Breathing 101, Feel-Good Hormones, and A Book I Really Loved

1. Breathing 101: The Neuroendocrine Link

1. Slow breathing activates the calming branch of the nervous system, sending signals of safety to the brain.

2. In response, the brain dampens the hormonal stress response, which lowers stress hormones like cortisol.

This is an excellent example of the neuroendocrine system at work: the breath influences the nervous system, the nervous system influences the brain, and then the brain regulates hormonal activity.

2. Worrier Gets Things Exactly Backwards

“You could say the worrier gets things exactly backwards. He’s so terrified that he might not be able to rely on his inner resources, later on, when he reaches a bridge that needs crossing, that he makes superhuman efforts to bring the future under his control right now. In fact he should devote less energy to manipulating the future, and have more faith in his capacity to handle things once the challenge actually arrives.”

– Oliver Burkeman, Meditations for Mortals

This one needs no commentary from me. But I will add a slight touch of humor, which I found in Anthony de Mello’s Awareness: “Who says that worrying doesn’t help? It certainly does. Every time I worry about something, it doesn’t happen!”

3. How Slow, Diaphragmatic Breathing Increases Feel-Good Hormones

“The vagus nerve is our our biggest parasympathetic nerve and the biggest place of innervation is our diaphragm. So, when we take nice, easy, deep breaths, that's going to feed back to our brain that all is good with the world. [It] increases acetylcholine and then that increases, in turn, our feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine. [It’s] basically a natural Prozac.”

- Michael J Stephen, MD

Here’s that neuroendocrine feedback loop (described in Thought #1) in action. And while we often talk about it “reducing stress hormones,” this is a powerful reminder that it also increases feel-good ones, too 👏

4. Constantly Somewhere Else

“But we’re constantly somewhere else. As somebody said, ‘My favorite place is somewhere else.’”

- Anthony de Mello, Awareness

Here is another insight wrapped in humor from this book. It reminds me of this opposite but equally true gem: “In truth we are always present. We only imagine ourselves to be in one place or another.” – Howard Cohn

"Breath happens, but the curious thing is that you can get with the breath, and in getting with it, extraordinary things can happen."

— — Alan Watts

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

I can’t recommend this one enough. Reading the introduction was my favorite part, as it felt like Burkeman was expressing thoughts I’ve had but never known how to articulate. I’ve never felt so much resonance with a book. Check it out if it sounds interesting to you!

In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”

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