SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

◄ SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ►

Good respiration requires neither relaxation nor a specific mechanical prescription, save one:

The varied melodies of breathing mechanics must ultimately play the music of balanced chemistry.

● Carbon dioxide is poisonous.
No. Carbon dioxide is a precious substance absolutely vital to healthy functioning.

● Good breathing mechanics is mostly about maximizing O₂ in, and CO₂ out.
No. Good breathing is also about the proper allocation of CO₂, retaining the CO₂ we need for acid-base balance.

● Deep breathing always means getting more oxygen.
No. Deep breathing can immediately and easily cut off oxygen supply to the brain and to the heart.

● Underbreathing, with the result of oxygen deficit, is common.
No. To the contrary, overbreathing is common.

● Breath-holding means underbreathing.
No. It usually means overbreathing. It serves as a compensatory reflex for low CO₂.

● Good breathing means relaxation.
No. Good breathing is important in all circumstances, whether relaxed or not.

● Learning good breathing requires relaxation.
No. This would mean that during most life circumstances, breathing is maladaptive.

● Diaphragmatic breathing is synonymous with good breathing.
No, not necessarily. It is easier to overbreathe with the diaphragm than with the chest!

● Slow breathing is good, and fast breathing is bad.
No. One is not inherently better than the other. Slow breathing, like fast breathing, can trigger overbreathing.

● There is an ideal breathing pattern that each of us needs to learn.
No. Mechanics may look letter perfect, but O₂ distribution and acid-base balance may be poor.

Copyrighted by Behavioral Physiology Institute, Boulder, Colorado USA