Breathing Rates
A person's breathing rate depends on many factors, including age, the health of her lungs, and whether she is at rest or performing exercise. Generally, children breathe faster than adults.
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Volume
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In a single breath, an adult person inhales about 500 mL of air, and exhales about the same amount. This is called the "tidal volume" of breathing. If a person is taking shallower breaths because he is exercising, he needs to take more breaths to bring the same volume of air into the lungs.
Rates
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The average number of breaths a child takes per minute, while at rest, are as follows: 30 to 60 for infants, 24 to 40 for toddlers, 22 to 34 for preschoolers, 18 to 30 for school-age children (6 to 12 years old), and 12 to 16 for adolescents. An adult takes between 12 to 18 breaths per minute while at rest.
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Exercise
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Healthy, younger adults take an average of 35 to 45 breaths per minute during strenuous exercise. In some endurance sports, athletes can breathe as many as 60 to 70 times per minute.
Considerations
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If a person is breathing deeply, the tidal volume of air is about 1,000 mL, which means she would only need to breathe about six times per minute to achieve the ventilation needed. If a person is shallow breathing at 150 mL per breath, she needs to breathe 40 times per minute.
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References
- New York State Department of Health: Pediatric Respiratory Rates.
- Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance: William D. McArdle, Frank L. Katch, Victor L. Katch; 2001.
- University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics: Vital signs: temperature, pulse, and respiration; 2005.
- American Lung Association: How Lungs Work.
