”