Toratani Releases New Analysis from the Night Oxygen Flow Project on Breathing Depth and Reactive Oxygen Species

Toratani Co., Ltd. of Kahoku City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is continuing its Night Oxygen Flow Project, which examines the reality of breathing infrastructure during sleep, and has released a new analysis on the current theme. The project organizes, from a physiological perspective, how shallow breathing affects the autonomic nervous system, blood flow, and metabolism, and will apply these insights to future awareness activities and product development. Reactive oxygen species are often seen as harmful, but they are actually an advanced system for protecting the body. They are commonly misunderstood as a cause of aging or as villains that make the body rust. In essence, however, the opposite is true: reactive oxygen species are a defense system produced to protect the body. The issue is not the amount itself, but whether the mechanisms that stop them from running out of control are functioning. The most upstream factor that determines this is the depth of breathing. Reactive oxygen species are not poison, but a defensive reaction of the body. ROS are substances produced by the body to protect itself. They attack bacteria and viruses, help process inflammation, and function as cellular switches. In other words, reactive oxygen species exist because they are necessary. The problem is not quantity, but runaway production. Reactive oxygen species become problematic when they are produced in excess and the body can no longer process them. Antioxidant enzymes, the parasympathetic nervous system, and the stability of the internal environment stop this runaway state. These are the body’s braking mechanisms. The most upstream cause of this runaway state is shallow breathing. When breathing becomes shallow, cells become less able to use oxygen properly, increasing reactive oxygen species as intracellular byproducts. During sleep, changes in airway angle, sinking of the rib cage, and restriction of the diaphragm create what the company describes as the “90-degree gravity physics of breathing,” making shallow breathing more likely for anyone. The causal chain is: shallow breathing, reduced oxygen utilization efficiency, increased mitochondrial electron leakage, excessive generation of reactive oxygen species, and disruption of the internal environment. This chain explains the misunderstanding that reactive oxygen species are simply harmful. Reactive oxygen species can be controlled through breathing quality. When deep breathing is maintained, oxygen utilization efficiency improves, the autonomic nervous system stabilizes, antioxidant enzymes function, and reactive oxygen species are kept to only the necessary amount. In other words, breathing quality determines the amount of reactive oxygen species. People with shallow breathing are more likely to experience discomfort because the body’s flow is disrupted. Moderate breathing that continues unconsciously is the foundation of life processes such as sleep, metabolism, and immunity. Its quality determines the direction of physical condition, and by extension, the direction of lifespan. The 90-degree gravity physics applied to the body during sleep can distort airway angles, disrupt breathing at the most upstream level, and ultimately trigger a domino effect of whole-body discomfort. Based on its expertise in three-dimensional structure developed through apparel 3D design, the company has systematized this “physics of breathing” and applies it to improving sleep, posture, and metabolism. This awareness series was systematized by company representative Ikuo Toratani based on years of apparel 3D design knowledge and his own experience of improving his health. The company will continue sharing information on the relationship between airway physical structure, sleeping posture, and breathing. The background for the release’s discussion of breathing during sleep, hypoxia, the autonomic nervous system, and cardiovascular risk includes international academic research. Davidson TM. (2003) states that, as a trade-off for bipedal walking and language acquisition, humans have a structural weakness that makes the airway prone to collapse during sleep. Isono S. (2012) states that Japanese people tend to have smaller jawbones even without obesity, creating an ethnic anatomical tendency toward narrower airways. Somers VK, et al. (1995) states that oxygen decline caused by hypopnea abnormally activates the sympathetic nervous system even during sleep, disrupting autonomic balance. Lévy P, et al. (2011) states that intermittent hypoxia causes strong oxidative stress in blood vessels and can be a root cause of arteriosclerosis and metabolic disorders. Company information: Toratani Co., Ltd. Representative: Ikuo Toratani. Location: Kahoku City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Business: apparel 3D design, sleep and breathing research. Official website: https://toratani-kokyu.jp