Chest (Thoracic) Breathing: Effects, Tests and Solutions

Chest (or thoracic) breathing is very common in modern people. More than 50% of adults have predominantly chest breathing at rest. It is even more common for people with chronic diseases, who breathe too deeply at rest, as this Table shows.
Minute ventilation rates (chronic diseases)
| Condition | Minute ventilation |
Number of people |
All
references or click below for abstracts |
| Normal breathing | 6 L/min | - | Medical textbooks |
| Healthy Subjects | 6-7 L/min | >400 | Results of 14 studies |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) L/min | 22 | Dimopoulou et al, 2001 |
| Heart disease | 16 (±2) L/min | 11 | Johnson et al, 2000 |
| Heart disease | 12 (±3) L/min | 132 | Fanfulla et al, 1998 |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) L/min | 55 | Clark et al, 1997 |
| Heart disease | 13 (±4) L/min | 15 | Banning et al, 1995 |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) L/min | 88 | Clark et al, 1995 |
| Heart disease | 14 (±2) L/min | 30 | Buller et al, 1990 |
| Heart disease | 16 (±6) L/min | 20 | Elborn et al, 1990 |
| Pulm hypertension | 12 (±2) L/min | 11 | D'Alonzo et al, 1987 |
| Cancer | 12 (±2) L/min | 40 | Travers et al, 2008 |
| Diabetes | 12-17 L/min | 26 | Bottini et al, 2003 |
| Diabetes | 15 (±2) L/min | 45 | Tantucci et al, 2001 |
| Diabetes | 12 (±2) L/min | 8 | Mancini et al, 1999 |
| Diabetes | 10-20 L/min | 28 | Tantucci et al, 1997 |
| Diabetes | 13 (±2) L/min | 20 | Tantucci et al, 1996 |
| Asthma | 13 (±2) L/min | 16 | Chalupa et al, 2004 |
| Asthma | 15 L/min | 8 | Johnson et al, 1995 |
| Asthma | 14 (±6) L/min | 39 | Bowler et al, 1998 |
| Asthma | 13 (±4) L/min | 17 | Kassabian et al, 1982 |
| Asthma | 12 L/min | 101 | McFadden & Lyons, 1968 |
| COPD | 14 (±2) L/min | 12 | Palange et al, 2001 |
| COPD | 12 (±2) L/min | 10 | Sinderby et al, 2001 |
| COPD | 14 L/min | 3 | Stulbarg et al, 2001 |
| Sleep apnea | 15 (±3) L/min | 20 | Radwan et al, 2001 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 11-18 L/min | 24 | Epstein et al, 1998 |
| Hyperthyroidism | 15 (±1) L/min | 42 | Kahaly, 1998 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 15 L/min | 15 | Fauroux et al, 2006 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 10 L/min | 11 | Browning et al, 1990 |
| Cystic fibrosis* | 10 L/min | 10 | Ward et al, 1999 |
| CF and diabetes* | 10 L/min | 7 | Ward et al, 1999 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 16 L/min | 7 | Dodd et al, 2006 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 18 L/min | 9 | McKone et al, 2005 |
| Cystic fibrosis* | 13 (±2) L/min | 10 | Bell et al, 1996 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 11-14 L/min | 6 | Tepper et al, 1983 |
| Epilepsy | 13 L/min | 12 | Esquivel et al, 1991 |
| CHV | 13 (±2) L/min | 134 | Han et al, 1997 |
| Panic disorder | 12 (±5) L/min | 12 | Pain et al, 1991 |
| Bipolar disorder | 11 (±2) L/min | 16 | MacKinnon et al, 2007 |
| Dystrophia myotonica | 16 (±4) L/min | 12 | Clague et al, 1994 |
More than 90% of sick people have upper chest breathing with increased minute ventilation, respiratory rates, and minute volume (i.e., automatic deep breathing at rest or taking too much air per one breath). Chest breathing causes three fundamental health effects that promote chronic diseases and lead to low body oxygen levels.
Chest breathing reduces blood oxygenation
The textbook, Respiratory Physiology (West, 2000), suggests that the lower 10% of the lungs transports more than 40 ml of oxygen per minute, while the upper 10% of the lungs transports less than 6 ml of oxygen per minute. Hence, the lower parts of the lungs are about 6-7 times more effective in oxygen transport than the top of the lungs due to richer blood supply mostly caused by gravity.
