Bravest

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Are Type 1 Diabetics Protected from COVID-19?

 

Welcome to the "The Breathing 4.1.1."

Below, I share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Are Type-1 Diabetics Protected from Serious COVID-19 Complications?

Not exactly breathing related, but a short article recently published in Medical Hypotheses proposed the following: Type-1 diabetics might be "spared" from the more severe complications of COVID-19 because we produce higher quantities of a specific class of pro-inflammatory cytokines called Th-1.

Thus, the reason our insulin-producing beta cells are destroyed might be the same reason we’re protected from COVID-19. Awesome, I guess?

Click Here to Read the Article

Thanks to Craig Kasper (also a type-1 diabetic) at Bravest for sharing this article with me!

2. Inhale-to-Exhale Ratio: Does it Matter?

Most studies show that either (1) an equal inhale-to-exhale ratio or (2) a longer exhale are both useful for improving cardiovascular and autonomic function. Longer exhalations are associated with more relaxation, whereas equal breaths are more balancing for the nervous system.

But the most critical factor is finding which approach feels most comfortable to you. And this is backed by science.

3. Inverting the Breathing Gears for Down-Regulation

The Skill of Stress course is excellent. I’m working my way through it slowly, but one thing I loved was Emily’s way of inverting the "Breathing Gears" to down-regulate.

Here’s the idea. If you’re stressed and breathing in and out through your mouth, don’t immediately try to switch to nasal in, nasal out. Gear down slowly. For example, you could follow this progression to downshift your nervous system:

  1. Mouth in, Mouth out (Progressive)

  2. Nasal in, Mouth out (Down)

  3. Nasal in, Nasal out (Regulation)

4. Why Wim Hof Doesn’t Care about Nose or Mouth Breathing

"Just breathe mother f*****!" is a famous Wim Hof one-liner. Along with his saying that "any hole will do" when asked how to breathe during his method.

But James Nestor nailed it when Joe Rogan recently asked him why Wim doesn’t care about nose or mouth: "He wants to make this easy and accessible for people…so many people can’t breathe through their noses…"

Wim’s advice to "use any hole" is to simply make it easier and more accessible. And it’s excellent advice if you’re going to do it for 20-30 mins a day. There will only be problems if mouth breathing becomes habitual (like it did for me).

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Therefore, any conditions to affect normal respiratory route during sleep (nasal breathing) can…have negative effects on sleep and daily life."

Park, C.-S., Sleep Medicine Research, 2014

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The farthest distance droplets from a sneeze can travel.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is 27 feet?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. His Poor Elbows.

 

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Harder Breathing Techniques and Molecules of Air

 

Welcome to the second edition of "The Breathing 4.1.1."

Below, I share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. We Don’t Need Harder Breathing Techniques

I recently finished the two-part interview with David Bidler on the Bravest Podcast. I highly recommend listening to both episodes. My favorite idea from David was this: We don’t need harder breathing techniques, we need to apply simple breathing methods to harder challenges. Well said.

Episode 1

Episode 2

2. HHPF High School Slow Breathing Program

Speaking of using simple breathing practices in hard situations, the Health & Human Performance Foundation (HHPF) partnered with Girard High School to implement a slow breathing program for the students. The program improved the students' tolerance to CO2 and decreased their anxiety. Pretty amazing stuff.

Read More Here

3. Relaxation Breathing - A Way to Lower Blood Glucose

There have been two studies examining a breathing technique called "Relaxation Breathing." I don’t hear much about it in the breathing community, but it appears to be helpful for lowering blood glucose. Here’s the method:

Inhale 2 Seconds, Exhale 1 Second
Inhale 2 Seconds, Exhale 2 Seconds
Inhale 2 Seconds, Exhale 3 Seconds
… (Exhale keeps getting longer) …
Inhale 2 Seconds, Exhale 10 Seconds

The progressively longer exhale is both relaxing and challenging near the end. I sometimes practice it when falling asleep. Give it a shot and see what you think.

If you’re interested, here are the two studies:

Relaxation breathing significantly lowers blood sugar after an oral glucose tolerance test

Slow breathing improves blood sugar by reducing body’s endogenous production of glucose

4. Oxygen Advantage + Yoga = High Altitude Yoga

My wife and I put together a class that combines yoga and breath-hold techniques from the Oxygen Advantage®. We’re calling it High Altitude Yoga™.

We’re holding a combined Virtual Masterclass where I teach the breathing principles and she teaches the yoga. If you’ve been in the breathing world for a while, the breathing concepts will not be new to you. But, combining them with yoga is both fun and challenging (we’ve had SpO2 drops in the mid-to-low 80s).

It’s going to be July 18th from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Eastern on Zoom. I hope you’ll join us!

Learn More & Sign Up Here

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"By voluntarily changing the rate, depth, and pattern of breathing, we can change the messages being sent from the body’s respiratory system to the brain."

- Richard Brown & Patricia Gerbarg, from "The Healing Power of the Breath"

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The number of molecules in each breath we take.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is 25 sextillion? [1]

(Note: That’s 25,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules!)

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. $98,000. (Ages 3 & Up.)

[1] Worrall S., “The Air You Breathe Is Full of Surprises,” National Geographic, Aug.13, 2012. View Article Here

(I found this through "Breath: The New Science of A Lost Art")