Hormones and your nervous system
affect your breathing.
Your breathing pattern is a result of your life history and your body’s current emotional and physiological condition. When we need to be alert and active, our breathing pattern is a little quicker. When we’re at peace and relaxed, our breathing pattern is a little lighter, softer, and slower.
Historically all respiratory research has been done on male rodents or men. Research is slowly changing. Much is still unknown about women specifically and their breathing; however, it does appear that breathing considerations are different for women than men and female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) play a role in lung health and breathing patterns.
Female hormones impact our breathing and our tolerance to carbon dioxide. The concentration of carbon dioxide, not oxygen, in our blood creates the urge to breathe. Our tolerance to carbon dioxide varies by person and each person’s lifestyle. Like most things in our body, your carbon dioxide sensor in your blood is adaptable and trainable. Your desire or urge to breathe will be triggered by varying levels of carbon dioxide based on your life, your stress levels, your hormones, and your habits. If you want to measure your tolerance to carbon dioxide, you can hold your breath after your exhale and notice the time at which you have your first strong urge to breathe. Please see my prior blog post on carbon dioxide sensitivity.
During menstruation, your carbon dioxide tolerance will vary throughout the month. The menstrual cycle can be divided into two phases: (1) the follicular phase and the (2) luteal phase. The follicular phase is the time between the first day of your period and ovulation. Estrogen rises as your body prepares to release an egg. The luteal phase is the time between ovulation and the star of menstruation. Because this is the phase when the body prepares for a potential pregnancy, progesterone is produced, peaks, and then drops. In general, your carbon dioxide tolerance will be lower in the second half of the cycle, during the luteal phase, as progesterone is a respiratory stimulant. The luteal phase is most associated with hyperventilation, anxiety, and breathlessness as progesterone levels fluctuate. This will impact some women significantly and others not at all. Your exact hormone levels, the condition of your nervous system (calmness vs. hyperarousal), and other factors may impact your breathing.
A 2006 study showed that PMS symptoms are similar to the symptoms of chronic hyperventilation (over breathing) syndrome. During PMS, pain perception is heighted by low carbon dioxide levels, and the drop in carbon dioxide also causes constriction of smooth muscles. Since the uterus is comprised of smooth muscle, this can directly contribute to pain experienced as menstrual cramps.
During perimenopause, the time between when a women’s hormones start to change as the body prepares for menopause, breathing patterns can vary a little more erratically as the hormone levels fluctuate a little more erratically. During menopause, slow and diaphragmatic breathing can reduce certain hormonal systems of menopause. A 2012 study explored the potential of calming the body down with slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Slower paced breathing may reduce the stress response, relaxing the body and the mind.
Why do I share this information?
You can practice slow and diaphragmatic (lower in the ribs) breathing exercises to help the body relax, calm down and to increase carbon dioxide tolerance to reduce the impact of some of the hormonal changes, PMS systems, and menopause. To let you know that if you feel more breathless or anxious at certain times, it could be due to your hormone levels and changes. Your natural cycle, contraception and hormone replacement therapy may impact your breathing pattern.
