[Headaches: A New Perspective] Report on the Relationship Between Headaches and Breathing Environment (Vol. 1) Released

Toratani Co., Ltd. (Kahoku City, Ishikawa Prefecture) is releasing 'Headache Report (Vol. 1)' as part of an internal project to investigate the reality of breathing environments during sleep. This report organizes and explains the '24-hour breathing environment' behind headaches, based on existing physiological knowledge and the company's own respiratory measurement data. It is not a formal research publication but content intended to deepen consumer understanding. In Japan, 'headache sufferers' are said to be a national health issue, with the market for over-the-counter drugs being significant. However, research focusing on the 'internal environment' behind headaches, especially the depth of breathing during sleep, has been scarce. While deep breathing is considered good for the body, it is difficult to maintain, and shallow breathing is easy to continue but places a burden on the body. Finding a way to 'naturally maintain a moderate depth of breathing' may be useful. Headaches are generally classified by symptom characteristics, such as migraines, tension-type headaches, and cluster headaches. Such medical classification and treatment play an important role for many people. However, the perspective that 'daily living environments make breathing shallow, leading to hypoventilation during sleep' has received little attention. This '24-hour breathing environment' could be an upstream factor behind headaches. Modern life is full of factors that make breathing shallow: PC/smartphone posture, stress, lack of walking, and long periods of sitting. In clinical practice, most headaches are treated as 'primary headaches,' where the focus is on classifying the disease name rather than identifying the root cause. Thus, treatment centers on drug therapy to suppress vascular and nerve reactions. Conversely, recent studies suggest that shallow breathing during sleep, fluctuations in oxygen/CO₂, and nocturnal autonomic instability may be 'upstream factors' involved in these headaches. This project aims to organize the relationship between sleep breathing, oxygen supply, posture structure, and headaches from a research perspective. If shallow breathing continues during the day, it becomes difficult for breathing to deepen at night. As a result, oxygen deficiency, CO₂ accumulation, vascular over-dilation, and autonomic imbalance can occur during sleep, potentially leading to headaches the next morning. By having an upstream perspective of the 'breathing environment,' we believe consumers can better understand their own bodies. Headaches are often thought of as 'brain problems,' but in reality, they are formed over 24 hours through a sequence of shallow daytime breathing, nocturnal hypoventilation, CO₂ accumulation, vascular over-dilation, and autonomic imbalance. This perspective offers a 'new viewpoint' different from traditional medical classification. Using ResMo (telemetry biosignal measurement device) by Bando Chemical, we measured the breathing of several adults in a supine, awake state for 12 minutes. We compared our bedding with others and found that breathing was less likely to become shallow when using our products. We concluded that stable breathing depth reduces nocturnal oxygen fluctuations, which may be a trigger for headaches. In summary, while medical treatment is important, we must also focus on the 'internal environment before it breaks.' We focus on mechanisms where 'slight physical pressure on the body naturally deepens breathing.' As breathing stabilizes, oxygen, blood flow, and microcirculation improve, quietly setting the foundation for life.