Abnormal breathing patterns and hyperventilation are common in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome during exercise, 2025, Mancini, Natelson et al

[DHagen]

Ignoring the sketchy rehab framing this paper puts around it, the idea of low CO2 intrigues me because of a weird experience: inexplicably, I typically feel a lot better wearing an N95 mask for several hours. Lower brain fog, greater aerobic ability, even higher HRV if I wear it when I sleep (despite this being very uncomfortable and kind of worrying me all night about CO2 levels).

I might’ve asked this before but has anyone else ever experienced anything like this?

A very interesting thought, but sadly, I do not seem to experience this. I had some relatives staying with me for a few days and wore an N95 constantly for the better part of a week. The only substantial consequences for me were some unsightly indentations/irritation from the strap and a great deal of painful sinus pressure.