The Breathing Paradox: Why Less Is More
The real magic happens deep in your cells. When we talk about breathing, we almost always think about what's going on in the nose and lungs. But true magic does not take place in the lungs, but in each of the cells, especially in small structures called mitochondria. The mitochondria are like the power plants in your body: that's where the energy, the combustion is produced. The oxygen enters the body through the airways and its point of arrival is each of the mitochondrias in all the cells of the body. There's something interesting you might not know: there are actually two types of breathing.
Two breaths: external and internal
External breathing:
It's the one we all know and do automatically about 12 to 17 times a minute. It consists of bringing oxygen-rich air (O₂) from the outside into the lungs and expelling carbon dioxide-rich air (CO₂) into the atmosphere.
A double gas exchange occurs within the lungs. Blood arriving charged with CO₂ releases it so it can be exhaled, while oxygen from inhaled air passes into the blood by binding to hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that acts as an O₂ transporter. This oxygenated blood travels throughout the body to deliver oxygen to the cells.
Internal breathing:
This breathing occurs inside the body, at the cellular level, specifically in the mitochondria. When oxygen arrives from the blood to the cells, the energy production process—known as cellular metabolism—comes into play. There, oxygen is used to transform nutrients into ATP (the energy used by your muscles, your brain, everything). As a byproduct of that reaction, CO₂ is generated, which returns to the blood to be carried back to the lungs and eliminated via exhalation.
The CO is not just a waste
To understand the paradox, first we have to clarify something. CO₂ is not simply waste: it has many roles in internal regulation. Depending on CO₂ levels in the blood, the dynamics of some internal processes are modified.
The two most relevant functions to understand are:
- CO₂ is a vasodilator, i.e., increases the diameter of veins and arteries, which improves circulation and reduces blood pressure.
- CO₂ conditions the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen. This is known as the Bohr effect.
It turns out that for oxygen to be able to pass from your blood into the cells, it needs a “push” from CO₂. Yes, as crazy as it sounds. The more CO₂ there is in your blood, the easier it is for hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen) to release that oxygen so it can enter the cells.
Think of it like this: hemoglobin is like a taxi carrying oxygen. When it notices there is more CO₂, it understands that the cell is working hard and needs more oxygen, so it releases it more easily. Instead, when you breathe too fast or shallowly, you eliminate too much CO₂, and that taxi stays clinging to the oxygen and won't let it out. Result: your body oxygenates worse, even though you're breathing faster.
The Bohr Effect: Efficient Oxygen Delivery
1. The Load in the Lungs
When you breathe, your lungs are filled with oxygen. The blood passing through there contains an essential protein called hemoglobinwhose only mission is to catch and transport that oxygen. In the oxygen-rich environment of the lungs, hemoglobin has a very high affinity, like a magnet, and is charged to the maximum oxygen.
2. The Signal of Cellular Work
Your cells (in muscles, organs, brain) are constantly working. To do so, they burn "fuel" (like glucose) and in that process they generate a by-product: carbon dioxide (CO₂). Por lo tanto, una zona del cuerpo con alta concentración de CO₂ es una zona que está trabajando mucho y que, lógicamente, necesita más oxígeno.
3. The Intelligent Delivery
Here the magic happens. The CO₂ released by your cells mixes with the water in the blood and turns it slightly more acidic. A la hemoglobina no le gusta la acidez; le hace cambiar su forma. Este cambio de forma debilita su “agarre” sobre el oxígeno, forzándola a soltarlo justo en esa zona ácida y necesitada. Es un sistema perfecto: el desecho (CO₂) provoca la entrega del recurso (oxígeno).
Configuration “R” in Lungs
In the context of pulmonary alveoliwhere the partial oxygen pressure (pO) is high and pH is slightly alkaline (close to 7.4), hemoglobin (Hb) adopts its "Relaxed" configuration (state R). Esta conformación estructural es crítica, ya que la Hb en estado R posee una intrinsic and very high affinity for the O₂ molecule, ensuring almost complete saturation and the formation of oxyhemoglobin (HbO). La proteína increases your binding capacity to O₂ by a determining factor for saturation.
Acidification in Tissues
In tissues with high metabolic activity, the carbon dioxide (CO₂) of tissue metabolism is a constant by-product. Within erythrocytethe CO is catalyzed by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, forming carbonic acid (H). Este H₂CO₃ se disocia casi instantáneamente en un proton (H⁺) and bicarbonate (HCO). This local and measured increase in the concentration of H protons is the key factor that pH decreases of the microenvironment, indicating the metabolic urgency.
"T" and Liberation Settings
The response to that acid signal is direct: H protons to specific amino acid residues of hemoglobin (Hb), stabilizing the "Tense" configuration (T state). Este alosteric change, directly induced by pH variation, is what significantly reduces the affinity of Hb for O₂. This conformational change drastically reduces the covalent link with the O, facilitating their dissociation.
So, what's the paradox?
More CO = Better oxygenation. If we breathe slower or fewer times per minute, blood CO₂ increases, which helps oxygen release more easily.
Breathe too fast (hyperventilation) = Less oxygen is available. If we exhale too much CO₂, hemoglobin clings more to oxygen and tissues receive less, which can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and lower physical performance.
What does this have to do with me?
Many people believe that the more oxygen we inhale, the better. But if we breathe too fast and shallowly (something many of us do without realizing it, especially under stress or when mouth breathing), we end up losing CO₂ and hindering body oxygenation.
This imbalance can generate symptoms such as:
- Lack of energy.
- Feeling drinking or anxiety.
- Concentration problems.
- Muscle fatigue.
Basically, your body feels like it's short of air, even if technically you're breathing faster.
This tendency to breathe in excess, or to have chronic hyperventilating in a mild way, is surprisingly common in modern life. Factors such as chronic stress, a processed diet, lack of exercise, or even the simple habit of breathing through the mouth rather than the nose, can decalibrate our respiratory center in the brain, making us believe that we need more air than we really need. The key is to re-learn how to breathe more efficiently, allowing CO to do its job and facilitate the use of oxygen.
Learn to tolerate CO₂
How can I improve my CO tolerance?
CO-tolerance is the body's ability to handle higher levels of this gas without feeling the urgency of breathing. People with low CO-tolerance often run out of fast air, leading them to breathe fast and inefficient. On the other hand, those who have greater tolerance can keep calm in demanding situations and make better use of the oxygen available.
Benefits of greater CO tolerance
- Better physical performance: The muscles receive more oxygen, which gives you more resistance and energy in exercise. That's why athletes train their breath.
- Increased respiratory efficiency: You will breathe less times per minute, which reduces the wear on the respiratory system and saves energy.
- Less stress and anxiety: The slower and more controlled breathing helps regulate the nervous system and keep calm under pressure.
Practical exercise: Respiratory standards
- Inhale. gently through the nose.
- Exhale. naturally by the nose.
- Pause. at the end of the exhalation and counts mentally between 2 and 5 seconds.
- Inhale. back through the nose and take a normal breath for 10-15 s.
- I repeated. the process for 2 to 3 minutes.
It is based on the principles developed by the Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. It is a simple way to improve tolerance for CO.
Conclusion: Breathing Better to Live Better
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