Breathing Methods that Increase Body and Brain Oxygen Levels

There are many breathing techniques and breathing methods that improve body and brain oxygen content. However, as a first step, let us consider how we can measure body oxygen levels. There are special devices and tests that can evaluate oxygen content in the arterial and venous blood and body tissues. For example, a PET scan shows oxygenation of tissues and here is an example of a PET scan.

This graph shows oxygen content in the brain during normal breathing at rest (6 L/min; 10-12 breaths/min; only 500-600 ml of air per breath - a tiny amount; 40 mm Hg for CO2 pressure in the arterial blood). The right image relates to deep breathing at rest (over 20 L/min and less than 20 mm Hg CO2 in the arterial blood). It is easy to notice that overbreathing drastically reduces brain (and body) oxygenation.

Measure your body oxygen level now

Right after your usual expiration, relax all muscles of the body, pinch your both nostrils, and count length (in seconds) of your discomfort-free breath hold. Bear in mind that your breath pattern right after this check must always be similar to your breath pattern just before this unique check: no stress what-so-ever after the test and no gasping for air.

This examination indicates your cell oxygen concentration. The same test assesses how deep your respiratory pattern is. Provided that your respiratory pattern is approximately standard, you will be capable to hold your breath for nearly 40 s. If you have only about twenty sec, you breathe approximately twice more than the physiological norm. With respect to the sick individuals, body oxygen content is smaller. It is ordinarily about 20 s or less. Acutely sick and hospitalized patients breathe even more and their oxygen content in the body and brain is less than 10 sec.