Function

• Deep breathing during exercise pumps oxygen directly into the bloodstream to be metabolized by the body. When the body senses a lack of oxygen, it releases neurotransmitters to send a chemical pain signal to the brain.
  
  

Significance

• Aerobic exercise requires increased levels of oxygen to create sufficient energy for physical activity. Creating an oxygen deficiency with irregular breathing during exercise effectively suffocates muscular cells and causes pain.
  
  

Lactic Acid

• In absence of oxygen, muscles produce and store lactic acid. Lactic acid that is not metabolized into energy with the use of oxygen collects in the muscle tissue and leads to muscle soreness and pain.
  
  

Potential

• Controlled breathing techniques are used during exercise to control levels of pain. Quick breaths to fill the diaphragm with air provide a burst of oxygen that may compensate for pain-causing oxygen loss due to increase activity.
  
  

Benefits

• Exercise increases lung use and capacity for increased oxygen intake during exercise and periods of rest. This increase will help the body recover faster from pain and boost the immune system to heal.