How to Measure Respiration Rates
Respiration rates are the number of breaths taken each minute. One breath in and one breath out comprise one respiration. The factors that respiration depend on are health, lung capacity, altitude and level of activity. When you are more active or at a higher altitude, respiration levels increase. More lung capacity and overall good health decrease respiration rate. To measure respiration, you need a few items and a quiet, distraction-free environment.
Instructions
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1
Determine if you want to measure your resting respiration rate or your respiration rate after a period of exercise. If you want to measure your resting respiration rate, make sure you are fully relaxed and not doing any physical activity for a period before taking the measurement.
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2
Breathe normally and count the number of complete respirations (breathing in and out) over a two-minute period. Do this three times and compute the average by adding up the numbers and dividing by three.
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Divide this number by two to find out the average number of breaths per minute. This number is your respiration rate.
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4
Check your respiration rate after periods of higher activity to see how activity plays a role in your respiration rate.
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Tips & Warnings
You can compare your respiration rate with other people doing similar activity to see how you measure up to others.
If you are going to check your respiration after vigorous physical activity, make sure you are cleared by your doctor to do so if you have underlying medical conditions. Failure to do so could cause harm to your body.
