here are two main aspects to the way we breathe: breathing rate and tidal volume. Breathing rate relates to the number of breaths taken in one minute, and tidal volume relates to the amount of air taken with each breath. The volume of air we inhale is measured in liters, and measurements are usually taken over one minute.
A healthy breathing rate is 10 to 12 breaths per minute, with each breath drawing in a volume of 500 milliliters. In a full minute, this provides the body with a total volume of 5 to 6 liters.1 A normal breathing pattern should be quiet, still, calm, relaxed, regular, through the nose and driven by the diaphragm.
If you listen to the breathing of someone who snores or has sleep apnea, without a doubt you will find it to be noticeable, relatively fast and noisy. People who suffer with snoring and sleep apnea breathe in more air than average, and commonly take 15 to 20 breaths per minute, with each breath taking in more than the normal 500ml of air. Assuming that each breath is approximately 700ml, the average breathing volume for a person who snores or has sleep apnea is 10 to 15 liters of air per minute. To use food intake as a comparison, this is akin to eating 6 to 9 meals each day!
A normal breathing volume of 5 to 6 liters of air per minute ensures that the blood is almost fully saturated with oxygen. Habitually breathing a volume of air greater than normal – a condition that is clinically described as ‘chronic hyperventilating’ – does not add any more oxygen to the blood, however. It is like pouring more water into a glass that is already filled to the brim – unnecessary and excessive. Instead, the bad habit of breathing too much every minute, every hour, and every day causes a detrimental reduction of carbon dioxide in the lungs and blood.
Contrary to popular assumption, carbon dioxide is not just a waste gas. In fact, it performs a number of vital functions in the human body, including o ffloading oxygen from red blood cells to tissues and organs, including the heart and brain. For oxygen to be released from the red blood cells, carbon dioxide must be present. Over-breathing causes too much carbon dioxide to be removed from the blood through the lungs, resulting in less oxygen being delivered to tissues and organs. The relationship between carbon dioxide and blood oxygenation was discovered in 1904 by Danish physiologist Christian Bohr and is known as the Bohr Effect. Carbon dioxide also plays a vital role in relaxing the smooth muscle that is embedded in the airways and blood vessels, facilitating improved breathing and blood circulation. For more on the role of carbon dioxide, see link .
Practicing the breathing exercises in this book increases carbon dioxide in the blood, which in turn improves blood flow and the delivery of oxygen to tissues and organs. Therefore, in addition to helping with sleep-disordered breathing, the exercises are very effective for improving blood circulation and can have a positive impact on overall health.
People who sleep with an open mouth breathe large volumes of air into their body all night long. Breathing through the mouth causes narrowing of airway space,2 and also reduces blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain, which often contributes to a feeling of exhaustion during the day, and difficulty in getting up in the morning.