Why do you run out of air in the middle of a run - and when to start worrying?
Shortness of breath is an integral part of efforts to get back into shape or increase the intensity of training.
This way you will know the (rare) situations in which it indicates a significant problem, and you will also be able to reduce these seizures while running
Walla!
health
21/03/2022
Monday, 21 March 2022, 06:19 Updated: 07:33
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Whether it's a distant memory from high school sports lessons or whether you felt it in a running workout you did recently - we've all experienced at least once in our lives this stressful feeling that while running we just have a hard time breathing properly.
In such a situation, quite ironically, many will start to gasp and breathe faster, which may lead them to hyperventilation, or in Hebrew "over-breathing".
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First of all it is important to emphasize - in the vast majority of cases, this situation is not dangerous and will pass by itself when you stop running, or alternatively, the more you run and improve your fitness.
However, there are definitely cases where shortness of breath can signal that something is not going right in your body.
An article published in the journal Breathe will help us all better understand the mechanism underlying stressful shortness of breath.
Simply put, strenuous exercise like running, requires more oxygen and essential substances to flow to the muscles and other body systems, when in general it makes the respiratory system work much harder.
This is due to the increased need to provide more oxygen to the body and eliminate more carbon dioxide.
When we run, we breathe a lot more.
People running (Photo: Giphy)
Shortness of breath is a factor that indicates a low level of physical fitness, or difficulty of the body to withstand the intensity of the training you are performing.
On average, when we are at rest, we breathe about 15 times per minute - which increases to a volume of between 40 and 60 breaths per minute while running.
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When it is difficult to breathe, many will try to get more air into the lungs, although the more important operation - expelling the air, is usually not performed properly, especially for inexperienced gymnasts.
By the way, this is exactly what happens even in an anxiety attack, where we feel we have no air, so try to put more of it in, instead of just letting go, letting go and exhaling more air more slowly.
When does shortness of breath really indicate a problem?
In some cases, shortness of breath can indeed indicate a medical problem - not only the health itself, but also the heart.
To understand if you are suffering from a significant problem, it is important to pay attention to other symptoms that may appear, such as dizziness, chest pain, increased sweating or anything else that you would not define as "normal" during and after training.
These symptoms, we emphasize, can also indicate anxiety, especially if they appear even when you are not making an effort, but simply sitting in front of the computer for example and dealing with unusual stress at work.
However, it is important to pay attention to them and approach an in-depth inquiry if they are really bothering you.
Pay attention to the symptoms that come with shortness of breath.
Man panting while running (Photo: ShutterStock)
In general, the shortness of breath in such a run will decrease as you become more fit.
In addition, there are several ways to reduce it and improve your training performance.
The American Lung Association has published an article in this regard reviewing proven ways to do this:
Do not give up warming up:
Warming up before a run sometimes feels like a waste of time, but studies show that this is the most effective way to ensure your body withstands the effort that awaits it.
A warm-up of between 6 and 10 minutes, which includes both stretching and walking or jogging, will help blood flow more efficiently to the muscles and prepare them for the prolonged run.
The warm-up will also help prevent injuries or busy muscles later on.
Breathe in from the nose:
This advice is especially difficult for some people while running, but breathing from the nose will significantly reduce the risk of shortness of breath.
This is because unlike air that is breathed from the mouth, the air in the nose undergoes additional filtration that helps make it more moist and moist.
Schedule your runs
: Exercise in the heat, as well as on days of haze and unusual air pollution, will increase your chances of suffering from shortness of breath.
If you have various allergies, it is recommended that you exercise in an environment that will not provoke them and make it difficult for you.
The same rules as an anxiety attack.
Sheldon from the Big Bang breathes into a Nike bag (Photo: Giphy)
Get in the rhythm:
As mentioned, when we are short of breath, or trying to get more air into the lungs, we do more harm than good to these efforts.
Instead, you should get used to breathing at a steady pace.
You can synchronize your breathing with the steps and there are different ways to help you do this - but it is important that you find the one that works for you.
And if you really have trouble breathing suddenly, you should stop for a moment, take a deep breath for a few seconds and exhale for a longer time.
For example, if you inhale air for three seconds - try blowing it out for four or five seconds.
This action not only helps to reduce shortness of breath, but also affects the nervous and muscular system in a way that "forces" them to relax immediately.
health
capacity
Tags
running
breathing
Exercise
sport
