The Benefits of Apnea

By Eduardo San Marcos

Florida Review

Respiration, mitochondria and the role of gases

Oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, the gas known in older literature as “carbonic gas”, are the gases involved in respiration.

The movements of inhaling and exhaling air during pulmonary ventilation correspond to the pulmonary phase of a cycle that originates within every cell, specifically in the organelles known as mitochondria.

It is here that cellular respiration takes place through a cycle of chemical reactions that generate the energy required for all the organism’s chemical and bioelectric processes; mitochondria act as a sort of microscopic battery within every cell.

In the process of assimilating respiratory gases, nitrogen plays a role analogous to that of water, which serves as a vehicle for the nutrients we ingest via the digestive tract; nitrogen acts as the carrier and vehicle for both oxygen and carbon dioxide, while the hemoglobin molecule serves as the transporter for these two gases within the bloodstream.

How oxygen and carbon dioxide interact

When air is inhaled, oxygen binds to the hemoglobin molecule in the lung capillaries.

This bond is very strong; breaking it to deliver oxygen to the tissues where it is needed requires carbon dioxide.

A gas exchange occurs in the peripheral tissues: the hemoglobin molecule releases an oxygen molecule and takes up a CO2 molecule.

There, the CO2 weakens the bond between oxygen and hemoglobin by lowering the pH, creating an acidic environment that allows the oxygen to detach and enter the cells.

Without the presence of CO2, this reaction, known as the Bohr effect, does not occur.

The opposite effect takes place in the lungs: high O2 concentrations in the pulmonary alveoli cause hemoglobin to release CO2 and absorb oxygen, a phenomenon known as the Haldane effect.

The primary factor determining tissue oxygenation is, therefore, the amount of CO2 produced within the cells during mitochondrial respiration.

CO2 and cellular energy

CO2 is often viewed as a “byproduct” of energy metabolism, a “waste product” of cellular respiration.

Cellular respiration refers to the chain of chemical reactions through which Acetyl CoA, a product of glucose molecule breakdown, is degraded into CO2 and water.

When this process operates in balance, optimal levels of both energy and CO2 are achieved within an enriching cycle: higher energy production leads to higher CO2 production, which in turn results in better cellular oxygenation and greater energy yield per glucose molecule.

The rate of energy production, or metabolic rate, determines the health status of organs and tissues.

The capacity of mitochondria to generate energy underpins all intracellular processes and is fundamental to organ health.

Consequently, peak energy efficiency occurs when tissue CO2 production is at its highest, maintained in dynamic equilibrium with optimal oxygenation, specifically, optimal pulmonary ventilation and microcirculation within the tissues.

Various health conditions can stem from increased endogenous CO2 production; this helps explain the benefits of apnea exercises, which cause a surge of CO2 within cells and mitochondria.

What happens during apnea

When we hold our breath, CO2 is retained throughout the body’s tissues; upon inhaling ambient air again, oxygen is rapidly assimilated, providing a massive bioenergetic boost to the mitochondria of every cell.

This effect is particularly potent in the brain and circulatory system, the body’s most bioenergetically demanding systems.

CO2 acts as the most powerful vasodilator for cerebral and cardiac circulation.

CO2 relaxes the smooth muscles surrounding blood vessels, which enhances vasodilation; a vasodilator is a substance that relaxes the smooth muscle of arteries and arterioles.

By improving oxygen supply and optimizing the performance of the cellular respiratory chain, CO2 minimizes the production of endogenous free radicals; it thus acts as an antioxidant and cell membrane stabilizer, protecting the structure of cells and mitochondria.

Elevated CO2 levels inside and outside the cell protect cell membrane lipids and proteins from oxidation.

It also offers protection against hypoxia, low oxygen content in tissues, and the negative effects of inflammation and elevated intracellular calcium levels.

We can state that CO2 is part of our antioxidant defense system.

The apnea procedure

This procedure should be performed daily, consisting of a series of three breath holding apnea sessions, either consecutive or interspersed with a series of 5 to 10 yawns.

While seated comfortably, begin by flexing the neck in all directions for 1 to 2 minutes and attempting to induce one or two yawns; then, inhale through the nose and exhale normally.

At the end of a normal exhalation, pinch the nose shut with two fingers and hold the breath for 15, 20, 30, or 40 seconds; then inhale and wait 1 to 2 minutes while breathing normally.

Repeat the neck flexions and yawns, then immediately begin the next cycle of breath holding, 15, 20, 30, 40, or 50 seconds; inhale again to start the next cycle of neck flexions, yawns, and breath holding, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 seconds.

The goal is to reach a breath holding duration of 90 seconds, at one’s own pace, over the course of weeks or months.

The role of yawning

The rejuvenating effect of yawning complements and reinforces the effects of apnea.

Yawning acts as a sort of “mini restart” for the nervous system.

We yawn when we are hungry, drowsy, or tired; it is a self administered boost of energy triggered by the brain in such states.

Yawning harmonizes brain functions and, consequently, impacts the entire organism.

Apnea, nature and the cosmos

The experience of apnea, by pushing us to the brink of asphyxiation, and thus to the threshold of death, provides insight into our relationship with the environment and the cosmos.

It is far more than a revitalizing exercise or a wake up call more potent than a cup of coffee; this practice fosters an awareness that we breathe within the cosmos and are, in turn, breathed by the cosmos and nature, that we are one with the organic life surrounding us and deeply conscious of the fragility of our physical existence.

The carbon dioxide we exhale is the fundamental nutrient for the entire plant kingdom, which in turn provides us with oxygen and life.

The higher the concentration of carbon dioxide in the environment, the more exuberant nature becomes.

Carbon dioxide is not the villain of industrial production or civilizational pollution; on the contrary, it is the fundamental molecule of organic life on Earth.