What causes the feeling of breathlessness? The common sense answer would be oxygen!

But this is, in fact, incorrect. It’s the increase in CO2 (carbon dioxide) in our blood that triggers our peripheral chemoreceptors to signal our brain (the medulla oblongata specifically) to increase respiratory drive.

The result is a rapid increase in respiratory frequency to expel the excess gas. However, research suggests that our modern lifestyle has caused a hypersensitivity to CO2, causing mild hyperventilation.

You might think that less CO2 is better, and yet this “waste gas” of cellular respiration is responsible for the transfer of oxygen from the blood to the tissues via the Bohr effect.

Training our bodies and minds to adapt to permissive hypercapnia will ensure the optimal oxygenation of our cells.

At the same time, through this exercise, you’ll learn to tolerate the sensation of air hunger that naturally arises during sympathetic-dominant states, helping you build the quality of equanimity and forging a more robust nervous system.

Here’s the research on the topic:

1. Physiology, Bohr Effect
2. Effect of breathing exercises on oxidative stress biomarkers in humans
3. For the pursuit of oxygen and carbon dioxide channels in mitochondria
4. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal

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