Breathing and Heart Rate

It would be futile to accomplish with a greater number of things what can be accomplished with fewer. 

Breathing at normal frequencies is dominated by resistance (see Section 2.1) located in the airways and lung tissue, and the compliance (also see Section 2.1) of the lung tissues. As respiration rate increases, so does the rate of airflow and so does the pressure required to push air through the respiratory resistance. Work rate depends on both pressure and flow rate, so the rate of work required to overcome resistance increases nonlinearly with frequency. 

The pressure required to store energy in a compliance depends upon the volume stored. At higher respiration rates, the lungs are not required to fill as much to deliver the same amount of oxygen to the tissues. Thus, compliance pressure, and, consequently work rate, is nearly inverse in magnitude to the frequency increase. 

He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything. 

Likewise, there is an optimization that occurs within an organism to conserve scarce nutrients. Iron, for instance, is recycled from worn-out red blood cells to be used by new red blood cells. The kidney reabsorbs glucose, bicarbonate, some sodium (depending on intake), potassium, and chloride in order to conserve them and reuse than. Desert animals save water by excreting a very concentrated urine. 

---

As with most drugs that affect your brain, the rate at which your blood alcohol levels rise also affect your behavior—that is, faster changes in blood alcohol levels produce more dramatic effects on your behavior. As alcohol levels increase, more and more of your brain is turned off by alcohol s enhancement of GABA. Ultimately, when blood levels become too high, neurons critical to controlling your breathing and heart rate are inactivated... 

Another member of the arylcyclohexylamine structural class is ketamine, which is a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, meaning it disables certain higher-function signaling mechanisms in the brain (consciousness, memory, perception, and motor activity) from lower functions (breathing and heart rate). Ketamine is manufactured commercially for use as a surgical anesthetic for both humans and animals. 

Figure 3.6 During an epidural, a patient is given a strong anesthetic through an injection into the spinal canal. This allows for pain relief in the lower body (below the point of injection), while the upper body remains unaffected, allowing breathing and heart rate to continue as normal. An epidural is often used to ease the pain of childbirth.

Salvador HS, Koos BJ. Effects of regular and decaffeinated coffee on fetal breathing and heart rate. Am 1 Obstet Gynecol 1989 160(5 Part l) 1043-7. 

Despite the fact that Rohypnol is a sedative, it can cause users to become excitable or aggressive, even violent, instead of relaxed. But relaxation is much more common, and it is often extreme. A person s breathing and heart rate may drop to dangerously low levels. A Rohypnol user may even have seizures or go into a coma, which can lead to death. These effects are particularly likely when Rohypnol is combined with alcohol, which also slows body functions. Overdose is common when Rohypnol is mixed with alcohol or other sedatives. 

Overdose of tribulus fruit (standard dose is a decoction of 6-15 g) has been associated with dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, increased breathing and heart rates, and blue coloration of the skin. In severe cases of overdose, pulmonary edema and respiratory failure have been reported (Bensky et al. 2004). 

Depressants A dass of drugs that causes depression of the CNS, resulting in slowed breathing and heart rate and sleepiness, among other symptoms. Alcohol is a depressant. 

Rattlesnakes King snake, human Air or skin extract, human breath Increased heart rate Cowles and Phelan, 1958... 

Panic disorder is characterized by the repeated and often unpredictable occurrence of panic attacks. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, panic attacks have an abrupt onset, reach their peak in 10 minutes, and are accompanied by at least 4 of 13 listed symptoms, which include shortness of breath, increased heart rate, chest pain, dizziness, choking sensations, numbness or tingling, hot/cold flashes, sweating, trembling, and nausea. Victims of these episodes feel an intense fear that can be better characterized as terror, often of losing control of their body and/or... 

PCP was first developed in 1926 as an anesthetic to be used in surgery. Early on, the drug showed promise because it appeared to produces anesthesia without depressing breathing or heart rates. Still, lingering questions about safety and effectiveness meant it was largely ignored until 1957. 

V. McLeod, J. Brien, C. Loomis, L. Carmichael, C. Probert and J. Patrick, Effect of maternal ethanol ingestion on fetal breathing movements, gross body movements, and heart rate at 37 to 40 weeks gestational age, Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 145 (1983) 251-257. 

All prescription drug abuse may lead to harmful consequences such as accidents, injuries, blackouts, legal problems, and unsafe sexual behavior, which can increase the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Specifically, each class of drugs has certain potentially life-threatening consequences of abuse. The abuse of opioids may lead to severe respiratory depression and inability to breathe, which can lead to death. Depressants may also cause respiratory depression and may lead to seizures if an addict suddenly stops taking them. Stimulants speed up the body s activities and raise blood pressure and heart rate, and when abused, may lead to a heart attack, stroke, or a seizure. Combinations... 

Adult cats of either sex are anesthetized with a-chloralose, 80 mg/kg, and pentobarbital 7 mg/kg, given intraperitoneally. Cannulas are placed in the left femoral vein and artery for drug injection and recording blood pressure and heart rate. The lungs are mechanically ventilated through a tracheostomy and a small animal ventilator set to deliver 15 ml/kg tidal volume and 20 breaths/min. 

In the short-term, cocaine increases your blood pressure and heart rate. It constricts your blood vessels, dilates your bronchioles (the tubes you use for breathing), and increases your blood sugar. That is only in the short-term. 

HUMAN HEALTH RISKS Acute Risks irritation of eyes, skin, mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract cyanosis headaches dizziness drowsiness shortness of breath rapid heart rate methemoglobinemia convulsions Chronic Risks allergic respiratory and skin reactions carcinogen. 

---