During my specialization as an Intensive Care nurse I was taught about breathing and ventilation. There I learned, among other things, that everyone sighs regularly. On average, you sigh unconsciously once every five minutes. Just before an inhale becomes an exhale, you take a second breath. A sigh is therefore not just a deep breath, but actually a double inhalation.
A sigh gives space
The reason our body sighs about twelve times an hour is to keep the alveoli, or air sacs, open. It is very important to keep the alveoli open. This is the place where oxygen passes from the lung into the blood for distribution throughout the body. Conversely, the waste material carbon dioxide (CO2) leaves the blood to exit the body through the airways. If too many alveoli close, the gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is compromised. A sigh brings an extra amount of air into the lungs. This gently puts some extra pressure on the lung tissue, causing collapsed alveoli to be opened up. This gives you more space to breathe. Taking a deep breath not only helps to open alveoli, but also has an effect on the airways. The pressure of the air can open up the airways after they have closed. Regular deep breaths protect the airways by preventing them from closing..
Many emotions
While a sigh for physical reasonscan go unnoticed, you often notice when there are emotional reasons for sighing. Certain positive emotions are sometimes accompanied by a sigh. For example, if you feel very satisfied or as an expression of longing. People sigh when they are irritated or annoyed, but also when they are sad, stressed or exhausted. In the Gospel according to Mark, two situations are described in which Jesus sighed for emotional reasons. In the seventh chapter the Lord sighed as he healed a deaf man. “And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.”Mark 7:33-35. In the next chapter find the second quote.
“And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.” Mark 8:11-12.
Jesus sighs in both situations, but the circumstances are different. Likewise, His emotions toward the Pharisees are different in the healing of the deaf man. Jesus was disappointed that the Pharisees would not accept the spiritual truth. The sighing in Mark 7 was an expression of Jesus' compassion for the suffering of the people. The man who was healed, with his deafness and difficult speech, symbolized humanity that so often goes deaf to His message and to the faltering lives that many in this world lead.
Trust in God
In the 38th Psalm David names his problems and describes himself as a deaf-mute. He sighs under his difficult circumstances and tells everything to God. He also expresses his trust in the Lord. “Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. … For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” Psalm 38:9 and 15. People sigh more often with negative emotions, such as stress and fear. The deep breaths are seen as resetting your system. When you are stressed, sighing helps to relax the body. Even after a good ending of an exciting moment, you often sigh, then you can breathe a sigh of relief again. In addition to sighing, prayer is a powerful tool. Like David, you can tell all your worries to the Lord. You can trust that He also listens to you and answers your prayer, then you can quickly breathe a sigh of relief.
Sources
Seventh-day Adventists Bible Commentary, Volume 5
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