How breathing impacts energy levels If you’re not breathing optimally, you’re robbing yourself of energy. The way you breath may be causing you to feel tired, fatigued, foggy, and uninspired. This is because proper deep breathing helps balance the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood. This is vital for high energy levels and mental alertness. Since oxygen is the breath of life, it’s rocket fuel for the body and mind. And if you’re chronically stressed out or aren’t properly managing your stress or overwhelm you could be more at risk here. Being in constant fight-or-flight mode means stress hormones are continuously pumping through your body, which not only raises heart rate and blood pressure but also leads to shallow breathing. Shallow breathing leads to an imbalance in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. This means you may not be getting enough oxygen circulating through your body. There definitely seems to be a connection between breathing, oxygen levels, and physical energy levels. A study by Vrije Universiteit in Belgium highlighted this connection by demonstrating that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients have an irregular breathing rhythm, which negatively affects their oxygen levels. (1) The study found that CFS patients seemed to improve their condition by practicing simple breathing exercises. (2) This is important because: Most of your +30 trillion cells need oxygen in order to produce enough energy to help your body function at its best.