Breath Holding Time Results for Sick People: Low Body Oxygen

Medical and physiological research articles about BHT (breath holding time test done after usual exhalation and only until initial discomfort) or CP (Control Pause or Buteyko Control Pause), or body oxygen level, or body oxygen index) in sick people.

On the graph below, the numbers of patients are provided in brackets. For example, "Hypertension (95)" means that 95 hypertension patients were studied. Body oxygen level (breath holding time) for all groups of sick people was measured in seconds.

Control Pause (oxygenation indes or stress-free breath hoolding time) in sick people - 9 medical studies

Condition	Number of subjects	Body Oxygen or Control Pause, s	Reference
Hypertension	95	12 s	Ayman et al, 1939
Neurocirculatory asthenia	54	16 s	Friedman, 1945
Anxiety states	62	20 s	Mirsky et al, 1946
Class 1 heart patients	16	16 s	Kohn & Cutcher, 1970
Class 2-3 heart patients	53	13 s	Kohn & Cutcher, 1970
Pulmonary emphysema	3	8 s	Kohn & Cutcher, 1970
Functional heart disease	13	5 s	Kohn & Cutcher, 1970
Asymptomatic asthmatics	7	20 s	Davidson et al, 1974
Asthmatics with symptoms	13	11 s	Perez-Padilla et al, 1989
Panic attack	14	11 s	Zandbergen et al, 1992
Anxiety disorders	14	16 s	Zandbergen et al, 1992
Outpatients	25	17 s	Gay et al, 1994
Inpatients	25	10 s	Gay et al, 1994
COPD and congenital heart failure	7	8 s	Gay et al, 1994
12 heavy smokers	12	8 s	Gay et al, 1994
Panic disorder	23	16 s	Asmudson & Stein, 1994
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome	30	20 s	Taskar et al, 1995
Successful lung transplantation	9	23 s	Flume et al, 1996
Successful heart transplantation	8	28 s	Flume et al, 1996
Outpatients with COPD	87	8 s	Marks et al, 1997
Asthma	55	14 s	Nannini et al, 2007

Landscape with lake and forest Again as before, breath holding can be done in different conditions (e.g., after normal inhalation, or exhalation, or taking a very deep inhalation, or a complete exhalation, until first stress or as long as possible). However, in order to find body oxygen levels in these sick people, it is logical to use normal conditions: usual exhalation (or at functional residual capacity = volume of air in the lungs at normal expiration) and stress-free version of the test (no pushing the patient for better numbers and no gasping after the test). If you are interested in these details, visit Body Oxygen Complete Table for Sick People and see how these different tests were standardized.

These Control Pause values or body oxygen levels for the sick people can be compared with Normal Breath Holding Time - Control Pause in Healthy People.

Doctors Doctor Buteyko and his MDs tested thousands of patients and found that the following relationships, in general, hold true in relation to body oxygen levels:
1-10 s - severely sick, terminally and critically ill patients, usually hospitalized.
10-20 s - sick patients with numerous symptoms, complaints and, often, on daily medication.
20-40 s - people with poor health (no major symptoms), often without serious organic problems.
40-60 s - good or normal health.
Over 60 s - ideal health, when many chronic diseases are virtually impossible.

My own practical experience with hundreds of Buteyko students, who were previously sick or very sick, and other people completely agrees with these findings.

Conclusion: Sick people have low body oxygen levels and shorter breath holding time results due to heavy breathing (see the Homepage for modern average breathing rates).

References for Table 5 (CP in Sick People)

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: 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?

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