One-Sentence Ideas and Your Breathing Identity

Happy New Year!

Thanks for joining me for the first 411 of the year. Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for you to consider this week.

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4 THOUGHTS

1. 21 One-Sentence Breathing Ideas

"Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his breath; strong is he who forces his breath to control his thoughts."

Breathing ideas are often long-winded, but they shouldn’t be.

Here are 21 one-sentence breathing ideas to kick off 2021. You’ll learn how breathing is the compound interest of health, the most effective way to breathe right now, and the best time to start a breathing practice. Enjoy!

P.S. Josh Spector’s excellent post on communication inspired this idea.

2. What Not to Focus On in 2021

"Just because you can measure something doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing." - James Clear, Atomic Habits

Focusing on any one outcome (e.g., CO2 tolerance or BOLT) is simplistic, even in breathing. The problem is, as James also states, "we optimize for what we measure." So, let’s avoid putting too much weight on any one measurement in 2021.

The alternative, James tells us, "is to build identity-based habits. With this approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to become." Measuring progress is important, but we don’t want our identity to be based on a measurement ("I have a high BOLT score"). Instead, we want the measurement to be an outcome of our identity ("I am someone who focuses on optimal breathing, so I have a high BOLT").

It’s a significant distinction.

3. "The Consequences of Sucking at Breathing"

"Without knowing it, you might be messing up your sleep, mood, digestion, heart, nervous system, muscles, brain, and even the development of your teeth and face structure." - Patrik Edblad, How to Breathe Properly – A (Surprisingly Important) Complete Guide

I love finding breathing articles from "non-breathing" people. It makes my heart (and lungs) happy. Even more so when they are excellently written, like this one.

My favorite part was that Patrik conveyed all the benefits of breathing without ever mentioning CO2. 👏 Enjoy the awesome read!

4. Harmonize the Butterflies in Your Stomach

"It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation." - Dr. Rob Gilbert

Controlling your breathing is an easy way to help synchronize them.

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1 QUOTE

"A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the delight of its users did that. Only the use made it mean something."

- Lois McMaster Bujold

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1 ANSWER

Answer: Approximately 2/3 of the mass of the human body is made up of this.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is oxygen?

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. A new reason to be upset

The Breathing 411 - On Becoming Indisfunctionable

Welcome to October and another edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

Below, you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (like "Jeopardy") related to all things breathing. Enjoy!

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4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing to Gain Traction

"On the left side is distraction, the opposite of traction...the word means the 'drawing away of the mind.' Distractions impede us from making progress toward the life we envision."

- Nir Eyal, Indistractable

I’ve never thought of "distraction" being the opposite of "traction." (Pretty neat.) Distraction, as Nir Eyal states, is the drawing away of the mind.

But what can we do to bring it back, to gain traction?

"It has long been claimed by Yogis and Buddhists that meditation and ancient breath-focused practices… strengthen our ability to focus on tasks. A new study explains for the first time the neurophysiological link between breathing and attention.…
The way we breathe, in other words, directly affects the chemistry of our brains in a way that can enhance our attention and improve our brain health." - ScienceDaily

That sounds like a great place to start. Here’s to combining ancient wisdom with modern science on our path to becoming indistractable.

(Thanks, a million times over, to Brian Johnson for inspiring so many of my thoughts.)

2. How to Become Indisfunctionable

In addition to improving focus, a staple of slow breathing is that it reverses autonomic dysfunction. It does this by promoting cardio-respiratory balance, in as little as two minutes, putting us back on the track to health and wellness.

In the process of becoming indistractable, we also become indisfunctionable.

3. Similar Lung Deficiencies in Diabetes and Asthma

"In a study of the pulmonary biopsies of 171 patients,(18) it was concluded that individuals with DM [diabetes mellitus] present an increase in basement membrane thickness similar to that seen in asthma patients." - Forgiarini et al. (2009)

I have often wondered why breathing principles that work so well for asthma also benefit people with diabetes. Here’s one interesting similarity: The oxidative stress from diabetes leads to similar lung structure changes seen in asthmatics.

Thanks to 411 reader T. P. for inspiring this thought.

4. Heavy Breathing at the Start of Exercise (it’s not just CO2)

Your breathing rate typically increases after just a few minutes of exercise…unless you’ve been reading this newsletter long enough :)

By now, we would all probably agree this increase in breathing is due to a build-up of CO2. But is that truly the case?

