We breathe a little over 400 liters of oxygen per day and it’s needed to provide nutrients to every cell within our body. Without oxygen, the mitochondria within each cell of our being, is unable to produce enough ATP (or energy) for us to use. These are the molecules that give us the electrons for us to have muscle contractions, action potentials (nerve signals), etc. Every time we do anything, including sleeping, we use ATP; we use energy. ATP is what causes us to have body heat as well.
It’s almost more accurate to say that we breath oxygen to feed the mitochondria which in turn keeps us alive. The mitochondria isn’t even human in nature; it has it’s own set of DNA (not our human DNA), and resembles and acts more like a glorified bacterium! Isn’t that nuts? We will most likely talk about the mitochondria more in-depth in a another blog post.
Enzymatic processes within the Mitochondria require the use of oxygen in order for them to work. So, again, without oxygen, we cannot produce the energy sufficiently to perform. We may feel more tired and not have as much energy throughout the day. Over time, this can develop and get worse to the
point where we may receive a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, orthostatic intolerance, or some (albeit rare) may have an actual mitochondrial disease which is inherited.
Taking time each day to make conscious deep breaths can really boosts your energy levels and help you to feel better.
Till next time. Thank you,
