What happens during short term exercise to cause the breathing rate to increase?

Your breathing rate increases during exercise.

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Exercise helps keep you fit and healthy by strengthening your muscles and making your heart beat faster. Your respiratory rate during exercise increases to make sure you are getting enough oxygen as your muscles, lungs, and heart all work together to move your body.

Your respiratory rate during exercise increases to allow more oxygen to reach your muscles and to expel the carbon dioxide waste. This works in conjunction with an increased heart rate to pump the blood and the release of the stimulating hormone, epinephrine.

Respiration in Exercise

In order to reap the benefits of exercise, your heart and breathing rates must increase. Your muscles are pushing your blood back to your heart at a faster rate, so your heart must increase its rate of pumping to match. Some of the blood pumped by the heart travels to the lungs to get rid of carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen.

The increase in heart rate stimulates your breathing rate. With an increase in heart rate, your blood pumps through your muscles at a faster rate, leaving less time for oxygen uptake. Having more oxygen available in the blood, from a faster breathing rate, helps the muscles get the amount they need.

Increased Oxygen Demand

Your muscles are working harder during exercise and that means their demand for oxygen increases. This happens because oxygen is needed to burn calories more efficiently. Since the blood picks up oxygen in the lungs, and the demand for oxygen increases during exercise, the lungs must work harder. With a faster breathing rate, more oxygen is picked up at the lungs for delivery to the working muscles.

Carbon Dioxide Removal

A byproduct of metabolism is carbon dioxide. Part of the lungs' function is to rid the blood of carbon dioxide. As exercise continues, or exercise intensity increases, more carbon dioxide is produced and needs to be removed. Increased breathing rate allows carbon dioxide to be expired more rapidly.

Body Temperature Regulation

Another by-product of metabolism is heat. As your body temperature rises, signals are sent to the nerves and muscles of the respiratory system to increase the breathing rate. The mechanism of this response is unknown, but increased ventilation is also often present accompanying fever.

Change in Hormone Levels

At the onset of exercise, the brain signals increases in heart and breathing rates in anticipation of the increased need for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange of exercise. Once exercise begins, circulating levels of the hormone epinephrine — also referred to as adrenaline — increase. This increase stimulates ventilation as well.

Lung Problems and Exercise

Exercise may be challenging if you have a lung condition such as asthma or COPD. Discuss the best workout plan for your condition with your doctor. Treatment may include inhaled steroids to keep your airways open or adjusting your routine to include more rest time. Build your stamina slowly and be sure to include a warm up and cool down with each workout.

While you may notice an increased respiratory rate while exercising, you should not experience shortness of breath or chest pain. If you do, stop immediately and contact your doctor.

Cooling down after exercise restores your breathing and heart rate back to normal.

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Most people are familiar with how their bodies feel during exercise; the heart beats faster and it becomes harder to breathe. This is a response to increased work by the muscles and an escalating need for oxygen throughout the body. Once you have finished exercising, your breathing and heart rate slowly return to normal, and the more exercise you perform, the more efficient this system becomes.

Restoration of Oxygen

Breathing rates remain elevated immediately following aerobic exercise. Rapid breathing continues to move oxygen through the lungs and ultimately, into the bloodstream and to the muscles. Although the muscles are not being used as extensively as they were during a workout, this increased breathing and heart rate prevents the buildup of carbon dioxide and restores the necessary oxygen that was depleted during exercise.

Breathing Rate Variations

The time that it takes for your heart and your breathing to slow back down to their resting rates is known as the recovery period. Its length can vary among individuals, and you may have a slower recovery time compared to someone else. People who are trained athletes or who exercise consistently have faster recovery times than those who live sedentary lifestyles and who occasionally work out.

Post-Workout Cool Down

Following your exercise routine, a cool-down period is important to slowly bring your heart rate and breathing patterns back to normal. After working out, allow yourself at least five minutes to cool down, which includes slowly decreasing the intensity of your workout until you are ready to stop. You can follow this with stretches and range of motion exercises.

Avoid stopping exercise completely until you have had sufficient time to cool down. The dramatic decrease in muscle activity can cause your blood pressure to drop, resulting in dizziness or lightheadedness. Dehydration following exercise may also cause lightheadedness.

Contact your doctor if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath or dizziness persists or occurs after a workout that does not normally cause any symptoms.

Long-Term Effects of Exercise

When you exercise on a regularly, your heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood. Although your breathing and heart rate will increase during exercise, you may then have a slower heart rate afterward.

Consult a doctor before beginning any new exercise program, especially if you have a medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, any type of heart condition or a family history of heart disease. You may also need to take extra precautions if you smoke or are overweight.

Because your heart is a muscle, it becomes conditioned with regular activity and requires less effort to pump oxygenated blood. This is reflected both during and following exercise. Your heart rate will still increase while exercising, but not as sharply because the heart is strengthened; your breathing will intensify, but you may be less winded. Once your exercise routine is complete, breathing and heart rate will return to normal more quickly.