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How to Get Oxygen in the Body and Brain
Your brain needs a constant supply of oxygen for its proper functioning. Additionally, each cell in your body needs glucose and oxygen to create energy. Your brain uses approximately 25 percent of your oxygen intake, according to the California State University at Chico Neuroscience Department. Oxygen is essential for brain activity, which regulates your memory, balance, hormone production and mood, amongst other things. You intake oxygen through your breath, and when you exercise, your breathing rate increases 1. This boosts your oxygen intake, benefiting your entire body and brain 1. Contact your doctor if you feel you are experiencing oxygen deficiency 1.
Use Deep Breathing and Exercise
Inhale through your nose. Fill your abdomen with air first and then your chest.
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Pause for five seconds. Do this once you have taken in all the air possible before exhaling to prolong your breath and allow your body to absorb more oxygen, but only if it doesn’t cause you strain or make you dizzy.
Exhale through your nose. Empty your chest first as you slowly draw your abdomen inwards to let all the air out from your lungs. Begin and end your day by doing 20 to 25 rounds of this deep-breathing exercise 1.
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Do 30 to 40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 1. Get active at least five times per week. This includes brisk walking, riding your bicycle, running, swimming and playing sports such as tennis and soccer. As your body needs more energy to perform these exercises, your body will automatically take deeper breaths that will oxygenate every cell in your body as well and improve your brain function.
Tips
Doing your daily breathing exercises may seem tiring at first, but the more you do them, the easier they will become. They may also begin to positively affect your overall breathing patterns.
Warnings
Consult your doctor before taking herbal supplements and terminate your exercise if you experience discomfort.
- Fill your abdomen with air first and then your chest.
- Empty your chest first as you slowly draw your abdomen inwards to let all the air out from your lungs.
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References
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Cerebral Hypoxia
- Sarkar M, Niranjan N, Banyal PK. Mechanisms of hypoxemia. Lung India. 2017;34(1):47-60. doi:10.4103/0970-2113.197116
- Pittman RN. Regulation of Tissue Oxygenation. San Rafael (CA): Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences; 2011. Chapter 7, Oxygen Transport in Normal and Pathological Situations: Defects and Compensations.
- Merck Manual. Consumer Version. Respiratory Failure. Revised March 2018.
- Adeyinka A, Kondamudi NP. Cyanosis. [Updated 2019 Jun 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-.
- Bickler PE, Feiner JR, Lipnick MS, Batchelder P, Macleod DB, Severinghaus JW. Effects of Acute, Profound Hypoxia on Healthy Humans: Implications for Safety of Tests Evaluating Pulse Oximetry or Tissue Oximetry Performance. Anesth Analg. 2017;124(1):146-153. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000001421
- Federal Aviation Administration. Beware of Hypoxia. Modified July 21, 2015.
- Rose JJ, Wang L, Xu Q, et al. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Pathogenesis, Management, and Future Directions of Therapy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017;195(5):596-606. doi:10.1164/rccm.201606-1275CI++
- Merck Manual Professional Version. Oxygen Desaturation (Hypoxia). Revised April 2019.
- Kasper, Dennis L.., Anthony S. Fauci, and Stephen L.. Hauser. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: Mc Graw Hill education, 2015. Print.
Tips
- Doing your daily breathing exercises may seem tiring at first, but the more you do them, the easier they will become. They may also begin to positively affect your overall breathing patterns.
Warnings
- Consult your doctor before taking herbal supplements and terminate your exercise if you experience discomfort.
Writer Bio
Martha Premie began writing in 2001. She is a licensed acupuncturist in Asheville, North Carolina, where she also teaches yoga and consults individuals on holistic health and nutrition. She has been published by the "Mountain Express Asheville" and "Take 5." Premie holds a degree in literature from SD Mesa College and a Traditional Chinese Medicine degree from the Daoist Traditions School of Chinese Medicine.