nasal NO

The 5 Exhales, Spirit, and How One Word Makes Breath Holds Easier

 
 

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4 Thoughts


1. The 5 Exhales of Slow Breathing

Here are 5 different exhales you can try during your slow breathing practice. Give them a shot and see which one brings you the most relaxation.

  1. Nasal exhale

  2. Audible pursed-lips (like blowing out birthday candles)

  3. Barely audible pursed-lips (like blowing on hot soup)

  4. Ujjayi

  5. Humming

I do a mix of these depending on how I’m feeling, but my defaults are 1 and 3.

2. How Changing One Word Makes Breath Holds Easier

Instead of saying “hold” your breath, use (or think) the word “pause.”

Holding implies tension and effort. Pausing is natural and effortless.

It’s a subtle change, but it can make a significant difference.

***

P.S. This idea was inspired by Eddie Stern’s Pranayama Week. He used the word “pause” instead of hold several times, and I found it brilliant.

3. Why Mindless Breathing is Good, Part II

“We now know that somewhere between 40% and 80% of what we do is done automatically … This is the exact strategy the brain uses to conserve energy, but especially if we've got the wrong habits, it can wreak havoc on our lives.”

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

Coming back to last week’s thought on mindless breathing, here’s another way of looking at it: 40-80%(!) of what we do is automatic. And with breathing, it’s probably 96-99%, depending on how much you practice.

But this isn’t a bad thing—it’s actually a blessing we can put to good use.

If we’re diligent and consistent with our precious gift of breath control, a mindful 1-4% investment can pay dividends on the other unmindful 96+%.

Which comes back to the main point: The goal of mindful breathing is to improve our mindless breathing.

4. A Beautiful Message and NOSEvember

“Breathwork is life changing. Whether reducing stress, controlling or eliminating disease symptoms, improving sleep, or even being a better person at work and at home. I truly believe that the breath is the key to unlocking our bodies abilities to heal themselves and perform at optimal capacity.”

- Dr. Tanya Bentley, HHPF Co-Founder & CEO

A beautiful message from a beautiful human being. Check out NOSEvember and consider supporting HHPF’s phenomenal mission. 🙏

 
 

Extra Thought (minus the bi-annual rant)

We just had another time change. I’ll spare you my normal rant on how almost every sleep scientist on the planet thinks it’s awful to change the time twice a year. But alas, we still do it : )

And if you’ve read this a while, you know I decided to ignore the time change when we “sprung forward” in March (be the change you want to see style). I loved it, and I plan on doing the same again with this one, if life allows…

 
 

1 QUOTE

“It means that breath is the root of the essence and of the soul, the life source and the ruler of the spirit.”

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Exhalation and Nasal Nitric Oxide

Answer: This exhalation technique can increase nasal nitric oxide by as much as 15-fold.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is humming?

In good breath,

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

P.S. The true test of longevity

 
 
 

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 Joy of Breathwork is _________, and The 3 Best Ways to be Consistent

 
 

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4 Thoughts


1. The Joy of Breathwork is _________

If you’ve read any books on breathwork, or heard any podcasts, or taken any classes, you’ve inevitably heard some incredible stories of healing.

People use different breathing methods to help various health conditions under different settings. They all seem to work, and there’s no one-size-fits-all.

It highlights a simple yet profound truth: The joy of breathwork is breathing.

***

Quote that inspired this thought: “I realized: These were tears of joy, and the joy of movement is moving.” - Kelly McGonigal, PhD, The Joy of Movement

2. The 3 Best Ways to be Consistent with Your Breathing Practice

“A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.”

– Anthony Trollope

1. Start very tiny. Even if it's 1 breath or 30 seconds. Just pick something so small you can't fail.

2. Do it at the same time every day. Pick a consistent cue (e.g., brushing your teeth, etc.) that will trigger your tiny practice.

3. Celebrate. This is most important. Do something silly that you find rewarding (fist bump, etc.). Celebration releases dopamine, which will trick your brain into looking forward to your practice.

***

P.S. Here’s my celebration: “That’s like me to do another breathing session!”

P.P.S. These concepts come from the excellent book Tiny Habits.

3. Marginal Gains: Why Being Consistent Matters

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. … Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.”

- James Clear

And there’s why being consistent is so important. Those tiny 1% gains are far more meaningful in the long run than they might at first seem. As my favorite teacher Brian Johnson says, “when you aggregate and compound enough of those tiny little incremental optimizations MAGIC happens.” 🙏

***

Related: Breathing is the Compound Interest of Health and Wellness

Related Quote: “Any practice, whether spiritual, physical, or artistic, only begins to pay off when it is done with regularity and sincerity.” - Eddie Stern, One Simple Thing

4. The Pleiotropic Benefits of Breathing

“Eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and managing stress will always be the foundational pillars of health and wellness. One reason for this is that these interventions are what scientists call pleiotropic—they provide a wide range of benefits that aren’t limited to a particular health condition.”

