Diseases and symptoms
Breathing and feeling of energy
Large CPs also mean that all tissues, including the muscles, have normal and sufficient amounts of oxygen and the body is full of energy. Indeed, a person with an over 60 s CP can walk up 2-3 flight of stairs while holding his/her breath and can resume light nasal breathing at the top. It is difficult to imagine that physical activity is hard for him/her.
Normal breathing means enjoyment of physical activity. It is not a problem for a person with over 60 s CP to be physically active for 8, 10 or 12 hours. Activities can include walking, gardening, or doing various jobs around the house every day without feeling tired. Such a person would be happy and willing to do some physical activity or job at any time of day.
When we have 15-25 s CP frequent or constant complaints about feeling tired and lack of energy are normal. The brain, due to abnormal excitement, can get “creative” and it can easily invent “reasons” and “theories” why certain errands or jobs are undesirable or not possible. Coffee, chocolate, and sugar are among the substances frequently used to boost energy levels. Without such stimulants, it can be hard and stressful to force oneself to do work.
Are there any medical studies? A group of British doctors from the Department of Cardiology in Charing Cross Hospital, London tested 100 consecutive patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, according to their article in the Journal of Royal Society of Medicine (Rosen et al, 1990). Ninety-three patients had chronic hyperventilation. If the doctors had used a stricter definition of hyperventilation (less than 40 mm Hg CO2 in blood), probably all 100 people would have been diagnosed with chronic hyperventilation.
When the CP is critically low (e.g., less than 10 s), chronic fatigue is a typical experience for most people. Hospitalized and severely sick patients usually have low CPs. They have very little, if any, desire to exercise (even lightly) or walk. Indeed, physical effort could cause acute episodes and severe problems with their health.
Healthy people can also temporarily have very low CPs when they, for example, are severely sick with influenza, infection or fever. So, many healthy people can also experience chronic fatigue due to hyperventilation.
However, when their CPs are low, not all people are going to complain that they are tired. Some individuals can be mentally excited and physically active, while others, especially children, may be restless and hyperactive (e.g., with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). That happens because of our individual responses to deep breathing.
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