Breathing Easy: How Respiratory Rate Data Reflects Your Health
The respiratory system is a crucial component of our overall health and survival. Its primary function is to supply the body with oxygen and remove carbon dioxide, which helps to maintain a delicate balance within our system. In addition to this, the respiratory system also plays a role in energy production, pH balance maintenance, immune defence, temperature regulation, and even vocalisation. Respiratory infections impact the respiratory system, which includes the sinuses, windpipe, and lungs responsible for breathing.
Monitoring our respiratory rate can provide valuable insights into our well-being and help detect potential health issues. In this blog post, we'll explore the significance of respiratory rate data and why it's an essential measurement, we should all be mindful of.
What is Respiratory Rate?
Have you ever wondered what it means when your health-tracking device records your respiratory rate? Essentially, this refers to the number of breaths you take per minute, and it's an essential indicator of your respiratory health. Typically, this is measured by counting the number of breaths in a specific period. A regular resting respiratory rate for adults ranges between 12 to 20 breaths per minute, although it may vary depending on age, physical activity, and overall health. Your breathing rate is usually consistent from night to night, only changing by 1-2 breaths per minute.
The Benefits of Tracking Respiratory Rate With Your Wearable:
Monitoring your vital signs, including respiratory rate, through a health wearable is valuable for tracking your overall health! You can gain helpful insights into your respiratory health by knowing your breathing patterns and detecting irregularities. You can also share this information with healthcare providers to assist in diagnosing and managing respiratory conditions more effectively.
It’s essential to note that respiratory rate is individual to you, meaning you should only compare changes relative to your baseline and not with other people’s data.
An Increased Respiration Rate
That is from an average baseline could indicate that your body is experiencing stress.in
Fever
Fighting Off Illness
Dehydration
Poor Air Quality or High Altitude
Long-Term Breathing Issues: Asthma, Excessive snoring, coughing, and frequent movements can disrupt the regular pattern of interbeat intervals used to calculate the respiratory rate.
Vigorous Exercise
Anxiety: When someone experiences heightened anxiety, they tend to breathe quickly and irregularly.
Hormonal Changes: Women's respiratory rates are influenced by their menstrual cycle. Breathing tends to be slower during the follicular phase and faster during the luteal phase.
Room Temperature: Uncomfortable bedroom temperatures can affect breathing and cause slight elevations in respiratory rate.
Drinking alcohol
Caffeinated beverages such as matcha, coffee, tea or soda
Certain pharmaceuticals such as amphetamines.
A Low Respiratory Rate
When an adult's breathing rate falls below 12 breaths per minute, it is known as bradypnea.
Various factors can lead to a decrease in respiratory rate, such as:
Excessive alcohol intake
Electolyte Imbalance
Opioids and other drugs
Sleeping aids
Lung disease and cancer
Hypothyroidism
Brain injuries
Obstructive sleep apnea
Toxins: Toxic chemicals in car airbags, like carbon monoxide and sodium azide, can harm your breathing.
NOTE: Slowing your breathing by controlling your inhales and exhales is a common relaxation technique and nothing out of the ordinary.
Ways to Support Respiratory Health
Respiratory rate is a consistently reliable measure and is an overall indicator of cardiovascular fitness and workload (over-straining). Nevertheless, when notable changes occur, they often carry significance and may warrant attention or concern.
Simple deep breathing: Maximize your lung capacity with deep breathing. Inhale slowly, expanding your belly and ribs, then lift your upper chest. Exhale by contracting your ribs, bringing in your stomach muscles and lifting your diaphragm to expel all air.
Staying hydrated: Staying hydrated is important for lung health. Consistent fluid intake promotes better lung function.
House plants: Plants play a vital role in improving indoor air quality as they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen, creating a fresher atmosphere resembling the outdoors.
Staying active: Regular and moderately intense physical activity benefits the lungs, heart, and mood. Aim for at least 20 minutes of consistent movement daily, like brisk walking or biking.
Box breathing: A breathing technique involves equal durations of inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath, followed by repeating the sequence of inhale-hold-exhale-hold.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and personalised treatment. Tracking respiratory rate with a health app can be beneficial for monitoring health. Treatments for slow breathing vary depending on the underlying cause, and oxygen therapy may be recommended until a diagnosis is made.
References:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24832-bradypnea#:~:text=Bradypnea%20is%20an%20abnormally%20slow,dizziness%2C%20confusion%20and%20feeling%20tired.
https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/how-lungs-work#:~:text=The%20respiratory%20system's%20main%20job%20is%20to%20move%20fresh%20air,waste%20gas%20called%20carbon%20dioxide.