Why breathing is more than oxygen
Why breathing matters? Seems like a very obvious question. To get oxygen into the body, is the most common answer. While we are young, our body automatically breaths for you. The specialised cells that monitor the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood, will alter the rate and depth of breathing. Other homeostatic mechanisms kick in such as the kidneys detecting a low blood flow and low oxygen and may stimulate increasing the amount of red blood cells produced in the bone marrow.
But for most people, for most of their lives, breathing is not something they think about. This alters if they have any lung disease and they will notice the increased effort required to breath (deeply) as they age.
A (new) kid on the block is Nitric Oxide: NO. Not new but there is a lot of hype about NO lately.
Nitric oxide (NO), NOT Nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide (Laughing Gas) is the gas that is used in the canisters for soda fountains and has serious neurological effects. There is an increase abuse of Nitrous oxide at present.
There is a lot of information about Nitric oxide, its benefits in the body and the foods and practices that may increase it. There are supplements such as L-arginine and L-citrulline that may increase Nitric oxide production, sales of these items are encouraged in gyms.
NO is a very short lives gas produced by epithelial cells using some amino acid. eg. L-arginine is one but the research does not support supplementation with L-arginine.
So, what does NO do in the body. The list is long and the amazing thing about NO is that it is a very short-lived gas, produced in cells at the time it is needed. Some of the researched benefits are regulating pulmonary blood pressure, and this will aid with good gaseous exchange, maintaining the health of the epithelial cell lining of the blood vessels, the intima, that helps with blood pressure regulation, reducing blood clotting (acts on the platelets), and is a signalling compound that helps with hormone regulation. So a very important part of the homeostasis mechanism.
Unfortunately, like a lot of workings in the body, NO production does decrease as we age. But YOGA practices have given us practices to help maintain NO production and actions for as long as possible.
In the back of the nose – called the paranasal sinuses, are 3 turbinate bones covered in mucosal epithelial cells. The air, breathed in via the nose passes over these bones and the turbulence, increases the air exposure to the mucous membrane surface.
It was thought this was only to warm, moisten the in breath and help remove environmental pollutants. While this is an important function, the other action is, that “nitric oxide has been reported to be synthetized in high concentrations”. Bazak et al. 2020.
So a slow inspiration to allow the air to circulate and stay in the paranasal space for a period of time, will have significant benefits for gaseous exchange in the lungs.
Starting with the 4:2:4:2 breath is an excellent start for people not used to a breathing practice.
In YOGA, the more advanced Pranayama practices of Nadi shodhana, Ujjayi breath using the conscious breath practice will be beneficial. Research has demonstrated the Bhramari Pranayama (the humming breath) has a demonstrated increase in the production of NO. This practice can be done without the mudra at first for beginners.
So the take home message, the traditional YOGA practices of slow, thoughtful inhalation through the nose, has major physical benefits on top of the effects on the nervous system and feeling of good health.
references
Bazak, R., Elwany, S., Mina, A. & Donia, M. Nitric oxide unravels the enigmatic function of the paranasal sinuses: a review of literature. The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology (2020) 36:8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s43163-020-00011-
Trivedi, G. & Saboo, B. 2021. Bhramari Pranayamas – A simple lifestyle intervention to reduce heart rate, enhance lung function and immunity.Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 12 p. 562-564.
Ushamohan, B., Rajasekaran, A., Belur, Y., Ilavarasu, J.& Srinivasan, T. 2023. Nitric Oxide, Humming and Bhramari Pranayama. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. 16.(5). p. 377-384.
