Every cell in your body needs oxygen and your lungs are highly adapted to extract this life-sustaining gas from the atmosphere.
But the question is are you breathing correctly. Are you able to breathe in enough oxygen to really sustain your body’s’ needs, especially during work or running a household.
The oxygen we breathe is vital for staying alive because we use it to create energy. Tiny capillaries, the smallest type of blood vessels, transport oxygen to the 50 trillion cells that make up our body.
One person uses about 550 litres (968 pints) of oxygen per day.
Each cell uses oxygen in a chemical reaction to break down the sugars ingested from food to produce energy.
So it stands to reason that if you are not breathing correctly then the end result is you could have less energy to run your body.
- Lie on a bed or floor or sit upright in a chair.
- Put one hand flat on your chest and one hand flat on your stomach.
- Take slow deep breaths through your nose, keeping the hand on your chest, still while the hand on your stomach rises and falls with your breaths.
- Breathe out through your nose and eventually, you want to be able to breathe in and out without your chest moving.
This technique can be used in bed before you sleep as it relaxes the body and gets you in a better place ready to sleep.
Yours in Health
- John Keane
Spinologist