# When I take a really deep breath ...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 21, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993 "2018-03-21T21:58:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993/1 "2018-03-21T21:58:08Z")

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… it feels like the tops of my lungs are stretching. It feels slightly uncomfortable in a vaguely pleasant way.

Am I doing some sort of harm to myself or am I just increasing my lung capacity?

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**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993/2 "2018-03-21T22:04:39Z")

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Go ahead, you aren’t causing any problems if it doesn’t actually hurt.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993/3 "2018-03-21T22:30:42Z")

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Do you have asthma? I get a similar feeling when I’m symptomatic. And no one I’ve ever mentioned this to seems to understand how it can be both somewhat uncomfortable _and_ kind of nice at the same time.

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993/4 "2018-03-22T05:42:51Z")

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It’s the clavicular phase of breathing:

1. The diaphragm lowers and pulls air in.
2. The ribs expand and the middle space fills with air.
3. The clavicle lifts and the tip tops of the lungs get stretched up.

If you don’t do all 3 phases you’re not fully breathing. You want to do that. No wonder it feels good.

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**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993/5 "2018-03-24T04:24:11Z")

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> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> Do you have asthma? I get a similar feeling when I’m symptomatic. And no one I’ve ever mentioned this to seems to understand how it can be both somewhat uncomfortable _and_ kind of nice at the same time.

Nope. No asthma.

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**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993/6 "2018-03-24T04:25:12Z")

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> [@Johanna](#):
>
> It’s the clavicular phase of breathing:
> 
> 1. The diaphragm lowers and pulls air in.
> 2. The ribs expand and the middle space fills with air.
> 3. The clavicle lifts and the tip tops of the lungs get stretched up.
> 
> If you don’t do all 3 phases you’re not fully breathing. You want to do that. No wonder it feels good.

OK, thanks, Johanna.