"The increase in ventilation does not appear to be the consequence of changes in arterial blood gases." - Respiratory Physiology pg 187

The reason is perhaps more impressive. It’s what this textbook calls "Phase 1: The Neurological Phase" of exercise. The movement itself might be sending neurological messages to the brain, instructing it to begin breathing more.

That is, your body has a built-in, anticipatory mechanism that links movement to the respiratory controller in the brain to help prevent blood-gas imbalances from ever happening. The result is that changes in breathing precede changes in CO2.

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1 QUOTE

Same goes for breathing:

"It is easy to be heavy; hard to be light."

- G.K. Chesterton

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1 ANSWER

Answer: The time it takes gas exchange to occur in the lungs.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is about 0.25 seconds?

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Didn’t see that coming.

The Breathing 411 - Before There Were Harvard Studies

Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

Below, I do my best to provide you with 4 useful thoughts, 1 insightful quote, and 1 fun answer (like "Jeopardy") related to breathing. Enjoy!

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4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing is the Ultimate Self-Improvement Tool

"Never has there been a map, however carefully executed to detail and scale, which carried its owner over even one inch of ground."

- Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

Action is the cornerstone of all improvement. We can read and learn all we want, but that is only storing potential energy. Action converts that energy into something useful.

Breathing is the most primitive form of taking action. It gives you something you can do, that actually does something. Breathing induces physiological and neurological changes in your state that are truly useful in any real-life situation.

It’s no wonder all ancient traditions focused on the breath. Before the internet, before you could major in positive psychology, before life coaches and Harvard studies, there was the breath. Breathing is the ultimate self-improvement tool.

2. Insomnia Identified as New Risk Factor for Type-2 Diabetes

"Insomnia was identified as a novel risk factor, with people with insomnia being 17% more likely to develop T2D than those without."

- ScienceDaily, 8 Sep 2020

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, given that even one night of sleep deprivation significantly increases insulin resistance. But is there anything we can do about it? You’ve probably guessed my answer by now : )

Of course, "breathing" isn’t the cure for everything, and it certainly isn’t a magic pill for insomnia. But it might help.

Slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, relaxing the body, preparing it for sleep. Once asleep, nose breathing helps you wake up less (see last week’s 411), maintain rhythmic breathing, and ultimately sleep deeper. All of this might help reduce stress hormones and increase insulin sensitivity.

Overall, a simple change to your breathing, compounded over time, might help reduce your risk of type-2 diabetes (or at least help you manage it better), even if only the tiniest little bit.

Thanks to 411 reader R.D. whose interest in breathing and type-2 diabetes inspired this thought.

3. CO2 Tolerance and Chemoreceptor Flexibility

"Today, chemoreceptor flexibility is part of what distinguishes good athletes from great ones. […] All these people have trained their chemoreceptors to withstand extreme fluctuations in carbon dioxide without panic."

James Nestor, Breath, pg. 170

We discuss carbon dioxide tolerance a lot. But I prefer James’ terminology, using chemoreceptor flexibility rather than CO2 tolerance. Flexibility implies variability. It also implies robustness.

Of course, I believe the most critical part of this flexibility is the ability to withstand higher CO2, that is, CO2 tolerance. But let’s not forget about robustness and adaptability. Tension and relaxation. Stretching in both directions, not just one.

4. 100 Miles or 10 Minutes: Which is Harder?

I rucked 100 miles. It took almost thirty-six hours straight.

I’ve never made it 10 minutes "breathing" without getting distracted.

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1 QUOTE

"You can borrow knowledge, but not action."

- James Clear

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1 ANSWER

Answer: The average number of alveoli in your lungs.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is about 480 million?

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Me Up at Night Worrying

The Breathing 411 - The lung microbiome, David Blaine, and a perfect breath

Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

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

Thank you for reading!

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4 THOUGHTS

1. On Practicing the Fundamentals

"If someone at Kobe’s level needs to commit hours to practicing the fundamentals, then so do all of us. Kobe taught me a pivotal lesson that morning. The basics are simple, but not easy."
- Alan Stein Jr., Raise Your Game

Imagine the best basketball player on the planet allows you to watch him practice. Then, he spends hours working on his fundamentals. Nothing fancy, no showboating, just the basics. That’s exactly what Alan Stein saw when he watched Kobe Bryant practice during his prime.

We talk about breathing here, not the highest level of basketball ever played. But the message is the same.

With all the fancy breathing techniques and new approaches, it’s easy to be looking for the "next thing" (—> guilty here <— ). But let’s not forget that it all comes down to the basics. They’re simple, but they’re not easy.

