- Updated on December 9, 2021
By Dr. Artour Rakhimov, Alternative Health Educator and Author
What is the norm of breathing? How many liters of air per minute should we breathe while sitting at rest? The physiological norm of minute ventilation can be found in many physiological and medical textbooks. It is about 6 liters per minute (Guyton, 1984; Ganong, 1995). So, let us keep in mind this important number: 6 liters of air per minute. Table 1.1 summarizes information about minute ventilation at rest in different diseased states.
*One row corresponds to one medical study/publication
| Condition | Minute
ventilation |
N. of
patients |
Prevalence of CHV | Reference |
| Normal breathing | 6 l/min | – | 0 % | Medical textbooks |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) l/min | 22 | 100% | Dimopoulou et al, 2001 |
| Heart disease | 16 (±2) l/min | 11 | 100% | Johnson et al, 2000 |
| Heart disease | 12 (±3) l/min | 132 | 100% | Fanfulla et al, 1998 |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) l/min | 55 | 100% | Clark et al, 1997 |
| Heart disease | 13 (±4) l/min | 15 | 100% | Banning et al, 1995 |
| Heart disease | 15 (±4) l/min | 88 | 100% | Clark et al, 1995 |
| Heart disease | 14 (±2) l/min | 30 | 100% | Buller et al, 1990 |
| Heart disease | 16 (±6) l/min | 20 | 100% | Elborn et al, 1990 |
| Pulm hypertension | 12 (±2) l/min | 11 | 100% | D’Alonzo et al, 1987 |
| Cancer | 12 (±2) l/min | 40 | 100% | Travers et al, 2008 |
| Diabetes | 12-17 l/min | 26 | 100% | Bottini et al, 2003 |
| Diabetes | 15 (±2) l/min | 45 | 100% | Tantucci et al, 2001 |
| Diabetes | 12 (±2) l/min | 8 | 100% | Mancini et al, 1999 |
| Diabetes | 10-20 l/min | 28 | 100% | Tantucci et al, 1997 |
| Diabetes | 13 (±2) l/min | 20 | 100% | Tantucci et al, 1996 |
| Asthma | 13 (±2) l/min | 16 | 100% | Chalupa et al, 2004 |
| Asthma | 15 l/min | 8 | 100% | Johnson et al, 1995 |
| Asthma | 14 (±6) l/min | 39 | 100% | Bowler et al, 1998 |
| Asthma | 13 (±4) l/min | 17 | 100% | Kassabian et al, 1982 |
| Asthma | 12 l/min | 101 | 100% | McFadden et al, 1968 |
| COPD | 14 (±2) l/min | 12 | 100% | Palange et al, 2001 |
| COPD | 12 (±2) l/min | 10 | 100% | Sinderby et al, 2001 |
| COPD | 14 l/min | 3 | 100% | Stulbarg et al, 2001 |
| Sleep apnoea | 15 (±3) l/min | 20 | 100% | Radwan et al, 2001 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 11-18 l/min | 24 | 100% | Epstein et al, 1998 |
| Hyperthyroidism | 15 (±1) l/min | 42 | 100% | Kahaly, 1998 |
| Cystic fibrosis* | 13 (±2) l/min | 10 | 100% | Bell et al, 1996 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 11-14 l/min | 6 | 100% | Tepper et al, 1983 |
| Epilepsy | 13 l/min | 12 | 100% | Esquivel et al, 1991 |
| CHV | 13 (±2) l/min | 134 | 100% | Han et al, 1997 |
| Panic disorder | 12 (±5) l/min | 12 | 100% | Pain et al, 1991 |
| Bipolar disorder | 11 (±2) l/min | 16 | 100% | MacKinnon et al, 2007 |
| Dystrophia myotonica | 16 (±4) l/min | 12 | 100% | Clague et al, 1994 |
Table 1.1 Minute ventilation of patients with different health problems.
Table 1.1 comments:
- 1. There are many dozens of other medical investigations into minute ventilation of patients with chronic heart failure, which show similar results to those listed above. (The reason for this is the commonness of this health problem among people and the popularity of the stress-exercise test for heart patients among respiration researchers). Here I have quoted only the results of some typical recent studies.
- 2. “COPD” means chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- 3. Sometimes, measurement of ventilation produces results, which are smaller than in real conditions. This can happen when the test interferes with the normal breathing pattern, such as when the experiment involves the use of facial masks. Since it is harder to breathe through them, these masks reduce minute ventilation. Breathing through a mouthpiece also leads to breathing less air than in reality. Another effect is connected with bodyweight: people of a lighter weight need less air, as they normally have lower metabolic rates. All these effects should be taken into account when analyzing experimental results. For example, in the quoted study (Bell et al, 1996) patients with cystic fibrosis had minute ventilation of 10.4+-1.4 l/min. Not only were they wearing masks during measurement, but also the average weight of these people was 56.5 kg. Hence, the quoted minute ventilation would probably be equivalent to about 15 l/min for typical adults.
- 4. Similarly, weight should be taken into account when analyzing the minute ventilation of children. For example, it was reported that 12 children with epilepsy had average minute ventilation of almost 8 l/min (Esquivel et al, 1991). Their average weight was 43 kg, which corresponds to about 12-15 l/min for adults with normal weights, therefore indicating hyperventilation. Numerous other studies also found evidence of hyperventilation in patients with this health condition.
