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Modern medical textbooks suggest that normal breathing rate for an adult is 12 breaths per minute at rest. Textbooks, published about a hundred ago, often provide even smaller values (e.g., 8-10 breaths per minute). However, most modern humans breathe much faster (about 15-20 breaths in 1 min). Chronic over-breathing DECREASES oxygenation of the body due to CO2-induced constriction of blood vessels (vasoconstriction) and the suppressed Bohr effect. Therefore, the less we breathe, the more oxygen our cells get.