Scientific American

Breathing For Better Health, Easy Fixes, and How to Breathe with Stardust

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 

Hey,

Welcome back to another issue of The Breathing 411. Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for this week.

I hope you enjoy it!

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. Posture is Easier with the Breath

“Question: Do I start with breathing correctly or addressing my posture?

Answer: Breathing comes first. Aligning your body correctly will come more easily once you have your breathing down. Plus, most cues to help with posture end up making a person tighten more rather than relax on the inhale.”

- Belisa Vranich and Brian Sabin, Breathing for Warriors

I constantly struggle with my posture (but only all the time 😂). So, I loved this answer from two of the world’s leading experts on the topic.

Additionally, as we’ve all probably experienced, you can’t really get a good breath unless you have good posture, so they really go hand-in-hand. Good breathing leads to better posture, and good posture leads to better breathing.

So sit up straight, take a relaxing breath, and enjoy the rest of this post : )

***

Related Quote: “What the bodily form depends on is breath (chi) and what breath relies upon is form. When the breath is perfect, the form is perfect (too)…Consequently, breath and form must be accomplished together.” - Chinese adage from The Primordial Breath (but I found it in Breath)

2. Fixing Hyperventilation Easily with Slow Breathing

“The mechanism by which hyperventilation is targeted by HRVB has not been proven, although it is reasonable to hypothesize that it involves a combination of slow breathing, decreased emotional and autonomic reactivity, and attention to breathing mechanisms for controlling it.”

- Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (2020)

Because slow breathing increases HRV and improves autonomic and emotional reactivity, it naturally reduces your stress. It naturally improves your sensitivity to carbon dioxide. And it naturally optimizes gas exchange.

All of this helps you breathe calmer more often.

So to fix hyperventilation easily, maybe we don’t need to fix it at all? Perhaps we should just enjoy our slow breathing practice and, with time, let our improved physiological state naturally lead to optimal breathing volume.

This approach won’t be suitable for everyone, but if you struggle with overbreathing, this might be the best place to start.

***

P.S. Ironically, when people start a slow breathing practice, they often overcompensate for the slower rate by taking bigger breaths and end up mildly hyperventilating. For this reason, many researchers and coaches (myself included) suggest that slow breathing is not enough—we must also focus on breathing volume. However, as pointed out in this 2020 meta-analysis, slow breathing might self-correct with time.

3. Scientific American: “Proper Breathing Brings Better Health”

“Breathing is so central to life that it is no wonder humankind long ago noted its value not only to survival but to the functioning of the body and mind and began controlling it to improve well-being.”

- Scientific American

This is perhaps my favorite online article published about breathing. But, I realized I have somehow never shared it here.

I especially loved a part near the end. It’s almost as if the author is surprising himself with all the benefits of breathing as he’s researching and writing the article, and he can’t believe this stuff isn’t widely used:

“In fact, I am mystified that controlled breathing is not recommended and practiced more widely. Perhaps it is perceived as too simple, commonplace and obvious to be a remedy.”

Those were my exact feelings when I found “breathing.”

Enjoy the excellent read!

***

Related Quote: “Even more foolishly I had assumed that a universal awareness of the importance of breathing existed. Nothing could have been farther form the truth.” - Carl Stough (also found in Breath)

4. How to Breathe Stardust with Stardust

“Every atom in your body that is heavier than helium was made inside a star, usually as it was exploding.  Carbon, oxygen, iron, all of it. Take a breath, and breathe stardust with stardust. This body is billions of years old.”

- Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Neurodharma

That is all. 🤯

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“A single breath has more truth in it than all your thoughts about breathing will ever have.”

– Adyashanti

P.S. Thanks to great friend E.S. for sending this quote to me. It’s almost as if that quote is specifically calling me out on this newsletter 😂

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Hyperventilation

Answer: It is suggested that adults with a respiratory rate greater than this number “should receive immediate medical review.”

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is 27 breaths per minute?

In good breath,

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

P.S. “Guess we’ll head out too”

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

How To Breathe To Live Longer, plus a New Take on "Breathe Light"

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 

Greetings,

Here are four thoughts, one quote, and one answer for this week.

I hope you enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. How To Breathe To Live Longer

Let’s synthesize some ideas on breathing for longevity and see how we can apply this knowledge in our own life today.

Part I: Breathe Through Your Nose

Here’s James Nestor describing how George Caitlin lived double the average life expectancy of his time:

“He credited his longevity to ‘the great secret of life’: to always breathe through the nose.” - Breath

Part II: Expand Your Lung Capacity

Next, here’s Nestor describing the Framingham Heart Study:

“They gathered two decades of data from 5,200 subjects, crunched the numbers, and discovered that the greatest indicator of life span ... was lung capacity … larger lungs equaled longer lives.” – Breath

Part III: Synthesis and Application

Part I is straightforward: breathe through your nose. But how do we expand lung capacity? Nestor provides a few different ways.

  1. Light to moderate exercise

  2. Lung expanding breathwork

  3. Long and complete exhales

Lung-expanding breathwork includes things like Wim Hof w/ “belly, chest, head,” the Yogic Complete Breath, and most breathing taught in freediving.

Long exhales also increase lung capacity by allowing “more air to get in” on the next breath. But, they have the added longevity benefit of activating the “relaxation response.”

Alright, so there we have it. To live longer, we should breathe through our noses all the time, increase our lung capacity, and practice extended exhales.

