How come running hard (especially when out of shape) makes your lungs feel like they are on fire?

🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 99 points –

Just had this thought while running with my dog and getting fatigued. Why does it feel like that? What is going on in the tissue to make it "burn?"

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Acid buildup in muscle tissue. Here is an article that explains what is happening:

https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/science_fact_or_science_fiction_lactic_acid_buildup_causes_muscle_fatigue_and_soreness

Esit: I originally said that your.muscles are creating waste chemicals quicker than your bloodstream can handle causing those bad chemicals build up locally. While this is true in a broader sense, I think it is more nuanced that that. Reading the article should give a better explaination

How come running hard (especially when out of shape) makes your lungs feel like they are on fire?

TIL bad chemicals in muscles make people's lung tissue burn. 🙄

2 more...

There's a few factors really, your out of shape comment could be one, no offence meant If you're pushing your lungs, and airways in general, further than usual, and quite literally stretching them, and faster than they're used to, the extra stretching can cause that feeling. Lessens as you get fitter. If its proper cold, or.dry, and if you mostly breathe through your mouth, or both, the air isn't a match for the warm humid like air in your lungs and airways...nose breathing is a big thing to improve your running, there's a great guy whose name I cannot recall who is a massive advocate for nose breathng in runners and how it can massively help your long distance proper too! Includes things about dehydration lessening etc...worth a search for

no offense

None taken. I know I'm unhealthy. I smoke, too. So all that is a factor. Actually was wondering if it was just from use or if maybe I am not breathing the right way. Possibly both. I have a habit of subconsciously holding my breath when doing physical activity and I know that ain't good. lol

For what it's worth, the burning in the lungs you describe still happens when you're fit. It's just that you're going at a faster pace for a longer time before it happens.

It can be a few things, without feeling it personally, and with your personal assessment, my best guess is what you felt was a "stitch in your side".

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_stitch

There are alot of theories on what exactly the precise biological cause is, but there are known things that make it more likely, and ways to sort of treat it when it comes up.

Nah, this feeling I am posting about is felt in the chest area. From like the diaphragm to the back of the throat. It's not a stabbing pain, but as stated kind a burning sensation. Not extremely painful but quite uncomfortable as you're trying to catch your breath after you stop running. That's my fault for not giving a lot of detail.

Could be exercise-induced asthma? I get this as well and only found out it wasn't a common affliction a few weeks ago, when it was pointed out that this might be a cause. For me at least, after a while the pain gets so bad that every time I swallow it feels like my throat doesn't want to reopen.

Higher blood pressures and heart rates from exercising when unfit can cause small blood vessels to burst in your lungs as well. It's not usually enough to cause an issue but you can taste it in your breath.

[citation needed]

https://health.osu.edu/health/dental-health/metallic-taste-workout

Thanks. I don't have time to read it right now, but you're certain that's a very common thing to happen? I'm overweight and have been jogging and running a lot lately. When I run hard, my nose and lungs burn. I like to sprint in intervals until I can't anymore, after jogging, and then walk for a bit. Repeat. I'm wondering if this is dangerous at all.

I don't know if it's common but from what I can tell it's not harmful. In rare cases it can be but in most it isn't.

Humans weren't meant to run, we were made to computer

I assume you know you're joking, But actually the main asset that let us our specie survive is our ability to run for long where we beat most other animals. Tons of average persons run marathon for fun. Try to bring your dog running and you'll see that you're best friend will get tired before you.

We don't have nice claws, we don't even run that fast. But we're one of the few animals able to run for hours and hours. Which mean that we could hunt by exhausting our target, and harvest fruits/vegetable over a long distance.

Someone wrote an awesome short story once about humans from an alien's perspective and how they will keep following you forever, until you can't move, until you're collapsed from exhaustion. I wish I could find it to share right now.

Yeah I was joking.

That's wild though, I can't jog for more than like, 5 minutes at most haha and I'm pretty fit like my BMI is pretty much perfect, no diabetus, body fat low etc.

Even as a kid my lungs would burn just running for like 10 minutes to the point of breathlessnes and collapse long before my muscles would even begin to feel tired, I never understood why they kept forcing us to but I guess it makes sense now.

I thought our evolutionary advantage was building guns honestly.