Breathing 3: Breathing & Body Position

Breathing at Rest while Sitting

Aim

To determine the effect of breathing while sitting on rate and depth.

Procedure

1. Sit quietly and breathe normally before and during the recordings to prevent the creation of motion artifacts. Sit straight during the recording.
2. Type "Sitting" in the Mark box.
3. Click on the Record button. Press the mark button.
4. Click the AutoScale All button. Record for at least two minutes.
5. Click Stop to halt recording.
6. Click File ---> Save As, name the file "Breathing-BodyPosition", and save your data to your LabScribe Data folder on your Desktop.

Data Analysis

1. Scroll through your recording of your breathing and heart rate while at rest. Display at least 10 artifact-free breathing cycles.
2. Click the "two mountains" icon to double the display time of the Main window to show the complete breathing cycles. You may have to click it more than once.

3. Click AutoScale All.
4. Click on and drag the cursors so they are on either side of the all 10 breaths.
5. Measure these values:
• Mean Breathing Rate will be the MEAN value on the right side of the Breathing Rate channel.
• Mean Heart Rate will be the MEAN value on the right side of the Heart Rate channel.
6. Measure depth of breathing by moving the cursors so that the 1st cursor is on the peak of one breath and the second cursor is on the trough of that breath. Read V2-V1 on the Respiration channel.
7. Repeat for the next four breaths and calculate the average by adding these values and dividing by 5.
8. Place your data on a data table or in the Journal. You can open and close the Journal by clicking on the "Notebook" icon.

Breathing at Rest while Standing

Aim

To determine the effect of breathing while standing on rate and depth.

Procedure

1. Sit quietly and breathe normally before and during the recordings to prevent the creation of motion artifacts. Stand straight during the recording.
2. Rest your pointer or middle finger of your non-dominant hand on the pulse port. This is the hand you do not use all the time. Make sure your finger is relaxed.
3. Type "Standing" in the Mark box.
4. Click on the Record button. Press the mark button.
5. Click the AutoScale All button. Record for at least two minutes.
6. Click Stop to halt recording.
7. Click Save to save your data.

Data Analysis

1. Repeat the same procedure you did for Exercise 1.
2. Scroll through your recording of your breathing and heart rate while at rest. Display at least 10 artifact-free breathing cycles.
3. Click the "two mountains" icon to double the display time of the Main window to show the complete breathing cycles. You may have to click it more than once.

4. Click AutoScale All.
5. Click on and drag the cursors so they are on either side of the all 10 breaths.
6. Measure these values:
• Mean Breathing Rate will be the MEAN value on the right side of the Breathing Rate channel.
• Mean Heart Rate will be the MEAN value on the right side of the Heart Rate channel.
7. Measure depth of breathing by moving the cursors so that the 1st cursor is on the peak of one breath and the second cursor is on the trough of that breath. Read V2-V1 on the Respiration channel.
8. Repeat for the next four breaths and calculate the average by adding these values and dividing by 5.
9. Place your data on a data table or in the Journal. You can open and close the Journal by clicking on the "Notebook" icon.

Breathing at Rest while Lying Down

Aim

To determine the effect of breathing while lying down on rate and depth.

Procedure

1. Sit quietly and breathe normally before and during the recordings to prevent the creation of motion artifacts.
2. Type "Lying" in the Mark box.
3. Click on the Record button. Press the mark button.
4. As soon as you are able, lie down. Make sure to keep the REACH flat and rest your pointer or middle finger of your non-dominant hand on the pulse port. This is the hand you do not use all the time. Make sure your arm is flat and your finger is relaxed.
5. Click the AutoScale All button. Record for at least two minutes.
6. Click Stop to halt recording.
7. Save your data.

Data Analysis

1. Repeat the procedure that you used for both Exercises 1 and 2 to measure your rates and depth of breathing while lying down.
2. Place your data on a data table or in the Journal. You can open and close the Journal by clicking on the "Notebook" icon.

Answer the following:

1. What effect does sitting, standing and lying down have on the depth of breathing?
2. What effect does sitting, standing and lying down have on the rate of breathing?
3. Would the blood pressure in the pulmonary capillaries at the bottom of a lung be the same as the blood pressure in the capillaries at the top of a lung in the standing individual? Which area would have the lower blood pressure?
4. With the answer to Question 3 in mind, if lower blood pressure allows more pulmonary capillaries to be open, where in the lung would you expect to find more collapsed capillaries, at the base or at the apex?
5. If some capillaries are collapsed, what is the functional effect on the diffusion of O2 and CO2?
6. Would you expect any difference in capillary blood pressures in the apex or in the base of the lungs in a subject who is lying down?
7. If the blood pressure in all pulmonary capillaries is the same, would you expect the capillaries to be open or collapsed? Would this be the case when you are sitting, standing or lying down?
8. If all pulmonary capillaries are open when lying down, what is the functional effect on the diffusion of O2 and CO2?
9. If the demands for O2 and CO2 are the same in all different body position, should depth and breathing rate be affected by body position? Did you see this?
10. Would you expect any difference in the levels of O2 and CO2 in the exhaled air of a subject who is standing or lying down compared to sitting?
11. How does heart rate change while you are in different positions? Does this have any effect on your breathing? How and why?