Kelly McGonigal

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5 Breaths for Focus, Better Sleep, and Your Own Finely Crafted Program

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4 Thoughts



1. Thirty Days to Better Sleep and Higher Vagal Tone

“Taken together, our results suggest that slow-paced breathing performed before sleeping may enhance restorative processes at the cardiovascular level during sleep.”

- Laborde et al. (2019), Journal of Clinical Medicine

Here’s another excellent study from Laborde & colleagues, with lots we could cover. But the take-home messages were that 15 min of slow breathing (6 breaths/min) before sleep for 30 days led to:

  • Significantly better subjective sleep quality

  • Significantly higher nighttime vagal tone (via HF-HRV)

  • Higher (but not significant) morning vagal tone

Not bad for just 15 minutes a night 👏

2. The Centering Breath (and 5 Breaths for Better Focus)

“[B]reathe in for six seconds, hold that breath for two seconds, and then breathe out for seven seconds. When you modulate your breathing this way, you're controlling your state of arousal and corralling your body's natural response to stress.”

- Dr. Jason Selk & Tom Bartow, Organize Tomorrow Today

Here’s a nice breath to try whenever you need to re-center. In for 6, hold for 2, exhale for 7. Even just one of those is enough to reset your focus.

***

P.S. Here’s a guest blog I recently wrote for ResBiotic all about breathing & focus: Why Breathing Gets You Focused (and 5 ways to do it)

3. Perfect Advice for Applying the Power of Breathing in Your Life

“It’s not difficult to experience the psychological and social benefits of movement. … There’s no training formula you have to follow. There is no one path or prescription except to follow your own joy. If you’re looking for a guideline, it’s this: Move. Any kind, any amount, and any way that makes you happy. Move whatever parts of your body still move, with gratitude.” (my emphasis)

- Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., The Joy of Movement

Although Dr. McGonigal is talking about movement, this is also the absolute perfect advice for breathing:

Breathe. Any kind, any amount, and in any way that makes you happy. And breathe with gratitude for this beautiful life we have, thanks to the breath.

4. Your Own Finely Crafted Breathing Program

“The Craftsman Approach to Tool Selection: Identify the core factors that determine success and happiness in your professional and personal life. Adopt a tool only if its positive impacts on these factors substantially outweigh its negative impacts.”

- Cal Newport, Deep Work

And to piggyback on Thought #3, here is the perfect way to choose which breathing practices (or any self-improvement practices) we perform.

Here’s to finely crafting our own unique breathing programs, this week 🙏


1 QUOTE

“[W]e must seek awareness, and that can begin with the awareness of your breath, the foundation of your totality as a human being.”
— Al Lee and Don Campbell
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Nasal Breathing

Answer: Nasal breathing not only synchronizes electrical activity in the olfactory bulb, but also in these two areas, helping explain why it influences our emotional state.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What are the amygdala and hippocampus?

In good breath,

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

P.S. any other thing I can help with today?

Breathing for Diabetes:

If you love learning about breathing, or just want to live an overall healthier life, I think you’ll really enjoy this class (diabetes or not).

 
 

* 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.

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.

 
 

More Time, Long-Term Benefits, and How to Hold Your Breath for 6 Hours

 
 

🎧 Listen Instead of Reading 🎧

If you enjoy listening, you can subscribe to the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Audible so you don’t even have to look at the email 😊

 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. How to Hold Your Breath for 6 Hours (hint: you already do)

  • Let’s say you take an average of 15 breaths/min, or 21,600 per day.

  • Let’s also say, like me, you’re a decent (but not perfect) breather.

  • Thus, at the end of each of those 21,600 breaths, there’s a short pause.

  • For simplicity, let’s say that pause is 1-sec (sometimes shorter or longer).

  • That adds up to 21,600 seconds without breathing each day.

  • That’s a 6-hour breath hold each day.

  • That’s 1/4 of your day.

  • That’s 1/4 of your life.

  • That’s 🤯 🤯 🤯

***

P.S. This thought was inspired by this +1 on heart beats.

2. Ancient Wisdom meets Modern Science: Alternate Nostril Breathing and the Brain

“Idā, which is activated by directing the breath through the left nostril, is said to establish a calm, introspective awareness, and have a cooling effect. Pingalā, the more stimulating side, is heating and mobilizing, and is activated through right-nostril breathing. Alternating the breath through both nostrils is said to cultivate balance and equanimity.”

- Robin Rothenberg, Restoring Prana

A recent study published in Nature tested these ancient yogic claims using EEG. Short story: the yogis were basically right. Left-nostril breathing activates brain regions “associated with a more relaxed state and introspective thinking.”

