Increase brain blood flow by 20%

Hi everyone,

Over the last month, we’ve learned several important aspects of intermittent hypoxia (IH). For example, IH increases immune function and the production and storage of nitric oxide.

Although we’ve only scratched the surface on IH, I want to wrap up the discussion (for now) with one of my favorites benefits: Increased brain blood flow.

Intermittent hypoxia increases brain blood flow by 20%

(Published in 2017 in Hypoxia. To read the full summary, Click Here)

The participants in this study inhaled air with 10% oxygen for 6 min to induce hypoxia. Then, they breathed normal room air for 4 min. This cycle was repeated 5 times.

Measurements were recorded during the first and fifth bouts of hypoxia:

They found that intermittent hypoxia increased brain blood flow by 20%(!)

Fractional oxygen extraction in the brain also increased significantly. Pretty remarkable.

How to use these findings in your life

Statistical analysis revealed that major increases in brain blood flow occurred when blood oxygen saturation dropped to ~86%.  We can achieve this (with practice) using breath holds. 

I recommend performing 3-5 breath holds, with a 1-min recovery between each one, approximately 10-30 minutes before a workout, competition, or presentation. The increased brain blood flow will help focus your mind and prepare you for what’s ahead.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Breath holds can be dangerous. Take a look at Principle 3 before getting started.

P.P.S. The ~86% finding won’t be universal. Sometimes I barely drop my O2 below 95% and still feel major enhancements in my focus and concentration. In my experience, simply performing a few cycles of mild-to-moderate breath holds is all that is needed to feel the benefits.

The protective effects of intermittent hypoxia

Hi everyone,

Happy (almost) Fall!

A few weeks ago, we learned that intermittent hypoxia increases nitric oxide (NO) production and storage.

The paper I’m sharing this week examines NO’s protective effects during hypoxia.

The protective role of nitric oxide during adaptation to hypoxia

(Read on website)

The experiment gradually adapted mice to a simulated altitude of ~5000 m (>16K ft).

After the acclimation, the mice nearly doubled their NO metabolites. Their NO storage significantly increased as well.

Hypoxia protects against NO-overproduction

They also gave a subset of mice a condition causing excessive NO, which dropped their blood pressure about 36 mm Hg. However, when the mice were acclimated to hypoxia, they only showed a 19 mm Hg drop.

Hypoxia protects against NO-deficiency

Mice given a condition of NO-deficiency (which increases blood pressure) also saw protective effects from hypoxia. Without hypoxia, their blood pressure increased ~80 mm Hg. With adaptation, it only increased ~20 mm Hg.

Overall, these results indicate that adaptation to hypoxia protects against both over- and under-production of NO.

The final sentence from their abstract sums up the benefits nicely:

“The data suggest that NO stores induced by adaptation to hypoxia can either bind excessive NO to protect the organism against NO overproduction or provide a NO reserve to be used in NO deficiency.”

In good breath,
Nick

The benefits of resistance breathing

Hi all,

When I first saw the breathing mask from the Oxygen Advantage, I swore I’d never use it. I thought wearing a mask for breathing was silly. What I love about breathing is its simplicity.

However, because I got the Sports Mask as part of the training a couple weeks ago, I gave it a shot. And now I’m hooked.

What the mask does:

• Adds resistance to your breathing

• Increases carbon dioxide tolerance

• Helps drop oxygen saturation

Your diaphragm is probably one of your most underworked muscles. The added resistance of the mask helps strengthen your diaphragm, leading to more efficient breathing.

The mask is also designed to pool carbon dioxide (CO2). If you’ve been following my work at all, you know the importance of CO2. The mask makes it easy to feel ‘air hunger’ without even trying. This will help build CO2 tolerance over time.

Lastly, because the mask limits air inflow, it also makes it easier to practice intermittent hypoxia. A brisk walk on the highest resistance setting easily drops me into mild hypoxia (SpO2 ~95%).

How I Use The Breathing Mask

I am currently using the breathing mask 2 times a day, for a total of ~10 minutes.

In the morning, I take around 15 big breaths (nasally) on the highest resistance setting as “inspiratory muscle training”. After this, I do a 4-minute workout of squats, push-ups, and plank, with the mask on the lowest resistance setting. This is surprisingly difficult.

