Under-normal respiratory rate is a condition known as bradypnea. An adult should breathe 12 to 20 times each minute on average. Sleep apnea, drug overdose, carbon monoxide poisoning, heart illness, and lung disease are just some conditions that can result in bradypnea. Slow, shallow breathing, lightheadedness, and exhaustion are all signs of bradypnea. The usual approach to treating bradypnea is to address its underlying causes.
Causes of Bradypnea
- Medication: Some drugs, including opioids, sedatives, or tranquilizers, might slow breathing by depressing the respiratory system.
- Medical problems: A number of medical illnesses, such as stroke, brain stem lesions or injuries, Parkinson’s disease, and elevated intracranial pressure, can cause bradypnea. The function of the respiratory muscles can also be impacted by other disorders such as hypothyroidism, myasthenia gravis, or muscular dystrophy.
- Bradypnea can be caused by certain heart conditions, like heart failure or heart block, in which the electrical signals that regulate the heart’s rhythm are disrupted.
- Unbalanced metabolism: Electrolyte changes, especially those associated with calcium or levels of potassium, may interfere with the normal functioning of the neurons and muscles, which includes those responsible for respiration.
- Aging: As people get older, their respiratory systems may become less effective, which naturally causes them to breathe more slowly.
- Hypothermia: The condition known as Brady is a severe hypothermia symptom of severe hypothermia, which causes the body’s metabolic processes including respiration to slow down.
The risks of Bradypnea
- Reduced oxygen supply: Bradypnea’s slow breathing can result in insufficient oxygen intake, which may cause low blood oxygen levels (hypoxemia). Prolonged hypoxia can have a deleterious effect on how well the heart and brain operate.
- Reduced CO2 expulsion: Slow breathing can also contribute to insufficient CO2 expulsion from the body, which can cause an accumulation of CO2 in the blood (hypercapnia). Respiratory acidosis, a condition marked by elevated blood acidity, may result from this and may negatively impact a number of organ systems.
- Changes in mental status: People with severe bradypnea and accompanying hypoxemia may develop disorientation, vertigo, or loss of consciousness due to inadequate brain oxygenation.
- Cardiovascular complications: Inadequate heart oxygenation brought on by bradypnea can limit cardiac output and increase the risk of heart-related issues such as arrhythmias, low blood pressure, and even cardiac arrest.
- Long-term bradypnea may contribute to weakening respiratory muscles and decreased lung function, which can cause breathing problems and an increased risk of respiratory infections.
Symptoms of bradypnea
- Bradypnea is mostly characterized by a respiratory rate that is slower than the normal range. Generally speaking, bradypnea is defined as a respiratory rate in adults of less than 12 breaths per minute.
- Breathing trouble or shortness of breath: Some people with bradypnea may feel this way even after light exercise. Depending on the underlying cause, this symptom might range in intensity.
- Fatigue: People with bradypnea may have frequent feelings of exhaustion, fatigue, or lack of energy as a result of their slower breathing rates and possibly insufficient oxygen exchange.
- Dizziness or lightheadedness: Low oxygen levels can make you feel woozy or lightheaded, especially after vigorous exercise or a sudden stand-up.
- Cognitive impairments or confusion: In difficult situations, insufficient oxygenation of the brain can result in cognitive impairments such as confusion, trouble focusing, memory issues, or other issues.
- Cyanosis: Bradypnea can occasionally cause cyanosis, a bluish coloring of the skin, lips, or nail beds that denotes inadequate oxygenation.
- Some people with bradypnea may feel tightness or discomfort in the chest as a result of the heart muscle’s inadequate oxygenation.
Treatment for Bradypnea
- Medication modification: With the help of a medical expert, if a medication is producing bradypnea, the dosage may be changed or an alternate medicine may be administered.
- Targeted medical measures may be required when bradypnea is brought on by specific diseases or anomalies, such as heart block or elevated intracranial pressure. In order to regulate intracranial pressure, surgery may be performed or a pacemaker may be implanted to treat heart block.
- Severe electrolyte abnormalities, like low potassium or calcium levels, can cause bradypnea. It may be possible to recover regular respiratory function by treating the underlying metabolic disorders.
- Treatment and management of underlying illnesses: Treating and controlling the conditions that are causing bradypnea, such as hypothyroidism or neurological abnormalities, might aid in increased breathing rates.
Prevention of Bradypnea
- Routine medical examinations: It’s critical to have routine medical examinations to identify and treat any underlying medical issues that can cause bradypnea early on. Identifying and addressing potential risk factors might be aided by routine visits to your doctor.
- Manage underlying medical diseases: If you have any underlying medical disorders, such as hypothyroidism, heart disease, or sleep apnea, it’s important to work closely with your healthcare practitioner to manage and treat these conditions. A reduction in the risk of bradypnea can be achieved by proper care.
- Reviewing pharmaceuticals reveals that bradypnea is a side effect that some drugs can have. After starting a new medicine, speak with your healthcare practitioner if you see any changes in your breathing patterns. Your dosage might be changed, or you might be switched to a different drug.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Living a healthy lifestyle can aid in promoting respiratory health in general. Maintaining a healthy weight, working out frequently, abstaining from smoking and passive smoking, and limiting alcohol and sedatives are all part of this. Sedatives can also slow down breathing.