The right-nostril results were less certain, but the practice did lead to “higher activity compared to left airway UNB in all frequency bands across the whole scalp except in posterior areas.”

Of course, there are always caveats and limitations. However, one thing seems pretty clear: Left-nostril breathing can be used to reach calm and introspective states anytime we need them. I use it all the time—I hope you will too.

3. More Time: Breathing Exercises Get More Enjoyable with Practice

“How you feel the first time you try a new form of exercise is not necessarily how you’ll feel after you gain more experience.  For many, exercise is an acquired pleasure.  The joys of an activity reveal themselves slowly as the body and brain adapt.”

- Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., The Joy of Movement

And the exact same is true for breathing exercises.

Give them time (I suggest about a week) so your body and brain can adapt. The benefits will gradually reveal themselves, and you’ll soon look forward to, and even find bliss in, your practice.

4. The Long-Term Benefits of Breathing Exercises: Normalize Cortisol and Be Calmer

“The long-term effects of a daily breathing practice, just like those of a daily exercise routine, are even more pronounced. Preliminary studies have found that regularly practicing breathing exercises normalizes your level of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone.’ As a regular practice, breathing can recondition your body to a state of greater calm, helping it bounce back from stress more quickly and perhaps reducing reactivity in the face of challenges…you can use daily breathing exercises to prepare your nervous system to be resilient in the face of stressful events.”*

- Emma Sepällä, Ph.D., The Happiness Track

And once your body and brain adapt, here’s why it’s so important to stick with these breathing exercises. You can recondition your body & nervous system to be calmer, then watch the benefits aggregate and compound over time 🙏

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

“In the deepest sense, the breath itself is the ultimate gift of spirit.”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go There You Are

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Category: The Nose

Answer: The two nostrils are physically distinct, and each one has its own unique supply of these.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What are blood flow and nerve endings?

In good breath,

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

P.S. 99. Smoke signal

 
 
 

* 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.

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 Breathing 411 - There Are No Quick Fixes, Except This One

 

Welcome to another version of The Breathing 4.1.1., where I curate the curators to bring you the best practical ideas I can find about breathing.

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

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. There Are No Quick Fixes, Except This One

"You won’t find many quick fixes in this book, but there is one way to immediately boost willpower: Slow your breathing down to four to six breaths per minute [...] Slowing the breath down activates the prefrontal cortex and increases heart rate variability, which helps shift the brain and body from a state of stress to self-control mode. A few minutes of this technique will make you feel calm, in control, and capable of handling cravings or challenges."
-Kelly McGonigal, The Willpower Instinct

Beautifully said. Thank you, Kelly.

2. The #1 Breathing Fundamental

I’ve referred to it as the 1% rule (an idea I borrowed from James Clear and Dan Pink), but it is also the #1 fundamental: Breathe through your nose.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware of the importance of nose breathing. But, did you know that a 2018 study, which has been viewed over 93,000 times and cited 26 times, concluded that the benefits of breath control might be linked back to the nose?

"Taken together, these results confirm that nasal stimulation represents the fundamental link between slow breathing techniques, brain and autonomic activities and psychological/behavioral outputs." - Zaccaro et al. (2018)

That’s a powerful conclusion. So, to add on to what Kelly McGongical said above, breathe slowly and through your nose.

3. Breathing as Active Rest

"Active rest" has become a popular topic among athletes (and people who just enjoy exercising). It’s hard to take a day off when you love your workout, but it’s also necessary to give your body the rest it needs to recover. Enter: active rest.

There are several popular approaches. The sauna, an ice bath, or a long walk. But one of the most powerful is breathing…I’m not biased or anything : )

And the best part is that restful breathing doesn’t require any fancy equipment or money. It can be done anywhere, anytime.

In The Power of Rest, Dr. Matthew Edlund puts it this way:

“We want to learn to rest anywhere, anytime, in ways that restore us, calm us, relax us, and make us alert. That means we have to learn how to breathe.”

Agreed. See Kelly McGonigal’s advice above for the best way to "learn how to breathe."

4. Science Guides the Macro, Practice Guides the Micro

When studies show that something works, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for everyone.

We’re all different. We have different bodies, different environments, and different day-to-day stressors and stimuli that we’re exposed to. Although scientific studies try to be as general as possible, their results cannot be expected to work the same in everyone.

This gets to my thought: Science guides the macro, practice guides the micro.

For example, "get 8 hours of sleep" is a great macro statement. It sets a good target that will be beneficial for most people.