(This idea, like many, was inspired by knowledge from the Optimize Program.)

2. Oxygen Therapy Harms the Lung Microbiome

We’ve discussed how inhaled oxygen can lead to adverse effects in people with diabetes. Specifically, high levels of inhaled oxygen can reduce arterial function. But there might be other problems with oxygen therapy, especially when done over prolonged periods.

For example, your lungs have their own microbiome (pretty neat). And a recent study showed that inhaled oxygen harms this microbiome, leading to an increased risk of lung damage. This idea is especially relevant during COVID-19:

“Upon hospitalization, these patients are administered oxygen in an attempt to bring their levels back up to normal. However, a new study hints that this universal therapy may have unintended consequences via an unexpected source -- the microbiome.”
- ScienceDaily

Read the whole summary from ScienceDaily here:

Oxygen Therapy Harms Lung Microbiome in Mice

3. David Blaine on Breath Holds, CO2, and 45 Minutes Without Air

David Blaine was recently on the Joe Rogan Podcast. They began talking about breath-holds within 5 minutes (this link should take you right to it).

Here are two quotes I loved from it:

"The breath-holding thing is all about like, a CO2 build up in the bloodstream, and it’s about a tolerance level to it…"

And when Joe asks about the panicked feeling you get when holding your breath, David’s reply is:

“That’s not an O2 deprivation. That’s a trigger from a CO2 build-up, which is giving you an alert…"

All of you "breathing nerds" already knew this. But it is little tidbits like these that help the general population learn.

He goes on to talk a little about pre-breath-hold hyperventilation, blacking out, and how we can go 45 minutes without air.

In addition to the breath-hold stuff, it’s a fascinating interview.

4. Is there a Perfect Breath?

“What is the perfect breath? Far from being some noble yet unreachable goal that takes years of rigorous practice to master, a perfect breath is any breath you take for which you are completely and mindfully aware.” - Al Lee & Don Campbell

That definition is, well, perfect. But let’s not forget about James Nestor’s perfect breath, which has deeper roots in science and physiology:

"They discovered that the optimum amount of air we should take in at rest per minute is 5.5 liters. The optimum breathing rate is about 5.5 breaths per minute. That’s 5.5-second inhales and 5.5-second exhales. This is the perfect breath."

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1 QUOTE

"Your quality of sleep is closely related to how you breathe, both when you sleep and when you are awake."

- Anders Olsson

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1 ANSWER

Answer: The amount of time it takes blood to circulate around your entire body.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is one minute?*

(This fun fact came from James Nestor’s Breath.)

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. When I Feel Like I Have Diabetes Figured Out.

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!

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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.

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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

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1 ANSWER

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

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen?

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In good breath,
Nick

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

The Breathing 4.1.1. - Breathing That Makes You Smarter

Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of "The Breathing 4.1.1."

Below, I share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy"). Enjoy!

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4 THOUGHTS

1. Why Increasing Your CO2 Tolerance Just Makes Sense

i. Carbon dioxide is your primary stimulus to breathe. When you feel breathless or air hunger, that is due to high levels of CO2, not low levels of oxygen.

ii. Carbon dioxide helps you use oxygen more efficiently via the Bohr effect.

Therefore, being able to tolerate more CO2 just makes sense. You’ll delay the onset of breathlessness while simultaneously improving oxygen delivery.

2. Should You Be Doing Breathing Exercises All Day?

Not in my opinion. The goal of all of this "breathing stuff" is to reset your breathing to healthy levels so you don’t have to think about it all the time.

3. Can Your Breathing Make You Smarter?

Nasal breathing synchronizes brainwave oscillations in the piriform cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. This coherence improves cognitive function when compared to mouth breathing.

Read More: Nasal Breathing Synchronizes Brainwave Activity and Improves Cognitive Function

4. If You or Your Child Suffers from This Condition…

If you’re reading this, the adverse health effects of mouth breathing probably seem obvious to you by now. But maybe not everyone else.

That’s why it is always great to see an article about it in a more mainstream publication like ScienceDaily. The final paragraph is both wonderful and comical (without trying to be):

"At this time, many health care professionals are not aware of the health problems associated with mouth breathing. If you or your child suffers from this condition, speak with a health care professional who is knowledgeable about mouth breathing."

Read The Full Article on ScienceDaily:

"Mouth breathing can cause major health problems"

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1 QUOTE

"We can’t learn how to breathe, but we can learn how to stop not breathing."

