Posted on 11/13/2025 9:01:41 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Chronic fatigue syndrome leaves patients exhausted and struggling with brain fog.
Now, scientists investigating shortness of breath in chronic fatigue patients have discovered that they are highly likely to experience dysfunctional breathing, which could be caused by dysautonomia, abnormal control of innervation to blood vessels and muscles. Targeting treatments toward these breathing problems could potentially offer patients some relief from their symptoms.
The scientists recruited 57 patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and 25 control participants whose ages and activity levels matched the chronic fatigue cohort. Both groups took part in cardiopulmonary exercise tests over two days.
Dysfunctional breathing is usually associated with asthma patients, but it can arise from many different causes. Characteristics include deep sighing in the course of ordinary breathing, overly rapid breathing, forcing an exhale from the abdomen, breathing from the chest without using the diaphragm so the lungs are never properly full, and a loss of synchrony between the chest and abdomen, so the different muscles which help with breathing aren't working together.
The scientists found that participants with chronic fatigue were taking in approximately the same amount of oxygen when they breathed compared to the control participants—their peak VO2 maxes were comparable. However, 71% of the participants with chronic fatigue experienced breathing problems—either hyperventilation, dysfunctional breathing, or both.
Both dysfunctional breathing and hyperventilation can cause symptoms similar to chronic fatigue, like dizziness, difficulty focusing, shortness of breath and exhaustion. Combining the two can also cause people to experience heart palpitations, chest pain, fatigue, and (unsurprisingly) anxiety.
"Breathing exercises via yoga could potentially help, or gentle physical conditioning where breath control is important, as with swimming," suggested Natelson.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
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Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Day and night, for as long as I can recall.
I can absolutely believe this. Also pertaining to sleep quality and apnea.
Or correlation/causation is confused here, and anxiety often explains these symptoms. In which case recognition of anxiety and then using breathing exercises could be very beneficial.
I didn’t see a link to the paper, so I didn’t look at it.
I can absolutely believe this. Also pertaining to sleep quality and apnea.
_________________
That’s why the CPAP is so valuable for breathing problems. While there was no autopsy performed following my dad quietly passing at night in his sleep, I’m convinced he died of sleep apnea hypoxia, which he displayed throughout his adult years while sleeping with long stretches of little or no breathing and then gasping for air. He never availed himself of a CPAP, which I now use religiously at night.
Research has shown that a long count inhale and a fast exhale invigorates a person and clears their mind.
Fast inhale and a long count exhale calms the mind and relaxes a person.
Thank you again for posting the excellent articles.
🙏🙏🙏
The link to the actual free to access study is always at the bottom of the Medical Xpress page, immediately below the writeup.
I am not a doctor. Due to personal experience though with CFS/ME, I believe that some of the worst nervous system symptoms are due a viral infection, most often an atypical form of shingles, which is caused by the chicken pox virus. The breathing issues can be due to shingles. In addition, intravenous magnesium is a standard treatment to ease breathing in COPD and pulmonary hypertension. Among other effects, such magnesium relaxes the capillaries and thereby aids respiration.
The more fundamental cause of CFS/ME is nutritional deficiencies that impair mitochondrial metabolism, immunity, and vascular function, especially vitamin D and magnesium. Deficiency of magnesium also degrades hundreds of enzymatic processes for which it is also essential.
Supplements of Vitamin D and magnesium in proper form can lead to recovery from CFS/ME when combined with collagen peptides. Magnesium glycinate, magnesium L-threonate, and other amino acide chelates are the preferred forms of supplemental magnesium due to higher absorbability. Notably, collagen peptides help rebuild vascular function diminished by magnesium deficiency.
How does one get magnesium and vitamin D deficiencies and why do doctors miss them? The modern diet is deficient in both nutrients, while unrecognized GI ailments, caffeine, and many prescription and OTC drugs tend to deplete vitamin D and magnesium. Worst of all, magnesium deficiency is hard to detect due to a lack of reliable tests.
That and I have elderly relatives who sit slumped forward in their recliners for hours on end watching TV - which impedes their breathing and oxygen levels.
They complain constantly of fatigue but do not understand that sitting like that for most of the day makes them even more fatigued.
That and the prescription meds the doctors dole out to them like candy.
I have one, and I use it, semi-religiously. Every four or five nights I tear the thing off because I can’t stand it. In my case, my sleep study indicated that I had dozens and dozens of apnea events/hour at night. This unit shows 1-2.5 events per hour. I think it improves my sleep maybe about 10%, but it does not solve the problem of me absolutely conking out as two or three in the afternoon.
My older brother, who snores like a freaking rhinoceros in heat, swears by his unit.
Drugs seldom address root causes, so, subsequently those aren’t fixed.
Trying to help at the next level up can help prevent some of the root cause problems, but most of these ways cause other unhealthy issues.
It is a good thing to back off all drugs for lifestyle changes, including diet, supplements, and exercise.
Thanks for pointing that out.
I looked for data graphing respiratory rate and EtCO2, but I didn’t see it. I think that would have been much more helpful to describe a subject’s hyperventilation, rather than just depending on EtCO2 < 35; the respiratory rate data should have been very easy to include while monitoring EtCO2. It seems conspicuously absent.
They are best when settings are optimized for best efficiency.
Very interesting.
Instructive video on Nadhi Shodana, or alternate nostril breathing. Extremely useful for lung function, also calming to the mind. I do occasionally, should start daily. Very simple to do, takes maybe 10 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUFzLVf5wL4
Nadishodhana/Anuloma Viloma Pranayama
I had not read about that.
Interesting!
In fact I’m going to do it now!
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