anglais vers français Médecine Médecine (général)

The primary stimulation for breathing is to maintain a predetermined pressure of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, and breathing is adjusted to keep the level constant. Carbon dioxide is manufactured within the tissue cells, and when the cells are working hard they produce extra carbon dioxide. This is why during exercise
the breathing pattern increases to get rid of the excess, and during sleep it slows down. However, the respiratory centre in the brain is adaptable to new pressures of carbon dioxide, and a prolonged drop in this pressure will cause the brain to accept the new and lower pressure as normal. It now stimulates the breathing pattern to maintain the new pressure. The good news is that the opposite is also true.