Effects of Exercise on Respiration, Essay Example

Anyone who has taken the stairs instead of the elevator for once or joined an aerobics class for as part of a New Year’s resolution is profoundly aware that activity levels have a big effect on respiration.  Though many likely take it for granted, the process by which respirations change in response to exercise is actually rather a complex one. This paper will first explore where breathing is located in the body and how it is altered with exercise, then go on to discuss how respirations are detected.

Where Breathing is Located

The physical act of breathing originates in the thoracic cavity, specifically with the diaphragm and the external intercostal muscles.  When you breathe in, the diaphragm and the external intercostal muscles contract to move the rib cage outward and increase the lung volume, allowing you to take a deep breath. When the volume of the lungs increases, this decreases the air pressure and, since air moves from areas of low pressure to high pressure, this causes the air in the lungs to flow back out again through a person’s airways (Novostay, 2013, p. 1).

How Breathing Rate is altered with Exercise

During exercise, muscle cells require a greater intake of both oxygen and glucose than they do at rest, but this also means that they have more waste products (British Broadcasting Company, 2013, p. 1).  The byproducts of increased activity in the muscles tends to be acidic, so carbon dioxide builds up as well to act as a sort of buffer against this.  The more strenuous the activity, the more this builds up (Raymond, 2013, p.1), so this also means that they require that waste products and carbon dioxide be removed more quickly (British Broadcasting Company, 2013, p.1).   The body responds to this increase in carbon dioxide levels by increasing both the rate of respiration and also the depth of these respirations, so that the person who is physically active can take more frequent and deeper breaths to help expel the excess carbon dioxide (Raymond, 2013, p. 1).

How Breathing is detected in the Body

There are several ways breathing can be detected in the body.  Firstly, nurses, doctors or other medical professionals can auscultate the lungs (either through the chest or back or both) with a stethoscope or can watch the rise and fall of a patient’s chest to determine their respirations (Nurses Learning.com Website, 2014, p. 1). Respirations can also be detected with a number of more sophisticated medical devices such as an accelerometer, capnograph, respiratory inductive pulmonary sonograph (CRIPS), and micro-electromyocardial systems (MEMS).  (Liu, et. al., 2011, p. 706).  All these means of detection are important, particularly with respiratory patients such as those who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer or cystic fibrosis, just to name a few conditions where respiratory assessment – including assessment of the respiration rate is of paramount importance.

Conclusion

Thus it is clear that a person’s activity level has a profound impact on their respirations and that the process by which the body breathes and responds to heightened activity level is actually a fairly complicated process.  It is possible to detect and monitor respirations through auscultation of the lungs or through a variety of sophisticated monitors.  The more we understand about the mechanics and chemistry of respiration, especially in response to changes in activity level, the better medicine might be able to help those with breathing disorders like asthma to cope with activities of daily living and still maintain healthy respiration.

References

“Assessment of the Lungs and Thorax”.  (2014). Nurses Learning.com Website. Retrieved from www.nurseslearning.com/courses/nrp/NRP-1616/Section2/index.com

“Effects of Exercise on Breathing”.  (2013). The British Broadcasting Company Online. Retrieved from www.bbc.co.uk

Liu, G., et. al. (2011). “Estimation of Respiration Rate from Accelerator Data Based on Body Sensors”.  Telemedicine Journal and E-Health. 17(9) 705-711

Novostay, S.  (2013). “The Science of Breathing”.  IDEAwebsite.  Retrieved from www.idea.com/fitness-library/science-breathing

Raymond, D. (2013). “What Happens to the Breathing When We Exercise?” Live Strong Magazine Online.  Retrieved from www.livestrong.com