Research: Breathing + Running

by Joe Somodi, Mental Performance Coach

A STRUGGLE TO BREATH WHILE RUNNING

Imagine stepping out into the crisp morning air, the sun just peeking over the horizon. You lace up your shoes and start your run, excited for the journey ahead. But as you start to pick up speed, you notice something's not quite right. Your breath becomes heavy, wheezing and coughing wrack your body, and your chest feels like it's been set ablaze by the cold air. Even if you're not an asthmatic, the symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) can strike fear into your heart and stop you in your tracks.

But fear not, for there is a simple solution. EIB is triggered by breathing cold, dry air directly into your lungs through your mouth. The solution? Breathe through your nose. The nose naturally warms and humidifies the air, ensuring that your airways stay clear and free from the symptoms of bronchoconstriction. (1) So next time you head out for a run, take a moment to appreciate the power of your nose, and breathe easy knowing you're taking care of your body.

Strohl, KINGMAN P., MICHAEL J. Decker, LESLIE G. Olson, T. A. Flak, and PETER L. Hoekje. “The nasal response to exercise and exercise induced bronchoconstriction in normal and asthmatic subjects.” Thorax 43, no. 11 (1988): 890-895.

BREATHING ADAPTATIONS DURING EXERCISE

During exercise, your body needs more oxygen to produce energy. As your muscles warm up, they produce more carbon dioxide, which signals to your body that it needs more oxygen. This is where the role of breathing comes in. The hemoglobin in red blood cells releases oxygen to the working muscles, where the cells use it to make energy.

But did you know that carbon dioxide provides the stimulus to breathe? Your breathing changes relative to your CO2 production, a phenomenon called the hypercapnic drive. Your ability to sustain physical exercise, your stamina, and your enjoyment while running are all related to your sensitivity to changes in blood CO2. 

As CO2 levels rise during exercise, your breathing rate and volume will increase, making breathing more effortful and your heart rate to accelerate.

While nasal breathing during running may seem difficult and uncomfortable at first, it can actually improve your oxygenation and lessen your feelings of air hunger through better oxygen extraction in the lungs. Mouth breathing, on the other hand, feels more comfortable during intense exercise, but it doesn't filter, warm, or moisten the air as effectively as nasal breathing.

With consistent practice, nasal breathing can help reduce air hunger and increase oxygenation efficiency. It may be challenging initially, but as your body adapts, your breathing will become lighter, more efficient, and easier to sustain through nasal breathing. So, the next time you go for a run, consider breathing through your nose and see how it feels!

Niinimaa, V. P. S. R. J., P. Cole, S. Mintz, and R. J. Shephard. “The switching point from nasal to oronasal breathing.” Respiration physiology 42, no. 1 (1980): 61-71.

Dallam, George M., Steve R. McClaran, Daniel G. Cox, and Carol P. Foust. “Effect of Nasal Versus Oral Breathing on Vo2max and Physiological Economy in Recreational Runners Following an Extended Period Spent Using Nasally Restricted Breathing.” International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science 6, no. 2 (2018): 22-29.

OPTIMAL BREATHING FOR ENDURANCE RUNNING

Studies have long shown that elite endurance athletes have a lower sensitivity to CO2 compared to their less successful counterparts [1]. In fact, scientists have been researching this connection since 1979, with some of the most intriguing findings emerging in recent years. In a 2007 study, physical education expert Xavier Woorons discovered that reduced sensitivity to CO2 allowed trained men to breathe more slowly, both at sea level and during altitude simulation [2].

It's a common misconception that the key to reducing breathlessness during exercise is simply to train harder. But the strength of our breathing muscles imposes a natural limit on our exercise capacity, and most of us will never be able to push ourselves hard enough to achieve elite-level endurance. However, we can modify our sensitivity to CO2 through simple breathing exercises.