At night, I do a series of stretches with the mask on the highest resistance setting.

———

Over the past 3 weeks, I’ve noticed that the exercises with the mask have gotten easier. I’m sure it’s partially a mental adaptation, but I also feel that my breathing is easier and my CO2 tolerance is increasing. (Note: My CO2 Tolerance Test score has increased from ~45 sec to around 67 sec, but I have made other changes, especially to my sleep, which have also helped.)

If you are at all interested in resistance breathing, I recommend you give it a shot. The benefits are real and quickly noticeable. Obviously, I’m a fan of the Oxygen Advantage® Sports Mask, but there are plenty of others out there. Just make sure you get one that supports nasal breathing.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. The change I made to my sleep was to add 2-2.5 hours after dinner before going to sleep. The author of The Longevity Paradox recommends 4 hours, but that isn’t practical with my schedule. However, adding just 2 hours between dinner and bedtime has substantially improved my sleep and breath hold times. Besides taping, this might be the 2nd easiest change I have made that has substantially improved my overall quality of life.

The importance of tongue placement for breathing and stability

Hi everyone,

This week, I want to share a key takeaway from the Oxygen Advantage (OA) teacher training I attended a couple weeks ago.

Patrick McKeown (the founder of OA) is a wealth of knowledge. He’s been researching, applying, and teaching about breathing for nearly 20 years. It’s always an honor to learn from him.

Although I learned a ton, there was one thing that stood out this time: the tongue.

Your tongue should rest on the roof of your mouth, which will open up your airways. If your tongue rests down, it will restrict your breathing.

This is especially important during sleep. But, the only way to keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth during sleep is to make it a habit during the day. (I’m now trying to keep my tongue on the roof of the mouth as much as possible.)

However, knowing this science of tongue placement didn’t actually make me interested. What did was an exercise a physiologist led us through to demonstrate the importance of tongue placement for stability.

Here’s the exercise:

1. Let your tongue fall off the roof of your mouth.

2. Now, let your head fall back and look up at the ceiling.

3. Repeat, but with your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth.

You should feel more head and neck stability when your tongue is pressed against the roof of your mouth. The physiologist explained how this stabilizes the neck and spine, but most of it was over my head. I just know it worked.

Some others in class noticed that their breathing was significantly easier when their tongue was on the roof of their mouth.

With that in mind, try noticing where your tongue rests throughout the day. Try keeping it pressed against the roof of your mouth. This will help your breathing and stability.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. One more picture from the training. They say you should never meet your idols, but Patrick (right) never disappoints. In addition to all of his knowledge, he’s just genuinely a nice guy. It was awesome to learn from him again.

Nitric Oxide, Hypoxia, and Batman

Hi all,

Greetings from Lakeland, FL! We live near the east coast of FL, so we evacuated inland. My thoughts are with any of you affected by Dorian. Stay safe!

We learned last week that nitric oxide (NO) is a critical in areas of tissue hypoxia (see review here). With that in mind, what happens when we purposefully induce hypoxia via intermittent hypoxic (IH) training (Principle 3)?

Intermittent hypoxia increases production and storage of nitric oxide

(Read on website)

In this study, mice were gradually adapted to an altitude of ~5000 m over a 40-day period.

After acclimation, their NO metabolites (nitrite and nitrate) increased significantly.

• This indicated that either (1) more NO was being generated or (2) NO was being released from storage.

However, the mice also increased their NO storage considerably.

• The increase in NO storage correlated significantly with the increase in NO metabolites.

All together, these results indicate that adaptation to intermittent hypoxia increases NO production and storage.

The storage rate was higher than the production rate, which was likely a protective mechanism to ensure that blood pressure did not drop too low.  However, the large storage also ensured that NO could be readily released if needed, highlighting yet another benefit of adaptation to hypoxia and intermittent hypoxia training.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Speaking of IH training, here’s a shot of me wearing the Oxygen Advantage® Sports Mask at the teacher training last week. Yes, I look like Bane, but it adds a lot of resistance to each breath, which helps improve CO2 tolerance, increases breathing muscle strength, and allows me to drop into hypoxia easier.