"Breathe Right" nose strips

Many years ago in the US I purchased some Breathe Right nose strips which help stop snoring. They were for my husband who snores.

The past few years these have become available in the UK and I now use them myself overnight when I have a cold and a blocked up nose.

Last night I had a slightly blocked up nose (no idea why) and I awoke at 4 am with the grumblings of a kicking heart. I tried lying in one or two different positions but nothing helped. I have been a couple of weeks without taking propafenone PIP at all so I was reluctant to break my "free" run. So I got up and put a Breathe Right strip on my nose and went back to bed. Sure enough, the heart stopped kicking!!

Grand Prix racing drivers and athletes (some) use the strips when they are driving to increase their oxygen intake by ensuring free passage of air through the nose. I am fascinated by the thought that increasing oxygen intake helped my kicking heart. I know in the past when I have been in trouble with my heart on an aeroplane and have been given oxygen I have improved immediately.

Kate

Kate, i have noticed that some of my apneic episodes have turned into afib. I think that in a person inclined toward afib, being short of air is enough of a strain on normal functioning to push one's heart toward afib. It would make sense that whatever contributes to a better oxygen supply would help one's heart remain in NSR.
PeggyM

Kate,

You might want to look at some of the links in this post about treating sleep apnea with a Didgeridoo for a longer term fix:

<[www.afibbers.org];

George

Following is a clip about the importance of balancing ratios of oxygen and carbon dioxide according to the Buteyko breathing method. I took some abbreviated courses on this breathing technique in the hope that by retaining more CO2, my body would become less acidic and less prone to AF.

Mouth breathing, snoring, and obviously sleep apnea will all affect the amount of CO2 retained in the lungs and note that it also has digestive impacts as well as cardiac.

Read a bit of this and then check out the Buteyko sites if this is of interest.

Jackie

Buteyko theory

A BREATHING DISCOVERY

At the end of the last century Austrian physiologists Breyer and Gering made a sensational discovery - man is the only biological specimen on earth who had not developed a correct way of breathing. All other beings know how to breathe, but not humans. Just observe those around you carefully and you will find that people breathe differently. Some breathe deeply, others superficially, some faster, others slower, with pauses and some without.

NORMAL BREATHING

Russian Medical Scientist Professor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko devoted over 40 years of research into breathing and in the process discovered that only one in ten people breathe correctly. Natural or normal breathing results in a very specific accumulated gas mixture that our organism requires to function properly.

THE MYTH BEHIND DEEP BREATHING

Traditional wisdom tells us that deep breathing is the best as it is thought to provide the most oxygen. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide and the conclusion that is drawn is that oxygen is good for us and carbon dioxide is harmful. When Professor Buteyko was first analysing his patients he discovered that those who were sick breathed much more than those who were healthy; that is, their tidal volume, depth and frequency was greater. Could it be that "breathing deeply" is in fact contributing to ill health?

THE OXGYGEN PARADOX

In 1871 Doctor Da Costa discovered the "Hyperventilation Syndrome" whereby deep breathing in a relaxed state caused dizziness and sometimes fainting. This is often incorrectly attributed to oxygen saturation. According to the Verigo-Bohr effect, it is the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen which permits the release or retention of oxygen from the blood.

At the end of the last century Russian physiologist Verigo and Dutch scientist Bohr independently discovered that without carbon dioxide, oxygen is bound to the haemoglobin of the blood and simply does not work. This leads to oxygen deficiency in the tissues of the brain, heart, kidneys and other organs and a raising of blood pressure.

Strange as it may seem, oxygen deficiency is not caused by lack of oxygen but by the lack of carbon dioxide! If we breathe too much we get less oxygen.

HOW MUCH CARBON DIOXIDE DO WE NEED?

THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE CONTAINS 200 TIMES LESS CARBON DIOXIDE THAN WE NEED AND 10 TIMES MORE OXYGEN THAN WE NEED.

The function of our respiratory system is not just to push air in and out but to maintain a very specific ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide.