Note, that virtually all tested patients with chronic heart failure over-breathe.
The same was true for these limited studies in relation to diabetes, asthma, and other disorders. However, more experiments are required for these and other health problems in order to be certain about the existing links between breathing and diseases.
It is normal, that such studies can find the prevalence of over-breathing in investigated subjects. A few health conditions where patients breathe less than the norm will be considered below.
Now we can conclude that many sick people breathe too much.
What about breathing rates in modern healthy subjects? This table comprises 14 published medical studies. We see that healthy subjects breathe about 6-7 l/min at rest.
Table. Minute ventilation (or minute breathing rates) at rest in healthy subjects (14 studies)
| Condition | Minute
ventilation |
N. of
subjects |
Reference |
| Normal breathing | 6 l/min | – | Medical textbooks |
| Healthy subjects | 7.7 ± 0.3 l/min | 19 | Douglas et al, 1982 |
| Healthy males | 8.4 ± 1.3 l/min | 10 | Burki, 1984 |
| Healthy males | 6.3 l/min | 10 | Smits et al, 1987 |
| Healthy males | 6.1±1.4 l/min | 6 | Fuller et al, 1987 |
| Healthy subjects | 6.1± 0.9 l/min | 9 | Tanaka et al, 1988 |
| Healthy students | 7.0 ± 1.0 l/min | 10 | Turley et al, 1993 |
| Healthy subjects | 6.6 ± 0.6 l/min | 10 | Bengtsson et al, 1994 |
| Healthy subjects | 7.0±1.2 l/min | 12 | Sherman et al, 1996 |
| Healthy subjects | 7.0±1.2 l/min | 10 | Bell et al, 1996 |
| Healthy subjects | 6 ± 1 l/min | 7 | Parreira et al, 1997 |
| Healthy subjects | 7.0 ± 1.1 l/min | 14 | Mancini et al, 1999 |
| Healthy subjects | 6.6 ± 1.1 l/min | 40 | Pinna et al, 2006 |
| Healthy subjects | 6.7 ± 0.5 l/min | 17 | Pathak et al, 2006 |
| Healthy subjects | 6.7 ± 0.3 l/min | 14 | Gujic et al, 2007 |
We can also consider historical changes in breathing rates for normal subjects.
Table 3. Historical changes in minute ventilation
(or minute breathing rates) at rest for normal subjects
| Condition | Minute
ventilation |
Age | N. of
subjects |
Reference |
| Normal breathing | 6 l/min | 16 | – | Medical textbooks |
| Normal subjects | 4.9 | – | 5 | Griffith et al, 1929 |
| Normal males | 5.3±0.1 | 27-43 | 46 | Shock et al, 1939 |
| Normal females | 4.6±0.1 | 27-43 | 40 | Shock et al, 1939 |
| Normal subjects | 6.9±0.9 | – | 100 | Matheson et al, 1950 |
| Normal subjects | 9.1±4.5 | 31±7 | 11 | Kassabian et al, 1982 |
| Normal subjects | 8.1±2.1 | 42±14 | 11 | D’Alonzo et al, 1987 |
| Normal subjects | 6.3±2.2 | – | 12 | Pain et al, 1988 |
| Normal males | 13±3 | 40 (av.) | 12 | Clague et al, 1994 |
| Normal subjects | 9.2±2.5 | 34±7 | 13 | Radwan et al, 1995 |
| Normal subjects | 15±4 | 28-34 | 12 | Dahan et al, 1995 |
| Normal subjects | 12±4 | 55±10 | 43 | Clark et al, 1995 |
| Normal subjects | 12±2 | 41±2 | 10 | Tantucci et al, 1996 |
| Normal subjects* | 11±3 | 53±11 | 24 | Clark et al, 1997 |
| Normal subjects | 8.1±0.4 | 34±2 | 63 | Meessen et al. 1997 |
| Normal females | 9.9 | 20-28 | 23 | Han et al, 1997 |
| Normal males | 15 | 20-28 | 47 | Han et al, 1997 |
| Normal females | 10 | 29-60 | 42 | Han et al, 1997 |
| Normal males | 11 | 29-62 | 42 | Han et al, 1997 |
| Normal subjects | 13±3 | 36±6 | 10 | Tantucci et al, 1997 |
| Normal subjects | 12±1 | 65±2 | 10 | Epstein et al, 1996 |
| Normal subjects | 12±1 | 12-69 | 20 | Bowler et al, 1998 |
| Normal subjects | 10±6 | 39±4 | 20 | DeLorey et al, 1999 |
| Normal seniors | 12±4 | 70±3 | 14 | DeLorey et al, 1999 |
| Normal elderly* | 14±3 | 88±2 | 11 | DeLorey et al, 1999 |
| Normal subjects | 17±1 | 41±2 | 15 | Tantucci et al, 2001 |
| Normal subjects | 10±0.5 | – | 10 | Bell et al, 2005 |
| Normal subjects | 8.5±1.2 | 30±8 | 69 | Narkiewicz, 2006 |
| Normal females | 10±0.4 | – | 11 | Ahuja et al, 2007 |
| Normal subjects | 12±2 | 62±2 | 20 | Travers et al, 2008 |
Extract from Dr. Artour Rakhimov's Amazon book "Normal Breathing: The Key to Vital Health", also available in PDF.