However, if you performed an in-depth sleep study on yourself, you might find that you need 7 h 37 min or 8 h 11 min to be fully rested. And that might vary from day-to-day, season-to-season.

The same goes for all of this "breathing" stuff. Guidance such as "breathe at 4-6 breaths per minute" is excellent general advice that will be beneficial for almost everyone. However, it is a macro statement. It will take personal practice to find what’s right for you.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Breathing, like most forms of physical rest, improves as you practice. It takes a little time. But it’s a technique you’ll be able to do for the rest of your life, so it’s worthwhile getting good at it now."

- Matthew Edlund, The Power of Rest

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This mammal, weighing in at only 2 g, has the smallest lungs.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is the bumblebee bat?

If you enjoy my work, check out a guest blog post I recently did for BreathWrk:

Pilot Your Breathing: The Unexpected Goal of a Breathing Practice

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. The Ultimate COVID-19 Sport.

 
 

The Breathing 411 - What do 5,649 and 28,800 Have in Common?

 

Hello and 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"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. What do 5,649 and 28,800 Have in Common?

"The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961." - Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement

Active people become anxious and lose life satisfaction when their step count drops to 5,649 or less. That’s a bit staggering, given the U.S. and global step count statistics Kelly cites.

That passage got me thinking, "I wonder if there is a similar idea for breaths per day?" However, with breathing, it would be opposite: The more breaths you take, the more unhealthy you are. Sure enough, there is something close:

"Recent evidence suggests that an adult with a respiratory rate of over 20 breaths/minute is probably unwell, and an adult with a respiratory rate of over 24 breaths/minute is likely to be critically ill.” - Respiratory Rate: The Neglected Vital Sign

If your spontaneous breathing rate is over 20 breaths per minute, you are "probably unwell." That comes out to about 28,800 breaths per day.

So, do you want to feel unwell and anxious?
Take less than 5,649 steps and breathe more than 28,800 breaths per day.

Want to be happy and healthy?
Walk more, breathe less.

P.S. That 28,800 number might even be too high. James Nestor shares some great ancient wisdom on this:

"Chinese doctors two thousand years ago advised 13,500 breaths per day, which works out to nine and a half breaths per minute. "
- Breath

2. The Most Fundamental of the Fundamentals

Last week, Kobe Bryant provided an excellent example of the importance of practicing the fundamentals. We talked about how we don’t need to worry about the "latest and greatest" breathing technique. Instead, we need to focus on the fundamentals. They’re simple, but they’re not easy.

We can take that thought step farther: Breathing itself is the most fundamental of the fundamentals. We’re all in the sport of life. And that requires breathing…at least 13,500 times a day : ) So, let’s optimize that first, then work on the fundamentals of your particular sport or profession.

3. Bring Attention & Intention to Your Breathing

"Attention without intention is wasted energy." - Chris Bailey, Hyperfocus

This quote makes complete sense in terms of productivity, self-improvement, and group workouts (CrossFit, yoga, etc.). But the minute you apply it to something like sitting down to breathe, it can get misinterpreted:

"Set an intention for your breathing practice."

"Be intentional with your breathing today."

It’s just begging to be put in the "woo-woo" category and not be taken seriously.

But intentions are powerful (hence the quote from Chris Bailey). So a compromise I have made is to set scientific intentions before each slow breathing practice. "I am going to increase my heart rate variability" or "I am going to balance my autonomic nervous system."

These are just facts that I state at the beginning of my practice that work as intentions, without feeling woo-woo.

I find it to be an excellent way to give the practice more meaning. (And don’t forget to celebrate afterward!)

4. Slow Breathing for Hypertension

Slow, controlled breathing (<10 breaths per minute) has consistently been shown to be beneficial for reducing blood pressure. So much so that it is recognized by the American Heart Association for its positive effects. (They’ve given it a Class IIa, Level of Evidence B. Here’s what that means.)

This got me thinking about a paper published back in 2005 that I loved. They concluded:

"Slow breathing showed the potential to be a simple and inexpensive method to improve autonomic balance and respiratory control and reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients." - Joseph et al. (2005)

The interesting part was that the authors provided an exciting hypothesis for how that’s occurring using autonomic function as the foundation. That hypothesis inspired me to create this little graphic to help get the point across.

Read the Full Summary for More Details.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

My new favorite definition of success:

"To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The largest lung capacity of any mammal.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is 5,000 liters (or 1,320 gallons)?

(For reference, the human lung has a capacity of about 6-liters.)

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. How I Feel Shopping on Amazon Now.