Air, the elixir of life

Air is one of the basics of life for humans, animals and plants. Humans can survive for about 40 days without eating, almost five days without drinking, and only a few minutes without air. Air consists of 21 per cent oxygen. We need him to get nutrients to oxidize, which means to burn them. This is the only way to generate energy that keeps our body going. The brain reacts particularly sensitively to a lack of oxygen: there is an immediate drop in performance, and without oxygen, the first brain cells die after three minutes. Although breathing is essential to life, we usually do it incidentally and unnoticed – and often even wrongly—no wonder we feel uncomfortable or lack power at work. Correct breathing is essential in competitive sports. For everyone, the immediately noticeable effect is obstructed breathing with the cold.

This is how our breathing works.

Breathing in is an active process. Breathing muscles stretch the chest, and the most important one, the diaphragm, expands the chest cavity and moves it down into the abdomen. The lungs fill with air. When you breathe, the muscles relax, the chest tightens, and the air is pressed out of the lungs.

The inhaled air flows through the mouth or nose into the throat, further into the trachea and from there into the bronchi of the lungs. These branch out into ever finer branches (bronchioles) in the lungs. The air reaches the alveoli through the bronchioles, traversed by tiny blood vessels with fragile walls. Only here does the gas exchange with the blood occur: fresh oxygen is absorbed by the blood and transported through the whole body, and carbon dioxide is released from the blood to the alveoli and exhaled as a waste product.

 

Function of our mucous membranes

The branched system of cavities and tubes is lined with mucous membranes so that the sensitive area of ​​the alveoli can only be reached with air that is as clean, temperate and humidified as possible. These also protect the sensitive interior of the body from invading pathogens. Goblet cells are located on the mucosa, which secrete a mucous viscous component and thus cover the surface. Deeper are 40 times more common seromucous glands, filling the thin liquid phase underneath. The viscous slime floats on it like a film.

The most significant part of the cells are called ciliated cells, which have fine hairs called cilia. The cilia move in the thin liquid phase, beating like a whip toward the respiratory outlet. The mucous film, contaminated with dust, viruses and bacteria, is transported forward from below by the cilia like a conveyor belt. We swallow the mucus transported into the mouth area at specific intervals as a reflex, and any germs contained are rendered harmless by the stomach acid.

Numbers about breathing

An adult takes 12 to 18 breaths every minute, children two to three times as often. We inhale and exhale half a litre of air per breath, 6-9 litres per minute and around 10,000 litres daily. Between the ages of 20 and 30, we have an average lung volume of 4 litres, which is reduced by half by the age of 60.

Humans have over 300 million air sacs (alveoli). Spread out, their surface corresponds to the size of a soccer field. A healthy person uses up to 20 million litres of oxygen (1 litre of oxygen = 28 litres of air). The area of ​​​​the mucous membranes in the nose and paranasal sinuses is almost half a square meter, in the branches of the trachea and bronchi – about five square meters.

 

breathing and performance

Healthy breathing should be a mixture of abdominal and chest breathing. But many people breathe incorrectly, which means they rarely breathe deep into their stomachs. A hunched posture, for example, can be to blame for this, be it when sitting at a desk or on the couch in front of the TV. But be careful: In the long run, improper breathing can lead to feelings of tightness in the chest, shortness of breath and tiredness. Tension in the chest and back can also result from improper breathing. In addition, shallow chest breathing is bad for the body’s oxygen supply. This is because the lungs are well supplied with blood in the lower area and can absorb tremendous oxygen there.

Consequently, deep abdominal breathing is healthier. It is very effective because the body draws a lot of air into the lungs and supplies the body with a lot of oxygen. And that has many advantages – in sports and at work: improved ability to concentrate, vitality, and endurance. Conscious abdominal breathing is ideal for strenuous activities since the oxygen supply significantly impacts performance and physical and mental fitness. The best way to do deep abdominal breathing is through breathing exercises practice. Even competitive athletes like the multiple World Cup winner and nine-time German champion in giant slalom Martina Ertl improve their breathing in this way and train the respiratory muscles through specific exercises to use the breathing reserves available during competitions optimally.

prevent infections

Those who have trained their respiratory muscles to take deep breaths are also better protected against respiratory infections. In well-ventilated airways, the pathogens have difficulty establishing themselves and multiplying. But hardly anyone is immune to a cold, and when we get it, it’s difficult to breathe, and we feel weak.

This happens significantly often in winter. The reason is the reduced blood flow and dehydration of the mucous membranes on cold days. The defensive function of the mucous membranes in the nose, mouth and throat is diminished, so they are less able to warm up, humidify and clean the inhaled air. This makes it easy for around 200 cold viruses – they infect the mucous membranes, causing typical symptoms such as coughing, runny nose and sore throat. When a cold sets in, it is usually associated with an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses (sinusitis) or bronchi ( see Bronchitis). The mucous membranes swell, and the increased viscous secretion can no longer drain off.