OVERBREATHING OR HYPERVENTILATION

When we over breathe or hyperventilate, we lose valuable carbon dioxide. According to Professor Buteyko, "hidden hyperventilation" often goes undiagnosed. When a person is acutely hyperventilating, it's obvious and the implications to the organism are disastrous. Chronic Hidden hyperventilation often goes unnoticed. Asthmatics overbreathe three or more times the recommended volume of air. Long term "hidden hyperventilation" is the hinge upon which Buteyko's discovery and method are based.

SO HOW SHOULD WE BREATHE?

Physiological norms apply to pulse, blood pressure, sugar levels, temperature and breathing as well. Ideally at rest an adult should breathe lightly, superficially, and only through the nose. A healthy person can perform light exercise and still breathe lightly, whilst a sick person requires deep breaths almost all of the time.

BUT HOW CAN WE TELL IF WE BREATHE TOO DEEPLY OR NOT?

Many people think they breathe shallowly but in fact they breathe very deeply. Many people who suffer with asthma, allergies, bronchitis, emphysema and breathlessness will tell you they can't breathe enough, when in fact they are breathing three or more times the normal volume of air. Professor Buteyko developed a test that can measures your depth of breathing and subsequent retention of carbon dioxide, resultant oxygenation and health.

Professor Buteyko calls it the "Control Pause" breathing test.

Breathe in gently for two seconds
Exhale gently for three seconds.
Hold your breath, pinching the nose after exhaling, holding your breath until it becomes difficult.
If you manage less than 10 seconds (on the third step) you have very serious health problems. If you can hold less than 25 seconds your health requires attention, 30-40 seconds is satisfactory and 60 and above is excellent.

WHAT ABOUT THE AIR WE BREATHE?

We are all aware of the dangers of pollution and the declining quality of our air. Many blame asthma and other breathing disorders on pollution and the environment, yet asthma strikes in the county as well as in the cities and some people who work in very polluted environments never suffer with asthma or emphysema. Could there be another problem with the air we breathe?

OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

The problem faced by the evolving human organism has been the depletion of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere from the tens of percent of ancient eras to the current level (1982) of 0.03%. Human evolution has dealt with this dilemma by creating an autonomous internal air environment within the alveolar spaces of the lungs. These alveoli ideally contain around 6.5% of carbon dioxide, quite a contrast to the surrounding air. The gaseous mix in the womb is also an interesting indicator of the ideal human environment - here there exists between 7/8% carbon dioxide.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE OVER- BREATHE AND LOSE CARBON DIOXIDE?

Let's take a look at what carbon dioxide does for us, and from this we can ascertain what a deficiency may mean:

1. Oxygenation
Carbon dioxide regulates oxygen departure from blood and a fall in carbon dioxide results in reduced oxygenation of tissue and vital organs (Verigo-Bohr Effect). Poor oxygenation leads to myriad complaints.

2. Acid/Alkali Balance and the Immune System
Carbon dioxide, through its conversion to carbonic acid, is the most important regulator of our acid/base balance. A lowering of carbon dioxide results in a shift of the body's pH toward alkalinity, which changes the rate of activity of all body ferments.

An alkaline system is much more susceptible to virus and allergy as it compromises the immune system. A great deal of information is available about the role of pH in the process of binding of the antibody with the antigen. A deviation of the pH from a certain optimum results in a decrease in the affinity and therefore in the weakening of the immune reaction.

3. Vessels
Carbon dioxide is a smooth muscle tissue dilator; therefore a shortage of carbon dioxide can cause spasms of brain, bronchi and other smooth muscle tissue. Asthma spasms and migraines are prime examples of this situation.

4. The Nervous System
Carbon dioxide is a regulator of nervous system activity and a lowering of carbon dioxide in the nerve cells heightens their excitability, alerting all branches of the nervous system and rendering it extraordinarily sensitive to outside stimuli. This leads to irritability, sleeplessness, stress problems, unfounded anxiety and allergic reactions. Concurrent with this, the breathing centre in the brain is further stimulated, thereby causing an increase in breathing rate and a further loss of carbon dioxide, and a vicious cycle begins.

