Post by: Nobody's Confidant on 06/05/2008 13:06:43
Post by: RD on 06/05/2008 13:48:20
Re-breathing CO2-rich exhaled breath from the paper bag can regulate hyperventilation.
Quote
Overbreathing as a result of stress causes the delicate balance of gases (especiallyhttp://www.wsh.nhs.uk/documents/PatientLeaflets/5268-1.pdf
carbon dioxide) within our bodies to become disturbed.
A rapid, shallow or irregular breathing pattern causes carbon dioxide to be breathed out
from the lungs, in turn producing chemical reactions within the body. These chemical
changes produce many of the symptoms of hyperventilation such as breathlessness,
palpitations, tingling and feelings of anxiety.
Don't try paper bag breathing for obstructive breathing problems such as asthma, emphysema.
Post by: Andrew K Fletcher on 06/05/2008 14:53:04
I can explain how this affects the respiration and circulation causing it to slow down after hyperventilating. But you won't find a reference to it in the literature :)
Post by: Bigjoemonger on 25/11/2017 00:36:55
The oxygen can't get into the blood so your body thinks there isn't enough so it tries to breathe faster to compensate. By breathing in the bag you breathe back in some of that co2 which rebalances the gas exchange process so you get what you need and can get your breathing under control.
Post by: Colin2B on 25/11/2017 09:09:58
The oxygen can't get into the blood so your body thinks there isn't enough so it tries to breathe faster to compensate.In fact oxygen can get into the blood and problems can occur when there is a adequate supply.
The primary trigger for breathing is the rising CO2 level in the blood rather than the falling O2 level, but hyperventilating flushes out CO2 and this low level lead to narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. The reduction in blood supply to the brain leads to symptoms like lightheadedness and tingling in the fingers. Severe hyperventilation can also lead to loss of consciousness particularly in breath hold diving where O2 can be used up before the CO2 rises to the ‘need to breath’ trigger level.
As has been said, breathing into the bag increases the CO2 level in the blood. There are other ways:
Breathe through pursed lips.
Breathe slowly into a paper bag or cupped hands.
Attempt to breathe into your belly (diaphragm) rather than your chest.
Hold your breath for 10 to 15 seconds at a time.
IMPORTANT These are not a cure for all breathing problems as the OP might suggest. Also, hyperventilating can be caused by serious illness eg heart failure or lung disease. If you suffer from this without obvious cause eg extremely stressful situation, please see a doctor.
Post by: chris on 25/11/2017 12:25:04
Some of this carbon dioxide is carried back to the lungs dissolved in blood plasma; a small amount binds to proteins in the blood; the bulk enters red blood cells where an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase catalyses the formation of carbonic acid, which dissociates to form bicarbonate (HCO3-) and hydrogen ions:
CO2 + H2O
H2CO3 H+ + HCO3-This bicarbonate exits the red blood cell and enters the blood plasma, which carries it to the lungs. There, the relatively low concentration of carbon dioxide shifts the above reaction equilibrium back towards the left, regenerating carbon dioxide, which diffuses into the alveoli and is exhaled. The high oxygen concentration also displaces carbon dioxide bound to haemoglobin, and this too moves into the alveoli.
Critically, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the lung dictates the rates at which carbon dioxide (as dissolved CO2, CO2 bound to haemoglobin, or CO2 carried as bicarbonate) can leave the body. So if you hyperventilate then you will promote the loss of carbon dioxide from the body. Since, at rest, CO2 is being produced in tissues at a relatively constant rate, this will lead to a net reduction in carbon dioxide and hence a loss of carbonic acid from the tissues. The reduction in carbonic acid will lead to a respiratory alkalosis (blood and tissues becoming more alkaline), which produces the strange symptoms we experience, of dizziness, and tingling in the peripheries.
Breathing in and out from a paper bag will help because the oxygen concentration in exhaled air is quite high, so there is no reduction in tissue oxygenation. However, the exhaled CO2 is returned to the body, reducing the rate at which further CO2 is lost and also encouraging some more to dissolve back into the blood and reverse the alkalosis.
Post by: Colin2B on 25/11/2017 13:03:55
As I understand it, the medulla oblongata is sensitive to decrease in pH and increase in PCO2 (partial pressure of CO2) when giving the signal that breathing is needed.
There also seems to be a back up system in the carotid body chemoreceptors which are sensitive to pH and PCO2, but only secondarily. Their sensitivity to decreased PO2 is greater when pH is decreased and PCO2 is increased.
Amazing system this simple act of breathing!
Post by: chris on 25/11/2017 21:06:09
Post by: chiralSPO on 26/11/2017 13:47:03
Presumably inhaled CO2 would reach the blood more quickly, but I would imagine that ingested carbonic acid would also be absorbed, either through the small intestine or belched up and absorbed through the nasal passages or breathed in...
Post by: chris on 26/11/2017 16:44:21
Post by: Monox D. I-Fly on 22/12/2018 04:18:11
Wait, so oxygen-addiction is a thing? Back then when I was a child, there was a tokusatsu episode (forgot whether it was a Metal Hero series or an Ultra series) where the victims got too much oxygen in their body making them addicted to it and it was portrayed as dangerous in the episode. At the time I thought it was silly, never knew that it was in fact Truth in Television.The oxygen can't get into the blood so your body thinks there isn't enough so it tries to breathe faster to compensate.In fact oxygen can get into the blood and problems can occur when there is a adequate supply.