- Richard Rosen, The Yoga of Breath

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1 ANSWER

Answer: The only human organs that can float in water.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What are the lungs?

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Nostalgia.

Two Simple Ways to Improve Your Sleep Tonight

Charles Dickens just walked into a hotel room. The year is 1860. As arguably the most famous author alive, you might think he set up his writing station and poured a glass of Brandy. Instead, he pulled out his compass and rearranged the place [1].

Dickens’ Odd Fix for Insomnia

Dickens believed that sleeping with his head toward the north helped with his insomnia. This sounds funny but is probably more helpful than his previous solution, which was to walk all night, sometimes covering up to 30 miles [2].

Although Dickens’ sleeping habits were peculiar, it was his keen observations of others that changed sleep science.

Joe’s Snoring and Sleep Science

In 1836, Dickens began writing The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, also known as The Pickwick Papers. In it, Dickens’ character “Joe” displayed all of the classic characteristics of sleep apnea. Joe was always tired, he fell asleep during the day, and he snored loudly.

Sleep scientists credit this work as being the first accurate observations of sleep-disordered breathing [3], recording it 120 years before the science caught up.

Modern Sleep Science Catches Up

Today, estimates of sleep-disordered breathing are, well, breathtaking. The term “sleep-disordered breathing” itself is rather generic. It covers a wide range of issues related to sleep and breathing (most commonly, obstructive sleep apnea).

However, in 1996 a review study was published that sheds light on the mechanisms that cause sleep-disordered breathing. This research helps explain why it is so common and provides suggestions as to what we can do about it.

Sleep and Breathing State-of-the-Art Review: Sleep-Induced Breathing Instability

(Published in Sleep in 1996 — Click Here to Read Full Summary)

The main conclusion from this study is that your breathing system does not work the same during sleep as it does during wakefulness.  

For example, there is less input to the muscles that keep your upper airways open, which can narrow or collapse them. This narrowing of the upper airways also increases breathing resistance. Additionally, sleep dampens the chemoreflexes that usually keep blood pH in a tight range. 

Interestingly, this “State-of-the-Art Review” concluded that carbon dioxide (CO2) could potentially help with sleep-disordered breathing. CO2 could stimulate the chemoreflexes that keep breathing steady. Additionally, CO2 is a smooth muscle dilator, which would help increase blood flow to the muscles that keep the airways open.

Two Ways You Can Start Tonight

1. Tape Your Mouth

You can start adding CO2 to your breathing tonight by taping your mouth during sleep, which will reduce breathing volume and increase CO2.

Paradoxically, while nose breathing increases resistance during the day, it reduces upper airway resistance during sleep. This small change will help you breathe better during sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and energized.

2. Breathe Less During the Day

You can also practice light breathing during the day to train your body to tolerate more CO2. By doing this consistently, you can reset your baseline CO2 back to normal values and ultimately improve your breathing during sleep.  

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. I think we all need a smile like this right now.

References

[1] Source: https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/blogs/how-dickens-got-a-good-nights-sleep/11074673.blog (I made up the little hotel story to go with it…he might have in fact poured some Brandi too…)

[2] Source: https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/15/3/264/2749285 

[3] Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3365094/

Breathing as an Integrated Approach to Health and Well-Being

I recently hit a plateau with breathing. I had been practicing my principles and reading everything I could find. I was doing everything “right.” However, my breath holds and CO2 tolerance had become stagnant. I felt good, but I had just stopped progressing. I thought, “this must be where I’m supposed to be.”

Then something awesome happened. And it had nothing to do with breathing.

I started adding a couple hours between dinner and bedtime. Eat dinner at 5:30 or 6:00 PM, then go to bed around 8:00 PM. Almost overnight my CO2 tolerance increased by ~20 seconds. My old “normal” seemed crazy. It wasn’t normal at all.

I share this story because I had a minor epiphany: everything is integrated. Obviously, that phrase seems pretty obvious. But, this experience gave it a whole new meaning for me.

I was so focused on using “breathing” to improve my breathing that I did not even consider other aspects of my life. But that’s exactly where I needed to look.

I do believe breathing is the foundation of good health. However, to achieve optimal results, it needs to be integrated with other aspects of our health, including things like nutrition, exercise, sleep, and work.

If you’re ignoring any of these, ask yourself how breathing might help out. On the flip side, if you’re ignoring breathing, consider how it might support you in achieving all of your other health-related goals.

You might also ask yourself if anything you think is “normal” right now might not be normal at all?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Sleep?