Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbomb here. You've perhaps experienced the phenomenon of getting the wind knocked out of you when you've got nailed in the chest with a large ball during as sports game, or when you fell off a bicycle or a jungle gym, or maybe just fell out of bed. But what does this phrase mean? Really? What's physically going on when you take a hard blow to the abdomen or chest. It
can disrupt the process of breathing. Under normal circumstances, we don't have to think about breathing. Of course, we can take purposeful breaths if we want to, but it's generally
handled by our autonomic or involuntary nervous system. Your brain works with sensors in your body to determine how much oxygen you need to be taken in, and then cues the muscles in your abdomen and chest to tmically contract, thus creating a slight vacuum around the lungs, which causes air to flow in through your windpipe and then relax letting the lungs deflate. So it makes sense that taking a sharp knock to that area would work up the process.
The medical term for this is frontispasm. A friend here means diaphragm. That's the main muscle used in breathing. That forceful impact can cause the diaphragm to either spasm or become temporarily paralyzed. So your lungs probably empty due to the impact and they can't fill back up with air for at least a few seconds. It can feel really uncomfortable and even scary, but fortunately it's usually not medically significant. Just do your best remain calm. I know it's easier
than done. A relaxing your body might help your diaphragm relax more quickly, and as your diaphragm relaxes, you'll soon be able to take a deep breath again. Keep those breath smooth, slow, steady, and deep to avoid sending your body into further panic. Panic can actually cause a different kind of breathlessness, a shortness of breath or feeling winded.
The medical term for that is you may have felt it when you went a little bit too hard during physical activity, but it can be caused by other factors like mental or physical health. A dyspnia isn't a short spasm it's a result of something being off in that brain sensors muscle system that determines how much oxygen we
need versus how much we're getting. Maybe the muscles can't keep up with the demand, or maybe something else is going wrong in the system and oxygen isn't getting where it needs to be, or maybe the signals themselves are faulty. Just getting the wind knocked out of you isn't usually serious and will resolve on its own in a few seconds. The only time you might consider seeing a doctor is if that same knock netted you another injury, like maybe you hit your head when you fell, or you continue
feeling short of breath. That means the blow might have bruised your rib muscles or even cracked a rib. Even minus any kind of injury, if you feel winded and can't seem to catch your breath during normal activities, that's a good reason to check in with a medical professional. Today's episode is based on the article what Happens when the Wind's Knocked out of You on HowStuffWorks dot com, written by Dominique Michelle Estino. Brainstuff is production of iHeartRadio
in partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com. And is produced by Tyler Klang. Before more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.