How to Breath When You're Breathless

Breathlessness is a symptom of the Covid19 virus.  The feeling of not getting enough air causes people to do the worst thing possible; breathe in more air!  What?   You need more carbon dioxide, not more oxygen.

Because covid is an upper respiratory disease, it attacks the lungs, particularly the lung surfactant.  This substance allows for lung movement and elasticity.

Lowered levels of surfactant result in stiff lungs that do not move.
Lungs that do not move cannot take air deep enough in to feed the lower portions of the lung.  
Stiff lungs result in the panicked feeling of not being able to breathe enough air. 

Breathing expert, Patrick McKeown of Oxygen Advantage, suggests a simple breathing exercise to calm brain and get the proper blood gases in balance so the oxygen can get into the cells for energy and into the deep portions of lungs.

Gases that are produced by Nasal Breath Holds:

1. Nitrous oxide

2.  Carbon dioxide  

We need these gases to get oxygen into cells, into the lungs

We don't need more oxygen, 

we need the complimentary gases   

Check out this video for a great breathing exercise to help deal with breathlessness or short of breath: 

Breathe regular for 10 seconds.

Exhale.  Pinch nose for 5 seconds.

Inhale through nose.  

Breathe regularly for 10 seconds.

Exhale.  Pinch nose 5  seconds

Repeat for 2 and one-half minutes.  

PS....if you cannot hold breath for 5 seconds, hold until you feel discomfort and want to breathe.  Just practice pinching nose and holding breath then breathe regularly by breathing in nose first. 

Respiration Training Drill: How to Belly Breathe

The diaphragm is your 'breathing' muscle.  It's a large, dome-shaped muscle that attaches to all the hot spots of the "core".

Just like any other muscle in the body, the diaphragm needs to be stretched.  It needs to be exercised.  Learning how to breathe to work the diaphragm is a challenge.  I"m not going to lie, it's the exact opposite of how you've been doing it.

Breathe in, expand your belly.  Exhale, tighten the belly.  Breathe into Buddha belly.  Exhale into slim, tight contraction.

Being able to control your breathing pattern is life saving.  Breathing competence is essential so you're not constantly gasping for breath or mouth breathing.

Unfortunately we are shallow breathers.  We are mouth breathers.  As a result, we over-oxygenate our brain and body.  That can't be possible you think, oxygen is good so more is better. WRONG.

Your brain needs oxygen for fuel but it also needs glucose.  We all know that too much glucose is bad; your cells are not able to respond to excessive amounts of sugar and therefore the sugar can not get into the cell.

It's the same with oxygen; too much in the blood reduces the cells ability to take oxygen into the cell for use.  100% blood oxygen is NOT GOOD because there is a natural blood gas balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide.

The brainstem, specifically the medulla, is the respiration center because it is responsible for blood gas balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide.  Too much oxygen and we don't breathe correctly.

I offer respiration training in private sessions.  If you have asthma, COPD, or don't feel like you ever get enough oxygen, book a session with me.

Follow along with me in this simple belly breathing exercise: