As the weather turns, more people wear masks on the road. Some of the friends who wear masks to exercise attracted the attention of the editor. They asked some of the sports lovers why they did this. Most of the answers were that wearing masks to exercise were worried that air pollution was harmful to the body. So, can wearing a mask really make the best of both movement and prevent air pollution? What are the pros and cons of doing this? Today, I will analyze it carefully for all sports enthusiasts.
The structure and function of masks
Masks are a hygienic product, generally referring to the air worn on the mouth and nose to filter the air into the mouth and nose to achieve utensils that block harmful gases, smells, and foam entering and leaving the wearer's mouth and nose, and are made of cloth or paper. Masks have a certain filtering effect on the air entering the lungs. When respiratory infections are prevalent and in polluted environments such as powder, wearing masks has a very good self-protection effect.
Essential elements for a good mask
1) Wear comfortably, fit the face, and prevent side leakage;
2) High filtering efficiency and low respiratory resistance, the core element is the filtering network material in the mask;
3) Easy to change/clear, and the heat and saliva generated by breathing will reduce the filtering effect, so disposable masks are not recommended for long-term repetition;
We exercise outdoors to breathe fresh air and exercise our body. When we exercise, our breathing ability is adjusted, which speeds up breathing and increases ventilation. At this time, the body's oxygen demand and lung capacity have increased significantly, thereby exerting our heart and lung function and making it stronger.
When air pollution occurs, a large amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and inhalable particulate matter (PM) are present in the air. As the PM concentration in the air continues to increase, the sedimentation rate of harmful bacteria and viruses gradually slows down, which leads to an increase in the concentration of pathogens in the air.
If the mask worn is not closed properly, the proportion of harmful substances inhaled will increase significantly. With the increase in breathing volume, these harmful substances can accelerate the accumulation of the upper and lower respiratory tracts and alveoli, which may cause colds, tubitis and pneumonia. For patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it will easily lead to acute aggravation of the disease, and may be life-threatening in severe cases.
If you wear a mask with a good closed nature and exercise, harmful substances will be isolated, but your respiratory function will increase, which will easily cause people to develop respiratory muscle fatigue, and even cause hypoxia, chest depression, etc.; if worn for a long time, the effect of moisturizing and warming of the nasal mucosa will deteriorate, which will lead to fragility of the nasal mucosa and loss of the original protection function. It can reduce the protection ability of people; when the movement produces a large amount of water vapor and sweat, the mask will easily become damp, and its effect of blocking bacteria will be reduced and its protection will become worse; the ventilation volume during movement is 20-25 times that of normal, such as severe environmental pollution, the blocked powder will quickly block the filter network, and the mask needs to be replaced frequently.
It is obvious that wearing a mask to exercise is not wise. In summary, the editor recommends that sports enthusiasts should take reducing unnecessary outdoor sports under the conditions of poor air quality. The purpose of sports is to make themselves healthier.
This article is excerpted from Sohu Network