Breathing for Better Health by Melanie Owen   Ask anyone this question, “What is the most important function that our body does on its own?” and you will find that there is only a small number of people who get the right answer the first time.

Ask anyone this question, “What is the most important function that our body does on its own?” and you will find that there is only a small number of people who get the right answer the first time. 

Unbeknown to most of us, breathing is the most important function that our body does, yet it requires almost no effort on our part.  In fact, during quiet or normal breathing, only 3% of our total energy is expended¹.  While breathing is very important, it is the most ignored because it happens automatically without any thought, until our breathing is interrupted.

Oxygen is essential to life.  It is the most important and pressing element to survive.  A person can live without water for 14 days, but without oxygen, it only takes no more than 5 minutes for the brain to die and life ends².

There is however, more to breathing than just a means to survive.  We can use breathing to improve our general well-being. Learning to breathe deeper and slower does not require a special place, gadget or physical ability.  All it takes is awareness and the proper technique to gain its health benefits.  Without a deliberate effort to breathe properly, we are denying our body the most important component that is freely available to us to improve our health.

The air we breathe contains only 21% of oxygen.  In light of this, learning to take deep breaths is paramount.  By learning to inhale deeper, instead of the usual rapid and shallow breathing we do, we are able to take in more oxygen in one breath than normal.  Many studies have shown that low oxygen blood levels because of poor breathing can affect brain function. 

The benefit of yoga exercise has much to do with breathing to relax the entire body.  Yoga teaches rhythmic and deep breathing which is similar to diaphragm breathing.  Diaphragm breathing expands the diaphragm and abdominal muscles during inhalation and contracts the diaphragm and abdominal muscles during exhalation.  This method of breathing promotes higher oxygen intake.  The result of taking in more oxygen, not only relaxes our entire body but it also provides more energy.  Could this be the reason why some people experience weight loss doing yoga regularly?

During exercise, our body naturally requires more energy to sustain its working muscles.  The energy supply is derived from the nutrient molecules (from the food we eat), and oxygen.  The role of oxygen in this case becomes very central.  Without oxygen, these nutrient molecules will remain in their original form and will not be converted to energy.  Because oxygen on its own, aids in combustion, thus when we are able to take in more oxygen, the body is able to break down these nutrient molecules and convert them to energy in the cellular level.  Just as fire will not burn without air, so does food will not burn without oxygen. This is how calories are burned. 

This process is known as oxidative phosphorylation³.  It is when oxygen breaks down these nutrient molecules made up of glucose and fatty acids to generate Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the richest form of energy. The production of ATP is critical in providing energy for the brain; and the much needed energy during exercise, allowing the muscles to work longer and the body to burn more calories, with less fatigue.  On the contrary, when the supply of oxygen is low, the muscles fatigue quicker.  This leads to lactic acid build-up and is suspected to cause muscle soreness. 

When the workload is heavy, breathing deeper and more rapidly is necessary to bring in more oxygen to the body.  Timing when to exhale and inhale becomes essential to assist the heart.  During exertion, such as when performing push ups or bench presses, it is better to exhale on the push or press as it helps the heart to relax. 

While the exertion phase (exhalation) allows the heart to relax, during inhalation, the heart works harder to pump more oxygenated blood to the muscle tissues.  The stress created by the contraction of the muscles needed to lift and to inhale at the same time, may lead to other health risks such as blood vessel strain, high blood pressure and hernia⁴.

Ultimately, oxygen is responsible for all body functions and metabolism.  It converts the nutrient molecules from the food we eat to energy to give life.  Subsequently, it becomes the catalyst in the elimination of toxic and waste products in our body.  In short, without oxygen, life ends. 

So, the next time you are in the gym pumping iron or you’re just feeling down in the dumps and stressed out, remember to  just “take a deep breath” to get some oxygen to feed your muscles and brain and burn some calories.

Bibliography

¹Lauralee Sherwood. (1997). Human Physiology: From Cells To Systems Third Edition. In L. Sherwood, Human Physiology: From Cells To System Third Edition (p. 442). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

² Lauralee Sherwood. (1997). Human Physiology: From Cells To Systems Third Edition. In L. Sherwood, Human Physiology: From Cells To System Third Edition (p. 120). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

³ Lauralee Sherwood. (1997). Human Physiology: From Cells To Systems Third Edition. In L. Sherwood, Human Physiology: From Cells To System Third Edition (p. 32-33). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

⁴Smith, S. (2007, January 4). military.com. Retrieved may 21, 2008, from www.military.com

Is oxygen essential for brain activity?

The brain demands at least 20% of the body's oxygen supply, when it doesn't get this supply it can lead to issues such as sleep apnea, poor concentration, forgetfulness, mood swings, restlessness, depressive thoughts and low drive.

Brain activity – Dr. Andrew Scholey, Division of Psychology, University of Northumbria: "Extra oxygen has been shown to enhance mental performance and memory recall in healthy active adults in several clinical studies". Ref. Pmid: 10604851 (pubmed - indexed for medline)

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