Life Force
More Oxygen Does Not Equate to Better Oxygen Metabolism
We are often told, “You are what you eat,” and it’s widely assumed that what we eat and how much we eat lie at the core of many health issues. Beyond that, what to eat remains controversial. While the lipid-heart hypothesis has never been substantiated, it’s still commonly claimed that we must avoid saturated fat. In this article, I won’t delve into that topic because it’s not just what we eat that affects our health—it’s much more than that. This article focuses on one particular issue: how we breathe can have serious consequences for our health. Yet, we rarely hear about it.
Even that topic is too broad for this article. It’s absolutely true that our breathing profoundly impacts our health. I think back to when I began practicing yoga. I chose hot yoga because I love saunas and wanted to combine the two. I found hot yoga deeply therapeutic for the pain I was experiencing. My massage therapist suggested I’d need three massages a week to see results, which was beyond my budget. Instead, I decided to attend three yoga sessions weekly, and it definitely helped. Yoga improved my posture and mindset. I realized the pain I was experiencing stemmed from a sedentary lifestyle. I had a sedentary job that was supposed to involve manual labor, but being in a union made it sedentary. As one colleague said when I asked why we weren’t working, “We don’t do that here.”
One key lesson from my yoga practice was the importance of breathing, which I had, at that time, overlooked. It took me a while to take breathing seriously. It was a focus in every yoga class I attended, but it was such a subtle thing that I didn’t realize its importance or why every class included breathing exercises. I thought yoga was just for stretching and strengthening the body. I often felt low on energy during hot yoga classes and couldn’t figure out why. I assumed it was hunger and tried eating more. Though I wasn’t overly thin, nothing else made sense until one day I realized I wasn’t hungry for food—I wasn’t getting the prana I needed. It became much clearer to me why we spent time on breathing in yoga class. Many people who attend yoga classes aren’t interested in breathing, so it doesn’t get the attention it deserves, even in that environment. Prana, a Sanskrit term for life energy, is often associated with the energy we derive from breathing. When I slowed my breathing and focused on intentional inhalations and exhalations, I noticed a significant increase in energy levels. This was a revelation.
The following should highlight that breathing is not just about oxygen—it’s about balance. “Take a deep breath” is not good advice. Breathing involves not only oxygen but also carbon dioxide. Our body won’t metabolize oxygen effectively without carbon dioxide; this is known as the Bohr effect1. The Bohr effect explains how increased carbon dioxide and decreased pH levels in the blood enhance oxygen release from hemoglobin to tissues, facilitating oxygen delivery where it’s most needed.
One specific health concern linked to dysfunctional breathing might surprise you, and the exhale becomes something to consider here. Think of bones as a bank account for minerals. Over-breathing, or dysfunctional breathing, can contribute to osteoporosis by disrupting the acid-base balance and depleting minerals from bones.2 Improper exhalation can lead to an imbalance between carbon dioxide and oxygen, causing metabolic alkalosis.3 This condition prompts the body to excrete bicarbonate in urine, depleting essential minerals like magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus from the bloodstream and bone stores. When these minerals, including calcium, are insufficient, the body may extract them from bones to maintain blood pH, which weakens bones and increases the risk of osteoporosis.
Have you ever noticed how your breathing affects your energy?
Learning to breathe more efficiently can help prevent and resolve many health issues, yet it’s rarely discussed. That’s likely why you’re here, at The Far Side of Fringe, to learn something new. True health doesn’t come from a pill or potion; it emerges from various lifestyle factors. Breathing is an often-overlooked factor because it happens automatically. Next, unless something else comes up, I’ll explore the Buteyko breathing technique, which is associated with improved health, higher energy and concentration, reduced stress and anxiety, and enhanced sleep quality. Stick around.
Physiology, Oxygen Transport And Carbon Dioxide Dissociation Curve https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539815/
Relationship between osteoporosis and over breathing https://www.consciousbreathing.com/blogs/co2-academy/relationship-between-osteoporosis-and-over-breathing?srsltid=AfmBOoqe5i5ZgkYmo-Y6yoa4aurtonzoKoxO2gNdy3OxKFtNwbztWtcB
CO2 Tolerance: Why It's Important + 9 Ways to Increase Yours https://www.othership.us/resources/co2-tolerance
I do my workouts, stretches after, which might be likened to yogic ones(as others have noted), but with the exercise I can NOT get the "and breathe" part down! Good for you, Renee!
It is so simple yet so crucial. I've had several professors focus on the importance of breathing. We tend to just take it for granted and yet without it we'd be dead. I find that breathing is an excellent way to focus thought.
Leslie