You're Too Good to Feel This Bad: An Orthodox Approach to Living an Unorthodox Life

by Nate Dallas

When we are exercising, the urge to breathe more kicks in too. This is natural. However, we now understand that we have a plentiful supply of oxygen, and it replenishes faster than we can consume it. So why is the overwhelming urge to breathe more present? It’s not starvation for oxygen. Our brain is not in a panic, responding to dropping oxygen levels. The urge to breathe is more of a reaction to a low tolerance for rising CO2. When muscles are being used, they heat up and produce more carbon dioxide. When CO2 levels rise, our brain signals us to breathe more because it is sensitive to the CO2 levels. This increase in breathing drives off more of the rising CO2. But remember: we need some of that CO2 to stay there so that, when the oxygen comes by, it can be traded and used in the now taxed tissues. The best time to deliver more oxygen is just after our muscles get worked, stressed, and tired out. During exercise, our heart pumps more blood to move more RBCs faster. If there is enough CO2 left in the system, the oxygen can be effectively used and consumed. The way to keep the gases in a more optimal balance and to train our brains to be less sensitive to the rising CO2 is to learn to maintain the superior breathing techniques at all times.