- Maintain a healthy sleep routine: Bradypnea can be caused by poor sleep hygiene or untreated sleep problems like sleep apnea. A regular sleep schedule, a cozy sleeping environment, and getting treatment for sleep disorders are all examples of healthy sleep hygiene practices that can enhance respiratory function while you sleep.
- Follow safety instructions: It’s critical to follow safety instructions to avoid any mishaps or injuries that could impair breathing. For instance, using safety equipment while participating in sports or activities that pose a risk to one’s respiratory system and taking steps to avoid falls or accidents can lessen the possibility of suffering from bradypnea after trauma.
Complications of Bradypnea
- Bradypnea can cause the body’s tissues to get insufficient oxygen, which can result in hypoxia. Reduced oxygen levels can have an impact on how important organs like the heart, brain, and other organs operate, potentially leading to damage or failure.
- Organ malfunction can result from prolonged or severe bradypnea due to a lack of oxygen. To function correctly, the brain, heart, and other organs need a steady flow of oxygen. Cognitive decline, heart malfunction, and other issues involving organs can result from insufficient oxygenation.
- Cardiac complications: Bradypnea can put more strain on the heart, particularly if it is pumping insufficiently oxygenated blood to meet the body’s requirements. Bradycardia (slow heart rate), arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), and in extreme situations, heart failure, can result from this.
- Cognitive impairments: Brain hypoxia brought on by bradypnea can cause cognitive deficits like memory, focus, and decision-making issues. Serious cases might result in bewilderment, dizziness, or even unconsciousness.
- weariness and low exercise tolerance: Due to diminished oxygen intake, people with bradypnea may experience severe weariness and decreased exercise tolerance. The quality of life as a whole and daily activities may be affected.
- complications from underlying illnesses: Bradypnea can be a sign of underlying medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, or specific neurological disorders. If these underlying problems are not treated effectively, they might cause a variety of issues of their own.
Natural remedies for Bradypnea
- Deep breathing exercises should be done to strengthen the muscles in the chest and expand the lung capacity. By doing so, you may be able to speed up your breathing process.
- Continually move your body: This helps speed up breathing and enhance overall lung function. Exercise aerobically to encourage good breathing patterns, such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming.
- Keep a straight spine: slouching can limit lung expansion and slow breathing. To promote the best breathing, pay attention to maintaining a straight posture.
- Inhaling steam is a good technique to widen your airways and make breathing easier. Take comfort in the steam by adding a few drops of eucalyptus or peppermint essential oils to hot water.
- Maintain Hydration: Consume enough water throughout the day to maintain the mucus secretions’ thinning and to keep the respiratory passages moist, which makes breathing easier.
- Reduce Exposure to Environmental Irritants: Avoid breathing in airborne irritants such as smoke, dust, and strong fumes because these can make breathing problems worse.
- Keep a Healthy Weight: Carrying around too much weight might impede breathing by putting pressure on the chest. Through a balanced diet and consistent exercise, you can keep your weight at a healthy level.
- Herbal Remedies: Some plants may have expectorant and respiratory-stimulating qualities that may help promote normal breathing. Ginger, thyme, eucalyptus, and licorice are a few examples. To get advice on proper dosing and probable interactions, you should, however, speak with a medical expert or herbalist.
Bradypnea in children
Children can also experience bradypnea, which is characterized by excessively slow breathing. Bradypnea is a term used to describe a breathing rate that is much slower than what is expected for a child of a specific age, even though the typical respiratory rate in infants and children fluctuates with age. Children may experience different bradypnea reasons than adults. Here are some potential reasons for and things to think about when it comes to childhood bradypnea:
- newborns that are premature frequently have slower respiratory rates than newborns who are fully-term. Typically, a child’s respiratory rate rises as they grow and develop.
- Disorders of the central nervous system: Bradypnea in children can be caused by neurological diseases that interfere with the brain’s ability to control breathing. Examples include cerebral palsy, anomalies of the brain stem, and specific hereditary diseases.
- Medication and sedation: Some drugs, such as opioids or sedatives, can impair breathing in children and result in bradypnea. The respiratory rate may also momentarily slow down while under sedation during specific medical procedures or surgeries.
- Metabolic disorders: Some metabolic conditions, like hypothyroidism or conditions that disrupt electrolyte balance, might affect respiratory function and cause bradypnea in children.
- Infections and respiratory conditions: Infections of the lungs, such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis, can alter breathing patterns in newborns and young children and cause bradypnea.
- Cardiovascular problems: Some cardiac diseases, such as congenital heart abnormalities, might impair the heart’s capacity to pump blood efficiently, potentially resulting in decreased oxygenation and bradypnea.
- Obstructive sleep apnea: In kids, this condition causes partial or total obstruction of the airway as they sleep, which can result in bradypnea spells.
- It’s crucial to seek medical assistance right away if you notice a child exhibiting chronic or alarming bradypnea. Health care specialists can assess the child, take into account their medical history, carry out the required tests, and administer the necessary treatments depending on the underlying cause.
*Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not substitute professional medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional for a thorough evaluation of your symptoms and appropriate treatment.