Listen Instead of Reading
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Reading Time: 1 min 46 sec
I hope the next 27ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.
4 THOUGHTS
1. A 2023 Review: Mindfulness Slightly Improves HbA1c in Diabetes
“Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown that mindfulness interventions are effective in improving glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. The reduction in HbA1c levels is approximately 0.3%”
A 0.3% improvement is not super meaningful. However, they also found that mindfulness helped reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in people with diabetes. Together, that’s still pretty neat 👏
2. But Mindfulness Helps in Less Quantifiable Ways, Too
For diabetes (or any condition), mindfulness helps in less quantifiable ways, too. Perhaps the most important is that, with increased awareness, we begin to notice variability in our symptoms. This gives us back some control over our condition:
“Put plainly, paying attention to variability helps us see that symptoms come and go, which helps us home in on the situations and circumstances that might contribute to these fluctuations so that we might exert some control over them. Having that kind of increased control gives rise to solutions that otherwise would not be forthcoming, as well as more optimism and less stress, which give rise to greater health in general.”
- Ellen Langer, Ph.D., The Mindful Body
Sounds good to me 👏👏👏
3. Nasal Breathing while Walking: The Key to Living Longer?
I feel obliged to share this amazing passage I read on Thursday morning in 52 Ways to Walk (such a good book, too):
“Obsessed with notions of health, he was fascinated by his breathing. In fact, Kant developed a technique of breathing solely through his nose—250 years before scientists recognized the role of nasal breathing for good health. Kant was so determined to breathe only through his nose that he refused to walk with a companion, fearful that conversation might inadvertently make him inhale through his mouth. Kant lived to just short of his eightieth birthday, a phenomenal age in 1804.”
4. The Healing Power of Breathing
The healing power of breathing is less about actual physical healing (although it can do that) and more about giving us back agency.
Controlling our breath shows us that we can control our mental and physical state, and this provides a sense of agency in all of life.
By controlling our breath, we become our own healers (and heroes).
1 Quote
“In order to heal, you may wish to become your own hero.””
1 Answer
Category: Slow Breathing & Pain
Answer: Slow breathing is thought to increase the release of these, which help explain its pain-reducing effects.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What are endorphins?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
“Breathing is the compound interest of health & wellness.”
P.S. thank u for coming to my ted talk
iCalm for Focused Relaxation
If you haven’t already, try iCalm. They called it “meditation in a bottle”…I gave in and bought…and now I use it almost daily, lol. Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.
Amazon Associate Disclosure
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* An asterisk by a quote indicates that I listened to this book on Audible. Therefore, the quotation might not be correct, but is my best attempt at reproducing the punctuation based on the narrator’s pace, tone, and pauses.