Effects and Causes of Stress/Anxiety: Low Brain O2 and CO2

Man with effects of stress on health

Stress and anxiety can cause chest pain (heart attacks), strokes, epilepsy seizures, acute exacerbations of asthma, a miscarriage, and many other serious long-term health problems, such as grey hair, acne, weight gain and weight loss, nausea, and cancer. What is the mechanism?

Dr. Magarian wrote one of the large hyperventilation reviews, published in the journal Medicine (Magarian, 1982), choosing the following title for his paper Hyperventilation syndromes: infrequently recognized common expression of anxiety and stress that indicates the central physiological causes of hyperventilation in modern people, while medical evidence suggests that over 90% of modern people are hyperventilators (see links below).

A more recent study Fear-relevant images as conditioned stimuli for somatic complaints, respiratory behavior, and reduced end-tidal pCO2 (Stegen et al., 1999) discusses psychological and physiological effects providing numerous references in this area.

An early paper Some physical phenomena associated with the anxiety states and their relation to hyperventilation (Kerr et al, 1937) included a chart showing physiological changes and effects caused by these stress states. Hyperventilation is the central factor causing many physiological effects of stress on health.

Professor Lum in his review The syndrome of habitual chronic hyperventilation, in: Modern trends in psychosomatic medicine wrote, "Most authors, with the exception of Rice (1950), have described the clinical presentation of hyperventilation as a manifestation of, and secondary to, an underlying anxiety state" (p.197, Lum 1976).

Authors of the article "Emotions and respiratory patterns: review and critical analysis" (Boiten et al, 1994) suggested, that "...normo-ventilatory responses (which are identified by stable end-tidal CO2 levels that remain within the normal range) seem to be characteristic for behavioral conditions that may either involve withdrawal from the environment, relaxation or active coping... Thus, hyperventilation appears to signify an unsuccessful outcome of the coping process" (p.121). In fact, main physiological effects of stress on health are based on CO2 deficiency (see conclusions below).

Dozens, if not hundreds, of professional physiological and medical studies suggest that hyperventilation is the central effect of stress and anxiety, while presence of hyperventilation is the key cause of stress. For specific secondary physiological effects of stress and related medical research, see CO2 links below.

Hence, in order to get rid of the effects and causes of stress and stress (including a miscarriage, chest pain, acne, grey hair, weight gain and weight loss, nausea, and cancer), breathing normalization is a possible solution.

References: CO2 Effects Web Pages
Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
The Bohr effect How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
Cell Oxygen Levels and oxygen transport are controlled by alveolar CO2 and breathing
Oxygen Transport depends on breathing and these two effects (Vasoconstriction-Vasodilation and the Bohr effect) are parts of two diagrams that summarize influences of hypocapnia (low CO2 content in the blood and cells) on circulation and O2 delivery
Free Radical Generation takes place due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia. Hence, antioxidant defenses of the human body are also regulated by CO2 and breathing
Inflammatory Response is controlled by breathing since hypoxia leads to or intensifies chronic inflammation through over-expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces these processes
Nerve stabilization takes place due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
Muscle relaxation or relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
Brochodilation - dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) by carbon dioxide, and their constriction due to hypocapnia
CO2: Best Natural Cough Suppressant and "home remedy" since it calms urge-to-cough nerve receptors located in the tracheobronchial tree and larynx
Blood pH regulation and regulation of other bodily fluids
CO2: Lung Damage Healer: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
CO2: Skin and Tissue Healer
Synthesis of Glutamine in the Brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
CO2 myth "CO2 is a toxic waste gas" myth
Breathing control How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven and erratic?

Reference Web Pages: Breathing norms, Medical Graphs and Tables about Breathing Rates (Minute Ventilation) and Body Oxygen in Healthy, Normal and Sick People
Breathing norms Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
6 breathing myths 6 myths about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
Hyperventilation Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
Hyperventilation Syndrome in the Sick. Table 1. Western scientific evidence about prevalence of CHV (chronic hyperventilation) in patients with various chronic conditions (34 medical studies)
Normal Minute Ventilation in Healthy Subjects: Easy and Light Breathing (14 Studies)
Hyperventilation Prevalence Present in Over 90% of Normal People (24 medical publications)
HV and hypoxia How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
Body oxygen test How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (a simple DIY test)
Body oxygen in healthy Table 4. CP (body oxygen level) in healthy people (27 medical studies)
Body oxygen in sick Table 5. CP (body oxygen level) in sick people (14 medical studies)
Buteyko Table of Health Zones with clinical description of most common zones
Morning HV Morning hyperventilation effect or how and why critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

References
Biotin FA, Brigade NH, Witnesses CJE, Emotions and respiratory patterns: review and critical analysis, Intern J of Psychophysiol 1994, 17: 107-128.

Lum LC, The syndrome of habitual chronic hyperventilation, in: Modern trends in psychosomatic medicine, ed. by O. W. Hill, 1976, London, Butterworths: p.196-230.

Kerr WJ, Dalton JW, Gliebe P, Some physical phenomena associated with the anxiety states and their relation to hyperventilation, Annals of Intern Med 1937, 11: 961-992.

Magarian GJ, Hyperventilation syndrome: infrequently recognized common expressions of anxiety and stress, Medicine 1982; 61: 219-236.

Stegen K, De Bruyne K, Rasschaert W, Van de Woestijine KP, Van den Bergh O, Fear-relevant images as conditioned stimuli for somatic complaints, respiratory behavior, and reduced end-tidal pCO2, J of Abnorm Psychol 1999, 108 (1): 143-152.

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* Illustrations by Victor Lunn-Rockliffe