When we feel very stress, it may sometimes be more difficult to breathe or have your breath taken away. But some less noticeable changes would occur in our breathing. Researchers at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England have discovered six biomarkers present in respiration that modulate under high stress.
They made this observation after placing 22 young adults in stressful conditions. They were subjected to an arithmetic test. Then they were able to relax while listening to relaxing classical music.
Breathing, a screening tool for certain diseases
Before and after each session, the scientists measured the blood pressure and heart rate of the participants. In parallel, they analyzed the chemical components of their respiration using a specific gas chromatography technique associated with mass spectrometry.
The analyzes revealed two components present in the breath of people just after the stressful situation. These components, absent during the relaxing music session, would therefore be markers of stress.
In recent years, several studies have concluded that breathing can detect certain diseases: respiratory infections, breast cancer, etc. Cancers of the intestine and lungs have even been reported. breath detected, as revealed by an experiment conducted with sniffer dogs.
