Our brains are 2% of our total body weight but consume 20% of the air we breathe. Oxygen is critical – your brain depends on adequate oxygen more than any other part of your body. As you age, you lose some of your capacity to utilize oxygen, approx. 1% per year. The older you get, the more oxygen deficiency becomes an issue.

So what?  What’s that got to do with anything?  Well, to begin with, your brain controls every cell in your body, but here’s a list just to get you thinking:

• thoughts
• moods
• memory
• emotions
• attention
• vision
• taste
• touch
• hearing
• smell
• pain perception
• balance
• posture
• muscle tone
• digestion
• heart rate
• blood pressure
• breathing
• bladder function
• sexual function
• hormone production
• immune response

You can imagine the negative effects in these areas if sufficient oxygen is not taken into our bodies.

Our body is a very complex machine, but – in a nutshell – here’s how it works (as far as oxygen intake goes.)  Every breath you take converts to energy. All human cells, especially your brain/nervous system cells called neurons, need energy to do their job. All cells use blood sugar (glucose) and oxygen to create Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP), the energy source that fuels cell function.  If your cells need more energy, they use more oxygen. That is why your breathing rate increases when you exercise. If your cells do not receive enough oxygen, they produce less energy.

You derive oxygen/O2 from the air you breathe. There is plenty of evidence that our air contains less oxygen now, especially in densely populated metropolitan areas. Air pollution levels are constantly increasing. Living at higher elevations puts you at an automatic disadvantage – the higher the elevation, the less the oxygen content of the air your breathe.

Another problem is that most people don’t breathe well. Many are shallow breathers (breathing only to the chest level.) This seems to be more the case with our increasingly sedentary life styles and when we are chronically stressed. This leads to less oxygen transfer in the lungs with devastating consequences for our brain function. But even those people who aren’t chronically stressed and aren’t sedentary still don’t know how to breathe properly (deep belly breathing.)  Check our recent radio shows on stress on this website (www.hipeli.com.)  Go to the radio show tab and check out episodes 6 and 7.  They both have breathing video demonstrations that are quite helpful.

The brain demands at least 20% of the body’s oxygen supply, when it doesn’t get this supply it can lead to issues such as sleep apnea, poor concentration, forgetfulness, mood swings, restlessness, depressive thoughts and low drive.  So, where do we go from here?  Let’s start with what we can control and that being our breathing.  Start breathing deeper, from the belly not the chest area.  Learn how to breathe correctly and it will, not only maximize your oxygen absorption, but also will naturally calm your body.  It helps your body manage stress among other things.  Remember, breathe deeply, be at peace, and live long and prosper.  J www.hipeli.com

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