Sunday Standup:
Book Recommendation:
Our post-industrial lifestyle has led to shrinking jaws, crowded teeth, and obstructed airways. How this overlooked and misdiagnosed healthcare problem has a massive toll on human health, especially for developing children.
Get it here: Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic
Research Articles of the Week:
“Research has enabled us to formulate new hallmarks of ageing which are compromised autophagy, microbiome disturbance, altered mechanical properties, splicing dysregulation, and inflammation”
New hallmarks of ageing: a 2022 Copenhagen ageing meeting summary
“Although titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a suspected human carcinogen when inhaled, fiber-grade TiO2 (nano)particles were demonstrated in synthetic textile fibers of face masks intended for the general public.”
“An under-appreciated primary cause of most chronic conditions is the lack of sufficient daily physical activity (“physical inactivity”). Overwhelming evidence proves the notion that reductions in daily physical activity are primary causes of chronic diseases/conditions.”
Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases
How do you breathe while running?
For many endurance athletes, breathing mechanics are not the first thing that they think about. And it makes sense.
You typically breathe over 23,000 times over the course of a given day. Breathing is controlled subconsciously by your brainstem; when you are thinking about work, when you are eating, deep in sleep, and even if you are unconscious, your body is breathing, keeping you alive.
But you also have voluntary control over your breathing pattern, which results in real physiological changes (implications on gas exchange, heart rate, blood pressure, and so much more).
What happens when we run?
When we run, we breathe to fuel our bodies with oxygen and offload carbon dioxide. During exercise, your body uses more oxygen. Carbon dioxide causes the hemoglobin in red blood cells to release oxygen to the working muscles, where the cells use it to make energy. As your muscles warm up, they produce more carbon dioxide (which we need to get rid of).
Carbon dioxide provides the stimulus to breathe and your breathing alters relative to your CO2 production. This is called your hypercapnic response. As CO2 continues to rise, your rate and volume of breathing will rise. It’s commonly accepted that different-paced runs dictate various breathing patterns nasal, mouth, and every combination in between.1
Mouth breathing is faster. It helps you take in a larger volume of air. It feels the most comfortable with intense exercise (sprinting). But is this always the best strategy?
Nasal Breathing:
If you are unfamiliar with the idea of nasal breathing, I would highly recommend taking a look at some of the Twitter threads that I have published in the past:
Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for an in-depth newsletter, expanding on the presented ideas on nasal breathing and how to best implement this technique when sleeping.
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