Breathing during an effort
When practicing a sport, is it better to breathe with the nose as we have been taught since we were children or with the mouth?
It is difficult to answer this question briefly as much depends on the type of physical activity and on the degree of intensity.
When we run, pedal or we are in the gym, our metabolism rises and the energy demands of many organs increase. To ensure a greater supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients to tissues, cardiac output and pulmonary ventilation increase.
The increase in ventilation is essentially achieved through:
- increased depth of breath
- increased respiratory rate
At this point it is necessary to immediately make a small clarification distinguishing aerobic and mixed sports (running, cycling, soccer, tennis, swimming, basketball, etc.) from anaerobic sports (sprint competitions, weight lifting, bodybuilding, etc.).
In the latter type of physical activity it does not in fact make sense to speak of breathing, given that the phase of muscular effort occurs very often in apnea. Considering the short duration of the service. holding your breath allows the athlete to better coordinate his movements, to develop greater strength and to protect his back from lifting heavy loads.
However, absolute apnea is not free of contraindications, especially for cardiopathic, hypertensive and diabetic subjects who should absolutely avoid this situation. For this category of sportsmen and women who practice body building we have written a special article that explains in detail the optimal breathing and breathing technique.
Breathing in endurance activities
During an aerobic exercise of medium-low intensity the ventilation increases linearly with the consumption of oxygen.
When the intensity increases further and approaches the ceiling, ventilation increases more than oxygen consumption. In practice, if the intensity increases by 10% the ventilatory response increases, for example, by 20% thanks to a marked increase in ventilation and above all in the frequency of breaths.
To explain this phenomenon it is necessary to make a brief reference to the anaerobic threshold, that is the value of intensity of exercise beyond which the production of lactic acid exceeds the capacity of disposal by the body. The accumulation of lactate in the blood is partially neutralized by bicarbonates (buffer systems) with a chemical reaction that releases water and carbon dioxide. As everyone knows, this substance (CO2) is very toxic to the body and must be eliminated with the breath.
Therefore lactic acid is the main responsible for the "breathlessness" that occurs during high intensity physical activity. Under these conditions the oxygen demand and the need to eliminate carbon dioxide increase dramatically, forcing the subject to breathe with both the nose and the mouth.
There is no limitation of ventilatory origin performance
Definitely shocking news for many of the readers of this article. Contrary to what one might think, greater lung capacity normally does not allow one to increase one's performance level. It has been shown that even during maximal exercise there is a functional reserve on the part of the respiratory system. In these conditions the ventilation is equal to 65-85% of the maximum reachable value.
These data show that in conditions of maximum effort the organism does not fully exploit its ventilatory capacities, consequently we can state that "there is no limitation of respiratory performance" (this speech may not be entirely true in the two extreme cases, or for the sedentary and for the high-level middle-distance runner).
The real limiting factor is the amount of oxygen that our body is able to extract from the air and use for metabolic processes. This parameter together with the respiratory ones increases a lot in the passage from sedentariness to active life, then it tends to stabilize. The maximum oxygen consumption is in fact largely genetically determined and gives us an estimate of the "engine displacement". It is not in fact said that a 1000 cc (VO2 max minor) is less performing than a 1300 cc (VO2max greater) because much depends on the ability to burn gasoline (energy reserves), on weight (percentage of body fat), on aerodynamics ( efficacy of the athletic gesture) and resistance to wear (percentage of VO2 max sustainable for a certain time).
Nose or Mouth?
Since we were children they have always taught us that when practicing a sport, especially during the cold months, it is better to breathe with the nose than with the mouth. This is true since the nostrils and nasal cilia are a natural filter for the body protecting it from bacteria and unwanted substances. Furthermore the air is heated during the passage in the nasal cavities protecting the throat and the bronchi from the typical affections of the airways (cough, cold).
Breathing with the nose is therefore very useful when it is very cold and temperatures drop below zero (0 ° C). However, this breathing technique has the disadvantage of limiting the amount of air that enters and leaves the lungs. In fact, when physical exercise is particularly intense, breathing with the mouth is no longer a choice but a necessity. To understand it, it is enough to observe an athlete engaged in a marathon or in a climb to the Giro d'Italia, despite the strong training, he is seen proceeding with his mouth wide open looking for as much air as possible.
Ultimately if for moderate intensity exercises the advice is to breathe with the nose, for higher intensities it is good to look for the maximum amount of air even breathing through the mouth (unless the immune defenses are low or you already suffer from diseases load of the respiratory system). Eventually if it is very cold and you are predisposed to colds you can use a scarf or a high-necked shirt.
The application of a nasal patch or spray with a presumed bronchodilator effect makes sense only for those subjects who have problems with obstruction of the nasal passages.
Spirometry