5. The Cardiovascular System
Carbon dioxide is a regulator of the cardiovascular system. A depletion of carbon dioxide can result in angina, chest pains, high or low arterial pressure, hypertension, stenocardia and eventually sclerosis of vessels, myocardial infarcts and strokes.

6. The Digestive System
There is a direct relationship between the level of carbon dioxide and the activity of the digestive glands, in particular the linear relationship between the intensity of gastric secretion and the level of carbon dioxide. A shortfall of carbon dioxide can lead to ulcers and poor digestion.

Note for medical professionals:

The above reference to carbon dioxide does not specify its form (i.e. dissolved carbon dioxide gas, carbonic acid, bicarbonates, carbonates or carbamates). Furthermore the author has not explained the various shunts between defensive and compensatory mechanisms that may lead to obvious paradoxes, such as high levels of CO2 in the blood of asthmatics, and the compensating shifts between respiratory alkalosis and metabolic acidosis).

[www.buteyko.co.uk]

That's very interesting Jackie. Before my WPW was ablated I could stop an episode by holding my breath in a very specific fashion at a very specific moment in the inhale/exhale motion. It worked for years. It was something to do with frightening the brain/something into behaving correctly as a result of build up of carbon something or other. Worked like a charm. Doesn't work for AF sadly.

Kate

There are Buteyko books on Amazon & sometimes tapes are sold on Ebay. I picked up an Aussie Buteyko tape on Ebay. The Buteyko people will say you need an instructor, can't learn it from a book. I can't say what an instructor would impart to you differently other than perhaps more motivation.

Buteyko is not easy and requires regular practice. However I learned a lot from the tape and books I bought. I don't have asthma, so wasn't motivated to practice daily, but it was very interesting. My main motivation was curiosity - something I share with my cats :~)

The reason I posted the info on the Didgeridoo is I think it might be more motivating to play it on a regular basis than doing the Buteyko exercises.

The initical concept of higher CO2 levels being a good thing was counterintuitve to me, till I studied it further. It is an interesting topic.

Thanks for the info, Jackie.

George

Hello George,
just a little aside on didgeridoo playing that folks might find interesting........
I am indeed fortunate that our local aboriginal population has a cultural centre in town which boasts a couple of master didgeridoo players.
The aboriginal dance team and musicians put on a performance every year at our local festival at the end of February.
The instrument is played involving a technique called circular breathing, in which a breath is taken in through the nose while continuing to breath out through the mouth. This produces the characteristic 'drone' , which can be varied in pitch by using tongue and cheek muscles. Vocal chords are also used - eg to produce animal sounds such as a dingo's bark, etc.
Properly played, the didgeridoo produces a most beautiful, haunting, yet powerful sound which can make the hairs on the back of one's neck rise in appreciation!

I'm wondering whether it is the actual circular breathing that would be beneficial for asthma sufferers/AF sufferers, rather than the straight 'blowing' required for trumpet or other woodwind inststrument.

I've been interested enough in how the instrument is played to try circular breathing myself. I found it extremely difficult to do - even without a didgeridoo in my hands (Women are traditionally banned from playing it)
It obviously requires strong cheek and tongue muscles to keep a continuous, forceful flow of air moving out while sniffing more air in!

I borrowed the Buteyko book from the library and taught myself the breathing technique - I found that going against my instinctive wish to take a deep breath was very hard! Yet the instructions were clear and I agree that a personal instructor would probably not be necessary. Like you, I was motivated by curiosity and once I found I could do the exercises, I kept a diary for about 3 months, then gradually went back to the 'old' way of breathing.

best wishes,
Emmie

Kate,

When I was getting frequent AF one of the things which helped me most was Yoga breathing. I have done Yoga for most of my adult life so that form of breathing comes naturally to me now, although like everything else, it can take a long time to get it right. I am sure over the years I have eased my AF symptoms by this form of regulating your Oxygen/CO2 intake.