A Hidden Breathing Problem May Help Explain Chronic Fatigue's Exhaustion
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Briana Mercola
4.6 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
- In a recent study, 71% of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients tested had abnormal breathing patterns like hyperventilation or dysfunctional breathing, which were not seen in healthy controls
- Dysfunctional breathing was found in 42% of ME/CFS participants, leading to erratic, inefficient breathing during exertion, often without the person realizing it
- Low carbon dioxide (CO2) levels from overbreathing reduce oxygen delivery to muscles and the brain, worsening symptoms like brain fog, pain sensitivity, and exhaustion
- A simple breath-hold test helps identify poor CO2 tolerance, a key sign that your nervous system is stuck in "survival mode" and needs retraining
- Gentle breath retraining using nasal breathing, light breath holds, and CO2 awareness can improve energy, reduce dizziness, and calm the nervous system
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What if the exhaustion you feel isn't from lack of oxygen, but from breathing too much in the wrong way? |
| 0:05.7 | Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. |
| 0:13.8 | No reading required. Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights. |
| 0:18.9 | Hello, and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. |
| 0:22.2 | Today we're looking at new research that links chronic fatigue syndrome to hidden breathing |
| 0:26.6 | problems, patterns that quietly drain your energy, sharpen pain, and cloud your focus. |
| 0:33.0 | Often without you realizing it, I'm Ethan Foster, and I'm here to guide the conversation and lay out |
| 0:38.9 | what the science is saying in clear, practical terms. I'm Alara Sky, and I'll help translate |
| 0:44.9 | those findings into steps you can use. The theme today is simple. Your CO2 balance matters. |
| 0:52.3 | In a study of adults with ME-CFS compared to sedentary controls, |
| 0:57.0 | 71% of people with chronic fatigue had at least one ventilatory abnormality, hyperventilation, |
| 1:03.0 | dysfunctional breathing, or both, versus 32% of controls. Nearly half showed dysfunctional |
| 1:10.0 | breathing alone, and hyperventilation appeared in about |
| 1:12.9 | a third, while just 4% of controls hyperventilated. Those numbers point to a measurable pattern, |
| 1:20.0 | not just deconditioning. Oxygen use and overall exercise capacity looked similar between groups, |
| 1:26.0 | which means what you're feeling isn't just about being |
| 1:28.4 | out of shape. Instead, irregular breathing rhythms and over-breathing are likely at play, often tied |
| 1:34.8 | to autonomic imbalance, the disautonomia you may already notice as dizziness, palpitations, |
| 1:40.9 | or feeling worse when upright. There's also a compounded effect when patterns overlap. |
| 1:46.0 | In a subset with both dysfunctional breathing and persistent hyperventilation, |
| 1:51.0 | symptoms were more intense. |
| 1:53.0 | Shortness of breath, lightheadedness, chest discomfort, brain fog, and deep fatigue. |
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