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How to breathe and not drown in the attempt?

How do you breathe so you don't run out of air exercising? Is it the same to breathe through the nose as through the mouth? Although we breathe unconsciously, we must learn to breathe correctly.

Breaking the vicious circle

Often when a respiratory patient is told that they need to stay active, one of the main responses they give is that they choke on physical exertion. However, even if you stay still without exercising, this feeling of suffocation that initially appears when making great efforts will worsen and will affect you even at rest, thus limiting basic activities of daily life such as cleaning. For this reason, it is very important that you stay active and thus break the vicious circle that occurs if you do not move.

Why do you feel like you're drowning? This sensation is due to the fact that many times we do not breathe correctly, learning to do so is a first step.

types of breathing

We breathe about 25.000 times a day.

Breathing is a process that has two phases:

• Inspiration: where we take in the oxygen-rich air from outside.
• Expiration: in which we release the carbon dioxide produced in our body

Breaking the vicious circle

Often when a respiratory patient is told that they need to stay active, one of the main responses they give is that they choke on physical exertion. However, even if you stay still without exercising, this feeling of suffocation that initially appears when making great efforts will worsen and will affect you even at rest, thus limiting basic activities of daily life such as cleaning. For this reason, it is very important that you stay active and thus break the vicious circle that occurs if you do not move.

Why do you feel like you're drowning? This sensation is due to the fact that many times we do not breathe correctly, learning to do so is a first step.

types of breathing

We breathe about 25.000 times a day.

Breathing is a process that has two phases:

• Inspiration: where we take in the oxygen-rich air from outside.
• Expiration: in which we release the carbon dioxide produced in our body

This breathing can be done in several ways:

• Nasal
• Oral
• Naso-buccal
• Oral-nasal
• Naso-nasal

nasal breathing vs. the buccal

When we take in air through the nose, it is filtered by its villi (hairs) and traps microorganisms and foreign bodies present in the air. That air then passes into the nostrils where it continues to be cleaned and warmed. In addition, certain reactions occur at the level of the brain, endocrine and metabolic systems.
If we breathe through the mouth, the entire process mentioned above is lost and behavioral and sleep problems, facial alterations and other associated pathologies such as infections can originate.

Oxygen is our source of energy

When oxygen reaches the alveoli, gas exchange occurs. This gas crosses the alveolar wall to reach the blood, which will transport it throughout the body until it reaches all the cells, including those of the muscles. In the mitochondria of each cell, oxygen is metabolized, along with glucose or lipids, to produce the energy needed for muscle contraction.

If a muscle does not receive enough energy it is because:

• The way to breathe.
• The appearance of asthma of effort that produces the closure of the airway when an effort is made, preventing the passage of air.
• Iron deficiency, which is responsible for fixing oxygen to hemoglobin so that it is transported by red blood cells.
• During this process a waste gas is produced, carbon dioxide, which has to be removed during expiration.

Abdominal breathing allows us to save energy

To make a abdominal breathing Fewer muscles need to be put into operation than to perform a thoracic, so it is less tiring. This makes this type of breathing very interesting when performing physical or intellectual activities, since we leave more energy available for the rest of the body and functions.
With abdominal breathing we will use the entire lung so that more alveoli will come into operation and more oxygen will be available to be distributed by the blood.
If we expel the air through the nose, we recover the water vapor left by the CO2 when it comes out through the nostrils, this allows us to reuse it to humidify the air that enters and therefore we will save energy.

 

How should we breathe while exercising?

When we are at rest we move between 6 and 7.5 liters of air per minute, which means between 360 and 450 liters per hour. When making an effort, the number of breaths increases so the air mobilized as well. With this, it is intended that there is more oxygen in the body and thus obtain energy, the energy necessary to perform the exercise.
If we make an effort at maximum intensity, we can mobilize between 120 and 200 liters per minute.
If we breathe badly during the effort, our face will redden and the sensation of suffocation will appear due to an increase in the concentration of CO2. To solve this problem, the expiration time (expulsion of air) must be lengthened so that it is twice that of inspiration (intake of air).

When CO2 begins to accumulate, glucose is converted to lactic acid, making the muscle stiff and unable to contract normally. This situation produces cramps, contractures or even muscle tears.

Whenever we carry out an activity, our brain is stimulated to control the different components of it. In the case of physical exercise, the areas that control breathing are stimulated by the information provided by the muscles and tendons; the decrease in the concentration of O2 in the blood and the increase in that of CO2; and the increase in adrenaline.

With this information, the number of breaths per minute increases, the contraction of the diaphragm and the muscles located between the ribs (intercostals) and the volume of the chest with each inspiration.

The goal to achieve would be that when we take in air, our abdomen inflates like a balloon to allow a greater amount of oxygen to be absorbed by our body. Meanwhile, on expiration, the abdomen would have to contract in order to make it easier for the lungs to empty completely.

What is flatus?

When the diaphragm does not get enough oxygen during exercise, the annoying flatus appears. If we make short expirations to the diaphragm, little blood will reach it and therefore an oxygen deficit.

It can also appear if we exercise after eating. While we digest, most of our blood will be directed to our digestive system to provide all the oxygen necessary in this process. If we exercise at the same time, the diaphragm will not have enough blood to function properly and flatus will appear.

The ideal combination

To achieve the highest physical performance we would have to do the nasal-abdominal-nasal breathing, that is, take air through the nose, direct it to the abdomen and expel it through the nose, lengthening the time. Thanks to this combinationThe risk of infection will be reduced, the work of the heart will be reduced and muscle problems and soreness will be avoided.

If you have questions or need information about respiratory health, do not hesitate to write to us at Cuentanos@lovexair.com
Sources:

https://www.saludmasdeporte.com/como-respirar-deporte-respiracion/

https://www.quironsalud.es/blogs/es/medicina-deporte/respiracion-aliado-cualquier-deporte

https://europeanlung.org/es/information-hub/factsheets/los-pulmones-y-el-ejercicio/