Optimizing Health, Mood, Learning, and Performance Through Proper Breathing
health, performance
Amidst the frantic rhythms of our everyday existence, it's easy to overlook the remarkable power of something as simple and fundamental as our breath. Yet, beneath the surface of this seemingly automatic and unconscious function lies a potent gateway to our inner world – the bridge between our subconscious and conscious mind. Welcome to an exploration of the profound influence of deliberate respiration on our well-being.
Andrew Huberman, the american neuroscientist and associate professor of neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, kickstarted a scientific odyssey and embarked on a journey to uncover the incredible potential of specific breathing protocols, which have the ability to shape our brain and body in ways that can enhance our mood, physical capacity, focus and even the quality of our sleep.
What makes this journey truly remarkable is that the benefits of these techniques extend well beyond the boundaries of our breathwork sessions, subtly and powerfully impacting our lives around the clock when practiced with intention and precision.
The Act of Breathing
Breathing serves a crucial purpose: it allows the body to take in life-sustaining oxygen (O2) while expelling carbon dioxide (CO2). This delicate exchange is vital for maintaining the precise balance of O2 and CO2 in both our brain and body. When we inhale, oxygen is absorbed into our bloodstream through tiny sacs known as alveoli in the lungs. Hemoglobin, a carrier molecule in our blood, ensures the delivery of oxygen to our cells. Interestingly, carbon dioxide, often viewed as a waste product, plays a pivotal role in facilitating oxygenation. It alters the shape of hemoglobin, assisting in the release of bound oxygen to our cells and tissues.
An illustrative depiction of the respiratory process within the human body, highlighting the essential nature of breathing and its fundamental role in sustaining life and physiological equilibrium.
Additionally, carbon dioxide levels influence the body's pH, or acidity level. During physical activity, there's a slight drop in body pH, prompting increased oxygen delivery to working muscles. Exhalation removes carbon dioxide from the bloodstream, transferring it from the alveoli in the lungs to be expelled through the mouth or nose.
Even during rest, the brain remains the most metabolically active organ in the body, demanding significant oxygen levels. Imbalances in the O2:CO2 ratio can lead to a hypoxic state, causing detrimental effects on cognition and physical function. To maintain a precise equilibrium, intricate mechanical and chemical pathways continuously monitor and regulate our breathing patterns.
Optimizing Your Breathing
Optimizing your breathing is a simple yet transformative practice. At rest, healthy breathing entails taking around 12 shallow-to-moderate breaths per minute, bringing approximately 6 liters of air into the lungs each minute. Unfortunately, many of us tend to "overbreathe," averaging 15 to 18 breaths per minute, leading to excessive exhalation, a condition known as "hypocapnia." This results in reduced carbon dioxide levels and decreased oxygen delivery to the brain and tissues, leading to difficulties in focus and increased anxiety.
To counter overbreathing during non-exercise activities, try two strategies:
Introduce brief pauses between breaths.
Embrace nasal breathing instead of mouth breathing. Nasal breathing, with its relatively higher resistance, naturally extends the exhalation period.
Nasal breathing, especially during rest and sleep, offers various advantages:
It maximizes lung inflation with each breath, enhancing oxygen delivery to the body.
The nasal passages warm incoming air, promoting lung health.
Production of nitric oxide in the nasal passages relaxes smooth muscles, improving blood vessel dilation for efficient waste removal, nutrient delivery, and relief from sinus congestion.
It can even enhance facial aesthetics, like elevating the eyebrows and cheekbones, sharpening the jawline, and benefiting overall tooth and jaw structure.
A man comfortably adjusts a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask, a specialized device used to manage sleep apnea, promoting improved breathing patterns and uninterrupted sleep throughout the night.
On the flip side, some individuals under-breathe during sleep, leading to sleep apnea, characterized by shallow or infrequent breaths and temporary hypoxia, causing frequent night awakenings. This condition can affect people of all body types and may lead to symptoms like sleepiness, snoring, morning headaches, irritability, and inattention. Long-term, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, impacts cognitive function, and diminishes libido.
Treatment options include using a CPAP machine, employing medical tape on the mouth to encourage nasal breathing, and practicing nasal breathing during exercise and throughout the day to establish proper breathing habits.
Improve Your Breathing
Use Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test and Box Breathing:
Expand your diaphragm by inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.
Take the carbon dioxide tolerance test:
Breathe normally for 4-5 breaths.
Inhale deeply through your nose, then time your slow exhale.
Record the duration.
Practice 2-3 minutes of box breathing (see a visual here), 1-2x per week. Your breath-hold duration should match your test results.
Repeat the test after 1-2 weeks of practice to enhance your breath control and reduce overbreathing.
Breathe Away Stress
Practicing physiological sighs holds significant value. Huberman’s collaboration with Dr. David Spiegel from Stanford School of Medicine resulted in a clinical trial. It revealed that daily 5-minute sessions of cyclic physiological sighs effectively reduce stress, enhance relaxation, promote better sleep, lower resting heart rate, and boost mood.
Inhale deeply through your nose twice, back-to-back.
Exhale fully through your mouth.
This technique rapidly shifts your nervous system from agitation to calm.
Even 1-3 sighs can help you stay or return to a calmer state.
Regular practice for 5 minutes daily can reduce stress, improve relaxation, sleep, heart rate, and mood.
Enhanced Alertness and Focus
Rapid, deep inhales and exhales equal hyperventilation, leading to the release of adrenaline in the brain and body, enhancing alertness and focus.
Enhance Alertness and Focus with Cyclic Hyperventilation:
Perform 25 cycles of deep inhales and exhales through your nose and mouth.
Fully exhale and hold for 15-30 seconds.
Repeat for up to 5 minutes.
Expect a brief tingly or agitated feeling, followed by improved focus due to increased adrenaline.
Repeated practice can boost your stress tolerance.
Anticipate a mild tingling or restlessness immediately after the exercise. Yet, in the following minutes, adrenaline will surge, significantly boosting your focus and attention.
The hormones produced by the adrenal glands are essential for various bodily functions and are involved in the body's response to stress, metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and immune system balance.
**Note: Use caution if prone to panic attacks or high anxiety. Never do this near water or while driving to prevent accidents or shallow water blackout.
Harnessing Breathing for Heart Rate Control
Heart rate variability science, widely used in sports, military, and healthcare, is intimately linked to your breath. You can intentionally lower or elevate your heart rate using your breath, such as before sleep or sports performance. This connection relies on respiratory sinus arrhythmia, a normal bodily feature.
To increase heart rate: Inhale deeply and vigorously, exhaling less. To decrease heart rate: Exhale deeply and vigorously, inhaling less.
Understanding this simple principle allows you to regulate your body as needed, without the need for dedicated "breathwork." Deliberate breathing empowers you to control your brain and body state, impacting neural circuits, neurochemicals, and hormones. Incorporate these techniques as a part of your routine for a powerful tool in real-time adjustments.
Reference
https://hubermanlab.stanford.edu/publications/brief-structured-respiration-practices-enhance-mood-and-reduce-physiological-arousal
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/pdfExtended/S2666-3791%2822%2900474-8
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-27247-y
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s002210050680
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