- Vital functions
- Offloading of oxygen (through Hemoglobin) from the blood to be used by the cells
- Powerful vasodilator
- The dilation of the smooth muscle in the walls of the airways and blood vessels
- The regulation of blood pH.
Carbon Dioxide
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The Oxygen Advantage
“What happens to blood pH when you hold your breath? Carbon Dioxide is unable to leave the blood via the lungs, and it dissociates into carbonic acid. As CO2 builds up in the body, blood becomes more acidic, reversing the alkalinity caused by deliberate hyperventilation. As carbon dioxide levels rise, the oxygen held in red blood cells floods to the tissues.”
Central Chemoreceptors
- monitor changes of Carbon Dioxide levels and send alarm signals to the brain, telling the lungs to breathe faster and more deeply
The Bohr Effect The Bohr Effect
- Christian Bohr (Denmark) discovered that blood with the most Carbon Dioxide in it, attracted more oxygen from Hemoglobin (a so called divorce lawyer to separate oxygen)