Breathing is an elemental aspect of life, yet it’s connection and impact on sleep quality is often missed. Normal breathing not only ensures that our bodies uptake oxygen necessary for life, but plays a critical role in maintaining restful and restorative sleep. Not only knowing, but understanding the connection between breathing and sleep quality can help us to adopt healthier habits and improve overall well-being.
Breathing is an autonomic process controlled by the respiratory centers of the brain, for the purpose of supplying oxygen to the body, while expelling carbon dioxide from the body. Oxygen is used for every cell in the body to “breathe” while carbon dioxide is a biproduct of body metabolism and must be expelled from the body through the lungs. Normal breathing involves using the diaphragm, a muscle located below the lungs to “pull” air into the lungs. Known as diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing, this normally requires very little energy to perform and can also promote relaxation.
Sleep is a natural state of rest for the body during which consciousness is temporarily suspended. This state is critical for the physical maintenance of the body as well as rest and restoration of the brain. Sleep is denoted by a series of physical and mental changes such as reduced movement, altered brain activity and slower breathing. Sleep is essential to various bodily functions such as, memory consolidation, immune support, and overall mental well-being.
Normal, easy breathing is essential in being able to maintain a healthy sleep state. Yet there are several factors that can throw this normal state out of balance. Such as sleep disorders related to breathing. There are several sleep disorders that impeded this normal breathing dynamic. The most common of which is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a chronic condition where the airway becomes partially or completely blocked during sleep, causing breathing to stop and start repeatedly. With each stoppage of breathing the brain partially awakens, (arousal) to reopen the airway to get air flowing again. This constant recurrence of sleep, and arousals can prevent the body from progressing through the different states of sleep; inhibiting the bodies ability to perform proper memory consolidation, perform cellular repair and support overall mental well-being.
Symptoms of OSA include snoring, gasping for air during sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Left untreated, sleep apnea can significantly impact overall health and quality of life. It is important for those with these symptoms to discuss them with their doctor.
Likewise, chronic lung disease can also impair the normal breathing process and impede the ability to maintain healthy restful sleep. Diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, (COPD), or Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, (IPF), can cause chronic inflammation of the airways. This chronic inflammation can predispose people with these diseases to have obstructive sleep apnea. In turn poor sleep can exacerbate symptoms of chronic lung disease, leading to more frequent flare-ups. Quality sleep assists the body in combating inflammation while lack of sleep can worsen inflammation leading to more symptoms and more flare-ups. These flare-ups, in turn, can cause increased sleep disturbances creating a repeating cycle.
Using medications to treat these chronic diseases properly, identifying when an exacerbation is likely and self-treating to avoid it can help improve sleep quality through the reduction of the symptoms associated with chronic lung disease.
We take the simple action breathing for granted and tend to think of sleep as an optional commodity. Yet, the connection between breathing and sleep is not only undeniable but essential to healthy life-style. Likewise, knowing when this connection is impaired and what to do about it is also important to overall well-being; sleep tight.