And for the ultimate expression of longevity, let’s not forget what Michael J Stephen, MD tells us in Breath Taking:

“Those of us who practice breathing exercises today may well pass on more disease resistant genes to our descendants tomorrow.”

Here’s to living longer, today. : )

***

Related Quote: “For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.” - Sanskrit Proverb

P.S. Here’s how I implement this in my life:

  • Nasal breathing 24/7.

  • 15 min of slow breathing in the morning w/ extended exhales.

  • 5-10 min of slow breathing before bed w/ extended exhales.

  • Practice Wim Hof style breathing, ~5-10 min a day.

2. A New Definition of “Breathe Light”

You’ve probably heard of Patrick McKeown’s fantastic Breathe Light exercise. But, motivated by this excellent post, I decided to add another definition of “breathe light:”

Perform slow nasal breathing in the sunlight.

Nasal breathing releases nitric oxide into the airways and carries it into the lungs. Sunlight liberates nitrite from your skin and increases circulating levels of nitric oxide. When combined, you get better blood flow and oxygenation.

As Dr. Steven Lin says in the post,

Sunlight + Slow Breathing = Health + Happiness

***

Related: Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem

Related: Sunlight May Be the Next Beet Juice

Related: Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Production of Nitric Oxide:A multi-cell and multi-donor analysis

3. “Vision and Breathing May Be the Secrets to Surviving 2020”

“Stress, he says, is not just about the content of what we are reading or the images we are seeing. It is about how our eyes and breathing change in response to the world, as well as the cascades of events that follow.”

- Scientific American

I know, I know, it’s 2021. But I’m a slow reader : )

In any case, this is an excellent article from Scientific American. Breathing, stress, vision, and Andrew Huberman—it’s just all-around amazing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, if you haven’t already read it…

***

P.S. Thanks to Ben Greenfield for sharing this article, which is how I found it.

4. The Most Important Part of Your Breathing Practice

Whether you’re breathing for longevity, energy, relaxation, or any other reason, here’s the most important part of the practice: to practice.

***

P.S. Inspired by Brian Johnson’s Notes on Creativity On Demand

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“Life is too short to be lived in fast forward. Slow down. Breathe it in. Enjoy it.”

– Ryan Holiday

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Sunlight and Respiration

Answer: Although sunlight helps humans produce nitric oxide, it provides plants with their energy through this process.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is photosynthesis?

In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
Diabetes is Tiny. You are Mighty.

P.S. I felt this on a spiritual level

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

Each Monday, I curate and synthesize information from scientific journals, books, articles, and podcasts to share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy!") related to breathing. It’s a fun way to learn something new each week.

 
 

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Can This Acid Help You Digest Oxygen Better?

 

I hope this edition of "The Breathing 4.1.1" helps start your week off right.

Below you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. My #1 Non-Breathing Tip to Improve Your Breathing

There are non-breathing ways to improve your breathing. Here’s the easiest and most helpful one I’ve found: Add 2-4 hours between dinner and bedtime.

For example, I now eat dinner around 5:30 p.m. and go to bed around 7:45 - 8:00 p.m. (I used to eat closer to 7:00 p.m. with the same bedtime).

After one or two nights of the earlier dinner, my CO2 tolerance increased by about 20 seconds. And it’s remained that way ever since. If you’re not already, give it a shot and see how you feel after a couple of nights.

(As a side note, I also lost about 5 lbs after 1-2 weeks of doing this. So, when I saw this article on ScienceDaily, it jumped off the page at me: People who eat a late dinner may gain weight.)

2. Can This Acid Help You Digest Oxygen Better?

"Oxygen is what we breathe in. CO2 is what we internally produce in order to allow us to use that oxygen most efficiently." - David Bidler, Breathe to Perform

I love that interpretation. Rather than thinking of CO2 as a waste product, why don’t we instead view it as something our body produces to use the oxygen we breathe in.

While reading this passage, I also thought of a new analogy. It’s not technically correct, but I think it helps get the point across:

Your body produces stomach acids to digest food. It produces blood acids to digest oxygen.

3. Why Don’t We Breathe Slowly, 24/7?

I talk about the benefits of slow breathing a lot (maybe too much). With all of those benefits, it begs the question: Why didn’t we evolve to breathe slowly all the time? (Thanks, Ben!)

Rather than breathing slowly all the time, I believe we evolved something even more powerful: The ability to control our breathing.

We have been given access to our autonomic nervous system. We can choose to ramp it up or choose to slow it down. We can respond to our outer environment while being in control of our inner one.

With great power comes great responsibility. It’s up to us if we use it or not.

4. How Your Body Remembers High Altitude (1-Minute Podcast)

This episode of 60-Second Science from Scientific American explains how our red blood cells "remember" exposure to high altitude:

Red Blood Cells Remember Your Mountain Vacation

Although breath holds and high altitude exposure are not the same thing, we can elicit similar drops in blood oxygen saturation, presumably leading to similar effects. But, they’re not permanent:

"So the longer you stay at sea level before you re-climb to high altitude, then such memory will gradually disappear." - Yang Xia, UT Health Science Center

That’s why I’m also a fan of consistency over intensity to hep keep the benefits around.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"However, there is a bridge between our conscious mind and the subconscious action of the autonomic nervous system – breathing."

- Stephen Elliot with Dee Edmonson, The New Science of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: In 1978, two mountain climbers achieved this monumental feat for the first time.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. When You Finish Your To-Do List.