– Chris Kresser

Breathwork is also pleiotropic: it provides wide-ranging benefits, which aren’t limited to one health condition. (That’s also why it often seems like a panacea.)

Combining this idea with Thoughts 2 & 3, we see why breathing is the compound interest of health and wellness: When done consistently, the marginal gains from its wide-ranging, “pleiotropic” benefits aggregate into magic.

Sounds good to me : )

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“The breath is something that is readily available to us simply because we are human beings. We do not need anything else to qualify. How marvelous!”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Nasal Breathing

Answer: Nitric oxide, which is one of the most important benefits of nasal breathing, is produced in this region of the upper airways.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are the paranasal sinuses?

In good breath,

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

P.S. Nothing like changing your appearance

 
 
 

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 Science of Presence, Beating Gravity, and How to Sleep Like a Pro

 
 

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Greetings,

Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for this week.

I hope you enjoy it!

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. How to Sleep Like a Pro: Nose, 4-4-6-2, Repeat

“Breathe deeply and regularly…Try to breathe through your nose, keeping your mouth closed if at all possible. The more you breathe through your nose, the easier you will find it to breathe through your nose. In other words, use it or lose it.”

- Dr. Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe, Learn Like a Pro

I didn’t expect to find anything about breathing in a book called “Learn Like a Pro,” which is geared mainly toward college students. But, to learn well, you need to sleep well. Enter: the power of the breath.

And their advice for falling asleep? Inhale for 4 sec, hold for 4 sec, exhale for 6 sec, hold for 2 sec. “This type of breathing balances both the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your body and allows you to relax more deeply.”

It’s just so awesome to see slow nasal breathing make its way into random places like this. If put into practice, these few sentences could change a student’s life forever. Simply amazing.

Here’s to sleeping (and learning) like a pro, tonight.

***

P.S. I’ve been having a little self-induced stress insomnia recently (such is life), so it was perfect timing for this passage.

Related: Self-Regulation of Breathing as an Adjunctive Treatment of Insomnia

2. Beating Gravity with Your Nose

“The results presented in this work provide evidence that the development of a substantial production of NO in the upper airways of humans may be an important part of our adaptation to life on two legs to ameliorate the influence of gravity on pulmonary blood flow distribution.”

- Nasal nitric oxide and regulation of human pulmonary blood flow in the upright position

Translation: Nasal nitric oxide might have been an evolutionary adaptation to counteract gravity, allowing us to sit and walk upright. 🤯

Gravity moves blood flow toward the base of the lungs. Nitric oxide, however, redistributes blood flow help better utilize the massive surface area of the lungs. This allows us to get more oxygen in the upright position.

So go take a walk, breathe through your nose, oxygenate your body, and enjoy this gift evolution has given us.

***

Related Quote: “Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack.” - Henry Miller

3. Psychology Today: “The Simplest Stress Management Skill”

“It may seem incredible that such a simple exercise can make a huge difference in a person’s ability to feel less stressed.”

- Dianne Grande, Ph.D., The Simplest Stress Management Skill

Of course, that “simple exercise” is slow deep breathing : )

This quick and excellent article touches on the vagus nerve and equal versus extended exhalations. It also provides some straightforward and practical guidelines for a “minimum effective dose” of slow breathing. Enjoy!

4. The Making of the Present Moment

“Your experience of the present moment is based on the activity of your nervous system at that moment. ”

- Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Neurodharma

We are always in the moment. As Howard Cohn says, “In truth, we are always present. We only imagine ourselves to be in one place or another.”

So what “presence” really refers to is experiencing our current moment. And as Dr. Hanson reminds us, our experience of any moment is just our nervous system at that moment. And the fastest way to access that? Our breath.

So experience your breath to experience presence. Or better yet, change your breath, change your nervous system, and use this science and physiology of presence to make your own moments.

***

Related Quote: “Breathe and you dwell in the here and now.” - Annabel Laity

Related Quote: “As such, the state of the autonomic nervous system underlies all psychological and physiological functioning, whether we are conscious of it or not. However, there is a bridge between our conscious mind and the subconscious action of the autonomic nervous system – breathing.” - The New Science of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“Everything I have earned today was at least partially a result of breathing.  My best performance.  My emotional control. My ability to endure.  Breathing gave me all of this.”

- Rickson Gracie, Breathe: A Life in Flow

P.S. I listened to Breathe, so I apologize if the punctuation is incorrect.

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Breathing in the Womb

Answer: Babies are supplied oxygen in the womb through this tube-like structure.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the umbilical cord?

In good breath,

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

P.S. it comes very naturally

 
 
 

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.