C6- Additional factors affecting respiratory system

• Asthma • Altitude/ partial pressure

• Airways become restricted, making it harder to breath effectively • Difficult to get enough air into the lungs when breathing, leading to coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath • Relaxed = breathing bands surrounding airways relax and air can move more freely through them • Asthma makes these bands contract and tighten so air cannot move freely through

• Performers would be unable to get enough oxygen required when competing • Muscles don’t receive enough oxygen leading to fatigue and lesser contractile power • Performers have to stop to use inhaler

• Preventing inhalers • Relieving inhalers

• Taken before exercise (often first thing in the morning)

• Taken during exercise when chest feels tight, or breathless

• Strengthens respiratory systems and helps prevent asthma • Regular aerobic training can help to improve breathing and muscular strength • Regular aerobic (endurance/ cardiovascular) training will also improve oxygen uptake

• Athlete’s train at high altitudes as the air pressure is lower and oxygen particles are ‘spread out further apart’ • This means that density of oxygen in the air is slower and is harder to breath (inspire) this oxygen into your body due to lower partial pressure • An athlete’s respiratory system will then adapt to this difficulty and become more efficient at utilising oxygen

• Lungs have to work harder (leading to breathlessness, dizziness, headaches, nauseas, and difficulties in concentrating) • To cope with the decreased oxygen, breathing becomes faster and deeper • Hypoxia = the body has insufficient access to oxygen (potentially lethal) • Lungs size increase • Body acclimatizes by increasing the number of red blood cells and capillaries, enabling the lungs to oxygenate the blood more efficiently

• Banned method of performance enhancing • Tour de France and Olympics