Homepage: Norms, rates, CP and body oxygenation
Hyperventilation and cellular hypoxia
Over 95% people believe that a deep and big breathing pattern provides better oxygenation of vital organs. However, scientific evidence (hundreds of studies) tells the opposite: the more we breathe, the less oxygen our cells get. There is no a single study, or physiologist, or doctor who has proven or shown that a deep or big breathing pattern increases tissue oxygenation or is good for health.
Therefore, I emphasize the fact or law established long ago: the less the depth of breathing, the more oxygen is delivered in the organism, and vice versa, the deeper the breath, the less oxygen is delivered in the organism." Dr. K. P. Buteyko, "Dr. Buteyko lecture in the Moscow State University on 9 December 1969"
You can test these ideas practically. If you or anybody else takes 100 deep and fast breaths, you can pass out (or faint) due to ... lack of oxygen in the brain. Why? This picture shows brain oxygenation for normal breathing and after one minute of hyperventilation
Image. Vasoconstrictive Effects due to Overbreathing.
Reduction of O2 Availability by 40 Percent
(Red =
most O2, dark blue = least O2)
In this image, oxygen availability in the brain is reduced by 40% as a result of about a minute of overbreathing (hyperventilation). Not only is oxygen availability reduced, but glucose critical to brain functioning is also markedly reduced as a result of cerebral vasoconstriction.
Cerebral vasoconstriction is a linear effect. Above-mentioned sick people have, in average, about 20% less oxygen in the brain 24/7. Their oxygenation will be in between these two images.
Not only the brain, all other vital organs get less oxygen in conditions of chronic hyperventilation.
Apart from constriction of blood vessels, there is another equally powerful CO2-effect that reduces tissue oxygenation: the Bohr effect (or Bohr law) that will be considered later (Properties of CO2 section). The Bohr law tells us that CO2 deficiency in tissues leads to increased affinity between red blood cells and oxygen. Hence, when we breathe more, less O2 is released in tissues by red blood cells.