4 ms·

Can't breathe this slow even if I try. I normally breathe 30 times a minute.

by Kiro 6y ago

UncleOxidant 6y ago
That's a full breath cycle every 2 seconds? You're hyperventilating.
- Kiro 6y ago
  Yes, a full breath cycle every 2 seconds but pretty small breaths. It doesn't feel like I'm hyperventilating. Trying to breath slower makes me dizzy like I'm not getting enough air and trying to breath as slow as this app feels like I'm choking. I'm healthy overall and really surprised that my breathing is considered so abnormal.
  - bilbopotter 6y ago
    If it works for you at forty I wouldn't worry. It's generally for people who get anxiety that they say slow the breath down. It's to do with things like cortisol release and heart rate. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I assume you're able to do decent amounts of exercise and don't find yourself out of breath when doing regular things like going for a walk or going upstairs?
GavinMcG 6y ago
If you're breathing both in and out 30 times per minute, you should probably speak to a doctor. There are a number of medical concerns that could be behind that, and rapid (and therefore shallow) breaths can fail to rid the body of carbon dioxide, making your blood overly acidic.
- Kiro 6y ago
  > making your blood overly acidic. What are the symptoms of that? I'm almost 40 and never had any health issues so far. The breaths are shallow but I'm surprised to hear my breathing is abnormal so I should probably speak to a doctor.
  - GavinMcG 6y ago
    > Slowly developing, stable respiratory acidosis (as in COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]) may be well tolerated, but patients may have memory loss, sleep disturbances, excessive daytime sleepiness, and personality changes. Signs include gait disturbance, tremor, blunted deep tendon reflexes, myoclonic jerks, asterixis, and papilledema. [0] So, quite possibly nothing, or nothing you'd realize. Bodies are adept at compensating. But there are potential concerns, and also, a chronic (and compensated for) issue can acutely deteriorate. I am not a doctor, though. [0] https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/acid-base-regulation-and-disorders/respiratory-acidosis https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-meta...
  - DoreenMichele 6y ago
    Osteoporosis. Peeing a lot, like diabetics do. The body goes to extremes to keep blood chemistry within a very narrow pH range. In practical terms, this means that your body strips your bones of calcium if your blood is chronically too acid because you die rather rapidly if your blood gets too acid. You might find it worthwhile to read up on altitude sickness and what happens in the body at elevation. When you cannot breath out wastes efficiently because the air is too thin, the body copes with the chemical derangement of your blood by dumping it out the kidneys. This has knock-on effects, like dragging other stuff with it, especially fluids and electrolytes.
pedalpete 6y ago
So lots of comments here are suggesting that you have a medical issue, I'm not going to go that far without knowing anything about you, but that is a very high breath rate. You may want to focus on where you are breathing in your body. I have a very slow breath rate and super slow hear-rate, so 4 seconds is painfully fast for me. I'm about 8-10 seconds in or out and a comfortable 6 or so seconds rest between breaths. To breath quickly, I have to focus on breathing only in my upper chest. You may have been trained to do this over-time, and feel very normal doing it. Watch a child breathing, and you'll see they breath deeply into their belly. This is the natural breathe you want to aim for. If you've been breathing into your chest for ever, your lower lungs are likely going too be tight, and it will be very difficult for you to expand and breathe into them. But it's worth trying. When you lie down, try relaxing and try to relax your stomach and let it rise and fall with each breath. It takes re-training your diaphragm. Where I do agree with the other comments here is that you likely should decrease your breath rate as it is better for you, as long as there is a good reason for you to be breathing as quickly as you currently are.

Can't breathe this slow even if I try. I normally breathe 30 times a minute.

by Kiro 6y ago

Can't breathe this slow even if I try. I normally breathe 30 times a minute.

UncleOxidant 6y ago

That's a full breath cycle every 2 seconds? You're hyperventilating.

Kiro 6y ago
Yes, a full breath cycle every 2 seconds but pretty small breaths. It doesn't feel like I'm hyperventilating. Trying to breath slower makes me dizzy like I'm not getting enough air and trying to breath as slow as this app feels like I'm choking. I'm healthy overall and really surprised that my breathing is considered so abnormal.
- bilbopotter 6y ago
  If it works for you at forty I wouldn't worry. It's generally for people who get anxiety that they say slow the breath down. It's to do with things like cortisol release and heart rate. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I assume you're able to do decent amounts of exercise and don't find yourself out of breath when doing regular things like going for a walk or going upstairs?

GavinMcG 6y ago

If you're breathing both in and out 30 times per minute, you should probably speak to a doctor. There are a number of medical concerns that could be behind that, and rapid (and therefore shallow) breaths can fail to rid the body of carbon dioxide, making your blood overly acidic.

Kiro 6y ago
> making your blood overly acidic. What are the symptoms of that? I'm almost 40 and never had any health issues so far. The breaths are shallow but I'm surprised to hear my breathing is abnormal so I should probably speak to a doctor.
- GavinMcG 6y ago
  > Slowly developing, stable respiratory acidosis (as in COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]) may be well tolerated, but patients may have memory loss, sleep disturbances, excessive daytime sleepiness, and personality changes. Signs include gait disturbance, tremor, blunted deep tendon reflexes, myoclonic jerks, asterixis, and papilledema. [0] So, quite possibly nothing, or nothing you'd realize. Bodies are adept at compensating. But there are potential concerns, and also, a chronic (and compensated for) issue can acutely deteriorate. I am not a doctor, though. [0] https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-metabolic-disorders/acid-base-regulation-and-disorders/respiratory-acidosis https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/endocrine-and-meta...
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  Osteoporosis. Peeing a lot, like diabetics do. The body goes to extremes to keep blood chemistry within a very narrow pH range. In practical terms, this means that your body strips your bones of calcium if your blood is chronically too acid because you die rather rapidly if your blood gets too acid. You might find it worthwhile to read up on altitude sickness and what happens in the body at elevation. When you cannot breath out wastes efficiently because the air is too thin, the body copes with the chemical derangement of your blood by dumping it out the kidneys. This has knock-on effects, like dragging other stuff with it, especially fluids and electrolytes.

pedalpete 6y ago

So lots of comments here are suggesting that you have a medical issue, I'm not going to go that far without knowing anything about you, but that is a very high breath rate. You may want to focus on where you are breathing in your body. I have a very slow breath rate and super slow hear-rate, so 4 seconds is painfully fast for me. I'm about 8-10 seconds in or out and a comfortable 6 or so seconds rest between breaths. To breath quickly, I have to focus on breathing only in my upper chest. You may have been trained to do this over-time, and feel very normal doing it. Watch a child breathing, and you'll see they breath deeply into their belly. This is the natural breathe you want to aim for. If you've been breathing into your chest for ever, your lower lungs are likely going too be tight, and it will be very difficult for you to expand and breathe into them. But it's worth trying. When you lie down, try relaxing and try to relax your stomach and let it rise and fall with each breath. It takes re-training your diaphragm. Where I do agree with the other comments here is that you likely should decrease your breath rate as it is better for you, as long as there is a good reason for you to be breathing as quickly as you currently are.