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BaconReceptacle t1_ja8r2fw wrote

Our lungs are composed of little tiny sacks for absorbing oxygen called alveoli. When you’re breathing normally, the small air sacs in your lungs can sometimes collapse spontaneously. This can negatively affect lung function and reduce the gas exchange that occurs there.

These involuntary deep breaths or sighs help to prevent the alveoli from collapsing because it’s such a big breath, it serves to reinflate most of your alveoli.

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Alcohooligan t1_ja8sgko wrote

Is there a reason I took a deep breath while reading this?

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cudntfigureaname t1_ja8sr8w wrote

Awareness e.g. You start thinking about it.

For example, after reading this sentence, you might find an itch on your nose

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GalFisk t1_ja9efqk wrote

Or become aware of the size and position of your tongue.

Now try to forget it.

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retroactive_fridge t1_ja9m1i7 wrote

Great. Now I'm itchy, I yawned, I took a deep breath and I'm fucking stuck on Manual Breathing now.

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BaconReceptacle t1_ja8u0ly wrote

Yes, you are slowly dying. With each breath you are closer to death. Have a nice day.

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DeadlyProtocols t1_ja96t4v wrote

Interesting, so I wonder if it’s like a pre-fight or flight deal. Your body anticipates a need for rapid breathing so it is planning ahead.

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BaconReceptacle t1_ja98asp wrote

I think it's natural selection. We evolved with alveoli as the gas exchange mechanism in our lungs. If you didnt have the genetic code for this automatic response, you didnt have as many offspring.

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