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May 2024
8m 3s

How to Increase Blood Oxygen Levels: Bre...

DR. ERIC BERG
About this episode

In this podcast, we’re going to talk about breathing. Deep breathing does not increase blood oxygen levels. In fact, it can cause dizziness, make you tired, and even make you pass out.


Your red blood cells will not release oxygen unless enough carbon dioxide (CO2) is present. This is known as the Bohr effect. This means that the amount of oxygen released from your blood into your cells is dependent upon CO2.


If you’re breathing a lot or hyperventilating, you’ll get too much oxygen and not enough CO2. Too much oxygen can be dangerous to the body. If you give a baby too much oxygen, it can cause blindness, an epileptic seizure, or a coma. Too much oxygen also causes oxidation.


People in a panicked state experience acute hyperventilation. Chronic hyperventilation, also known as carbon dioxide syndrome, is a lack of carbon dioxide that occurs when a person is consuming too much air. This is often triggered by stress.


Mouth-breathing can deplete CO2 and inhibit oxygen absorption at the cellular level. This can affect the heart and cause hypoxia, fatigue, insomnia, muscle twitching, and increased histamine.


To fix this problem, you need to train your body to breathe properly to get oxygen deep into the cells by doing the following:


1. Relax your breathing.

Take soft, gentle breaths through your diaphragm and stomach, not your upper chest. Breathe in slowly for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. Practice this before you sleep at night, while driving, or while watching TV.


This simple breathing technique can help your body get out of fight-or-flight mode. You can even use a free app to help you time your breathing!


2. Breathe through your nose.

Your nose cleans, humidifies, and filters the air before it enters your lungs. Nose breathing increases your oxygen by 20%!


3. Use nose strips.

Nose strips can help open your airways and sinuses while you sleep to help you breathe better.


4. Use mouth tape.

Mouth tape can help you breathe through your nose while you sleep. You can filter the air all night, get more oxygen, and sleep better. You won’t wake up with a dry mouth, and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed. Mouth tape might even stop your snoring!


Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Dioxide...


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