What is the connection? The connection is ventilation, the motor aspect of breathing. The part that involves the skeletal muscles. Healthy and strong skeletal muscles are necessary to move air in and out of the body and lungs. And air, adequate exchange of air in the lungs, is key to a fully functioning mind.

“The importance of muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function in the performance of exercise, as well as the activities of daily living (ADL), has never been questioned.” The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease  Robert R WolfeThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 84, Issue 3, December 2006, Pages 475–482, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/84.3.475

The muscles you never think about – until they stop working

Athletes can benefit from respiratory muscle training, but can it help unhealthy people, too?

By Christopher J. Russian, PhD     Posted on 17 December 2015

<img src="https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/image/0007/138553/McConnell-RMT-Elsevier.jpg&quot; alt="Respiratory muscles for inspiration and expiration. Note: serratus and pectoralis muscles are not shown here. (Source: Alison McConnell, <em>Respiratory Muscle Training; Theory and PracticeRespiratory muscles for inspiration and expiration. Note: serratus and pectoralis muscles are not shown here. (Source: Alison McConnell, Respiratory Muscle Training; Theory and Practice, Elsevier, Oxford, 2013)

Breathing is a necessary function of life, and most of the time it is effortless, unless you are like Paula.

 For most of us breathing is not given much consideration. That’s because breathing is under autonomic nerve control. The signals are sent from the brain automatically. The brain determines when we need to breathe based on the signals  it receives from our organs and nerves. Although we can breathe in and out on command – for example, during pulmonary function testing or when completing breathing exercises – respiratory muscle function is primarily an automatic task.