(1) McGurk, S. P., B. A. Blanksby, and M. J. Anderson. “The relationship of hypercapnic ventilatory responses to age, gender and athleticism.” Sports medicine 19, no. 3 (1995): 173-183.

(2) Woorons, X., P. Mollard, A. Pichon, C. Lamberto, A. Duvallet, and J‐P. Richalet. “Moderate exercise in hypoxia induces a greater arterial desaturation in trained than untrained men.” Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports 17, no. 4 (2007): 431-436.

EFFICIENCY IN NASAL BREATHING WHILE RUNNING

Exercise science expert George Dallam trained his runners for six months to adapt to nose breathing, recording their breathing rates during nose and mouth breathing. The results showed a slower breathing rate of 39.2 breaths per minute during nose breathing compared to 49.4 breaths per minute during mouth breathing. Although nose breathing resulted in higher CO2 levels in exhaled air (44.7mmHg) compared to mouth breathing (40.2mmHg), less oxygen was present in exhaled air because more oxygen was absorbed into the bloodstream. The slower breathing rate allowed for optimal oxygen consumption during both types of breathing because the runners had trained to breathe more slowly through their noses, facilitating increased oxygen diffusion into the bloodstream.

Dallam's study demonstrated the potential benefits of nasally restricted breathing during exercise for maintaining VO2 max and peak performance. He concluded that endurance athletes seeking to improve their performance while maintaining good respiratory health could benefit from this type of breathing. Previous research supports this idea, suggesting that exercises that increase end-tidal CO2 can reduce air hunger and improve performance beyond normal, comfortable levels.

(1) Dallam, George M., Steve R. McClaran, Daniel G. Cox, and Carol P. Foust. “Effect of Nasal Versus Oral Breathing on Vo2max and Physiological Economy in Recreational Runners Following an Extended Period Spent Using Nasally Restricted Breathing.” International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science 6, no. 2 (2018): 22-29.

(2) Bloch-Salisbury, Elisabeth, STEVEN A. Shea, R. O. B. E. R. T. Brown, Karleyton Evans, and Robert B. Banzett. “Air hunger induced by acute increase in PCO2 adapts to chronic elevation of PCO2 in ventilated humans.” Journal of Applied Physiology 81, no. 2 (1996): 949-956.

IMPROVE YOUR RUNNING THROUGH BREATH TRAINING

When you exercise intensively, your muscles work harder. This includes your breathing muscles, like the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a striated muscle, which means it's the same type of muscle as the muscles that move your joints. Just like any other muscle, the best way to strengthen the diaphragm is by using it and adding resistance. This is where IFRL, or inspiratory flow resistive loading, comes in.During intensive exercise, the sensitivity to carbon dioxide (CO2) impacts the breathing muscles too. If your BOLT score is low, meaning you have a low tolerance for CO2, you'll breathe harder as exercise intensifies. This requires more work from the breathing muscles, leading to fatigue more quickly. As the respiratory muscles overwork, metabolic by-products like lactic acid can collect in the tissues, affecting your circulation.

However, studies have shown that improving breathing techniques can improve blood flow to the legs by as much as 7% [1]. This is because breathing more efficiently reduces the demand on the breathing muscles, allowing more blood flow to reach the legs.

So, how do you improve your breathing while running? By engaging the diaphragm through nasal breathing. Nose breathing while running is more effective at engaging the diaphragm than mouth breathing. But to take it up a notch, you can use a resistance mask like SportsMask. The adjustable valve opening allows you to gradually increase the resistance and condition your breathing muscles, just like any other muscle group.

With IFRL, studies have shown that the strength of breathing muscles can increase by up to 50%. This can make a huge difference in your running performance and endurance. So if you're tired of feeling like your breathing is holding you back, give IFRL a try and see how it can take your running to the next level.

(1) Amann, Markus. “Pulmonary system limitations to endurance exercise performance in humans.” Experimental physiology 97, no. 3 (2012): 311-318.