Breathing Problems While Exercising
Most people expect to breathe hard during exercise. It's your body's way of pulling more oxygen into the lungs so that it can be pumped throughout the body in your blood. However, the stress of exercise can also reveal breathing problems.
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Improper Breathing
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When we exert ourselves and our oxygen demands increase, it seems easier to breathe through our mouths. After all, it's a bigger opening. We can get more oxygen to where we need it quickly. That's not the best thing to do, though. We should strive to breathe through our noses. Our noses are lined with small hairs that filter the air we breathe and our nasal cavities warm and humidify the air before sending it onto our lungs. This helps protect our lungs from damage.
Hyperventilation
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When we exhale through our mouths, we may be releasing too much carbon dioxide too quickly. This causes the blood vessels to constrict, which in turn makes it harder for us to get enough oxygen. This lack of oxygen can make us hyperventilate or breathe too fast and too quickly. Hyperventilating can lead to asthma, high blood pressure and heart disease.
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Problems with Exercise
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Becoming breathless during exercise can cause problems with your workout as well. It leads to burning sugar instead of fat to fuel the workout. You also become tense, which can lead to injury. Getting out of breath also reduces your endurance and stamina for the workout. If you have trouble speaking while working out, you have probably passed the point where your workout is productive.
Exercise-Induced Asthma
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Becoming breathless during a workout can lead to exercise-induced asthma. When you don't get enough oxygen into your lungs during your workout, you may experience symptoms mimicking asthma. This can continue even after the workout until you are breathing normally and your blood is oxygenated again.
Holding Your Breath
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During certain heavy lifting exercises, it may seem easier to hold your breath on the exertion. This is the wrong thing to do. This could cause you to experience dizziness or blackout while you are trying to balance a heavy weight. The proper form is to exhale on the exertion portion of the repetition and inhale on the easier portion of the repetition.
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