REDHub™ | #HumSiologySeries | Part 1

One fateful morning, at the College of Medicine, we had a memorable time with one of the professors whose weekly lectures with my classmates and I further piqued my love for Human Physiology.

Specializing in Respiration, he began that morning lecture with an interactive session, relative to the impact of regular exercise on breathing capacity. We were asked to form twin groups, wherein each person took turns to time how long it takes for the seated partner to hold his-her breath! Some held on for 10 seconds; fewer held on for 20 seconds! Uhmm, I think I'll keep mine to myself!

In as much as that interactive session is an inaccurate way of measuring breathing capacity (since other factors are involved), our tendency to quit holding our breath speaks volumes about the importance of breathing within which lies the key to our survival; a key, lots of folks don't maximize fully.

The first few seconds after every baby is born into the world, it cries, not really due to discomfort but as a natural instinct to gulp in air, containing vital gases it once had an ample supply of in its mama's womb! This begins the lifelong process of external respiration, also known as breathing which largely occurs automatically!

Everybody breathes normally, every second of the day and through the hours of sweet sleep, courtesy of special neurons of the hindbrain, within your neck, that work on autopilot, 24/7! And when we exert ourselves, those neurons "spark" more, leading to faster and shallow breaths.

However, just a fraction of us engage in deep breathing, the unpopular third, besides the normal and the fast! So, what's the big deal about it?

Over the years, smart scientists have been able to count as much as 250 volatile gases, existing in the air we breathe. However, only two stands out, relative to your survival - Oxygen (O2) and Carbondioxide (CO2)!

Now, deep breathing is the key to increasing, by as much as 86%, your body's supply of life-sustaining O2 as well eliminating, by as much as 69%, the toxic by-product, CO2!

Just like the vast sea shore is made of uncountable grains of sand, your physical body is composed of countless trillions of active "cells" which individually consume O2 to produce stores of crucial energy and consequently release the by-product, CO2, which must be eliminated immediately!

Do you know that the hidden factor behind every chronic disease you can think of, from stroke, diabetes...... which kills people untimely, is Oxidative Stress? Moreover, poor breathing partly contributes to this factor!

Oxidative Stress is simply a consequence of cellular energy being consumed more than it's produced! In other words, cells "overwork" to the point where available O2 is insufficient to replenish the rapidly depleting energy stores!

The only way you can provide O2 to all your active cells is by breathing in air! However, many of us live our entire lives, taking in only about 0.5 litre of air when the lungs, an air sac inside your chest, are capable of accommodating as much as 3.5 litres per breath!

Now, the by-product, CO2, needs to be eliminated as quickly as it's produced by the trillions of cells in you! Not only does excess CO2 stimulate your cells to "overwork" but makes your body fluids, acidic which permits the growth of bacteria, fungi and viruses!

Though your kidneys do well in eliminating CO2 via your urine, a good chunk of it is disposed when you breathe air, out of your lungs! However, many of us expel just about 0.5 litre when the lungs are capable of pushing out as much as 4.6 litres per breath!

So, it's clearly obvious that one of the amazing ways, deep breathing can help you feel good as well as lengthen your life is by increasing your body's supply of vital Oxygen and its disposal of harmful Carbondioxide!

Now, I can't expect you to engage in deep breathing, every second of your day! Whether we like it or not, our usual, daily routine will keep us breathing normally, 90% of the time!

Nevertheless, you can dedicate specific periods in your day to do NOTHING else but breathe deeply! The good news is that REDHub now has a novel tool to help you easily make a habit of Deep Breathing and consequently enable you live a longer, stronger and happier life!

To learn about it, click the "red health lover" link, in my signature below!

Now, if you need more convincing reasons, I'll put a thread soon, about the 2nd amazing way, deep breathing can lengthen your life.

If you don't want to miss this broadcast nor others I share with my inner circle of RED Hubbers, kindly visit: http://m.me/RedHealthLover.

Live Longer, Live Stronger!