During thoracic breathing, lower layers of the lungs, which are most valuable in oxygen
transport, get much less, if any, fresh air (less oxygen supply). This causes reduced
oxygenation of arterial blood in the lungs and can lead to so called
"ventilation-perfusion" mismatch (as in COPD or emphysema). Normal breathing is diaphragmatic,
allowing homogeneous inflation of both lungs with fresh
air, similar to
what happens in the cylinder of a car engine due to the movement of the
piston. Hence, during diaphragmatic breathing, all alveoli are
homogeneously stretched vertically and get fresh air supply with higher
O2 concentration for superior arterial blood oxygenation. In contrast, chest
breathing creates problems with blood oxygenation. This leads to
reduced cell oxygenation: the driving force of all chronic diseases.
Chest breathing causes lymphatic stagnation
Dr. Shields, in his study, "Lymph, lymph glands, and homeostasis" (Shields, 1992) reported that diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the cleansing work of the lymph system by creating a negative pressure pulling the lymph through the lymph system. This increases the rate of elimination of toxins from visceral organs by about 15 times. Why is this so?
The lymph system,
unlike the cardiovascular system with the heart, has no
pump. Lymph nodes are located in parts of the human
body that get naturally compressed (squeezing) due to movements of body parts.
for example, lymph nodes are located around the
neck, above arm pits and groin area. Hence, when we move, stretch or turn the
head, arms and legs, these lymph nodes get mechanical stimulation to push the
lymph through valves.
This is how the
lymphatic system works. However, the lymph nodes connected to the
stomach, kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, large and small colons, and
other vital organs are located just under the diaphragm - over 60% of all lymph
nodes in total!
Hence, nature expects us to use the diaphragm in order to remove
waste products from these vital organs all the time - literally with
each breath, 24/7. Hence, another problem with thoracic or chest breathing is stagnation
in the lymph system and accumulation of waste products in
vital organs located under the diaphragm. (This effect is also mentioned in
other sources, for example,
http://www.amsa.org/healingthehealer/breathing.cfm ).
Thoracic breathing means hyperventilation and low oxygen levels in cells
People who are chest breathers virtually always have deep breathing (large breaths) at rest or sleep and suffer from hyperventilation (breathing more than the norm). When we breathe more air, we get less oxygen in body cells. In fact, the slower your automatic breathing pattern at rest (down to only 3 breaths/min), the larger the amount of oxygen delivered to cells.
Keep in mind that, while healthy normal breathing is abdominal or diaphragmatic. It is very small in amount (only 500 ml of air per one breath at rest) so that healthy people usually do not feel their breath.

Find your type of breathing at rest
Do you breathe using the diaphragm or chest at rest? Check yourself.
Easy test. Put one hand on your abdomen (or stomach) and another one higher, on your upper chest (see the picture on the right). Relax completely so that your breathing dynamic has little changes. Pay attention to your breathing for about 20-30 seconds with both hands in place. (You want to know more about your usual unconscious breathing and find out if you have chest or abdominal breathing.) Take 2-3 very slow and deep breaths to feel your breathing dynamics in more detail.
Now you know more about your usual breathing pattern. In order to be certain, you can ask other people to observe how you breathe when you are not aware of your breathing (e.g., during sleep, while reading, studying, etc.).
Learn how to stop chest breathing
Module 8 (Learning Section). How to Learn and Develop Diaphragmatic Breathing 24/7 with 3 breathing exercises, instructions, techniques, and long term solutions to thoracic breathing problems.
This video clip (Diaphragmatic Breathing vs. Chest Breathing in Modern People) explains why modern people are chest breathers:
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?
References
Castro M. Control of breathing. In: Physiology, Berne RM, Levy MN (editors), 4-th edition, Mosby, St. Louis, 1998.
Ganong WF, Review of medical physiology, 15-th ed., 1995, Prentice Hall Int., London.
Shields JW, MD, Lymph, lymph glands, and homeostasis, Lymphology, Dec. 1992, 25, 4: 147.
West JB. Respiratory physiology: the essentials. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins; 2000.
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