1. Initiation of exercise
Our blood becomes oxygenated in our lungs and delivers to the muscles involved in the exercise, which helps blood flow by opening up the blood capillaries. Another mechanism is that oxygen is released from our blood more readily, which helps oxygen efficiency (Byzak, 2018).
2. Moderate exercise
As the intensity of the exercise increases, our muscles work harder, which indicated a bigger need for oxygen in our lungs so that our lungs can pump more oxygenated blood to our blood and muscles. And with more oxygen in our bodies, we produce more carbon dioxide (Sheffield, England, 2016).
3. Asthma attack
During an asthma attack, the muscles around our airways are tightened, making our airways narrowed, and the lining inside the airways swells and thickens, which causes a lot of mucous to get clogged. This mechanism makes it difficult to move air in and out of the air sacs (Asthma Attacks, 2019).
4. Abrupt ascent into high altitudes
Since the air pressure is lower at high altitudes, there is reduced oxygen content in our blood which causes breathing problems and instability. Therefore, our volume respiration increases at higher altitudes (San et al., 2013).
5. Pneumonia
A patient with pneumonia has their alveoli inflamed and filled with mucus, pus, and fluid, which makes it more difficult and painful to breathe which may lead to an increased respiratory rate. Rapid shallow breathing may be observed (Pneumonia, 2021).
6. Paralysis of phrenic nerve
The phrenic nerve is responsible for the motor supply of the diaphragm. Patients who have a weakened diaphragm cannot control their breathing, which means they are having difficulty maintaining the gas exchange in their body (Phrenic Nerve: Anatomy & Function, n.d.).
7. Severe tuberculosis with resulting lung scar tissue
In tuberculosis, our lungs are infected causing the patient to cough up bacteria and difficulty breathing. Scarring in our lung tissue makes our lungs less elastic so the ability to move oxygen in and out of our body becomes more difficult (What Is Pulmonary Fibrosis? - British Lung Foundation, 2022).
8. Severe anemia
In anemic people, there is a low supply of red blood cells, which means we do not get enough oxygen-rich blood. The lungs of anemic people work harder to get more oxygen, which causes breathing problems (Lepage, 2021).
9. Advanced COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
With advanced COPD, our airways thicken and become inflamed and some of our lung tissue is destroyed. This mechanism reduces our oxygen levels and makes it more difficult for our body to eliminate carbon dioxide (Learn About COPD, n.d.).
10. Advanced Pregnancy
As the uterus enlarges during pregnancy, there is a pressure that it exerts on our diaphragm and lungs, making these organs squeezed, and reducing the space for gas exchange to happen. Another mechanism is when the progesterone levels are high, it makes women breathe faster, which may result in shortness of breath (Harvard Health, n.d.).
References:
Asthma Attacks. (2019, April 29). Department of Pediatrics. https://med.virginia.edu/pediatrics/clinical-and-patient-services/patient-tutorials/asthma/asthma-attacks/
Byzak, A. (2018, December 29). Why Warming Up and Cooling Down is Important. Tri-City Medical Center. https://www.tricitymed.org/2016/12/warming-cooling-important/
Harvard Health. (n.d.). Shortness of Breath In Pregnancy. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/decision_guide/shortness-of-breath-in-pregnancy
Learn About COPD. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/learn-about-copd
Lepage, R. (2021, November 23). Anemia: The disease that makes you feel like you’re running a never-ending marathon. Biron. https://www.biron.com/en/education-center/specialist-advice/anemia-breathing/
Phrenic Nerve: Anatomy & Function. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22270-phrenic-nerve
Pneumonia. (2021, November 11). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pneumonia
San, T., Polat, S., Cingi, C., Eskiizmir, G., Oghan, F., & Cakir, B. (2013). Effects of high altitude on sleep and respiratory system and theirs adaptations. TheScientificWorldJournal, 2013, 241569. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/241569
What is pulmonary fibrosis? - British Lung Foundation. (2022, June 9). Asthma + Lung UK. https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/pulmonary-fibrosis/what-is-pulmonary-fibrosis
Your lungs and exercise. (2016). Breathe (Sheffield, England), 12(1), 97–100. https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.ELF121