PNS

Neat Breath Science, 3 Sentences to Live By, and it is a Panacea


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4 Thoughts



1. Neat Science: How to See If Slow Breathing is an Antioxidant

…our results lead to the hypothesis that slow breathing may exert some antioxidant effect, possibly via parasympathetic stimulation.

- Nature (2017)

The way they got to this hypothesis was pretty cool:

  1. They had people with type-1 diabetes inhale extra oxygen.

  2. After, they observed that arterial stiffness and blood pressure went up. This was likely due to excess oxidative stress.

  3. Then, they repeated the process, but participants breathed slowly at 6 breaths/min while inhaling oxygen.

  4. Slow breathing offset the harmful effects of extra oxygen on blood pressure and arterial stiffness.

Together, this suggests that slow breathing acts as a natural antioxidant.

***

P.S. If you want more neat findings like this, check out the Science 411s in the Breath is Life Learning Center.

2. Get 90% from 50% (or less): A Few Minutes Go a Long Way

As you read any given sentence, you will probably get 90% of the meaning from 50% of the words…the rest of the words are unnecessary filler.

- Peter Hollins, The Science of Self-Learning

This made me think of how, with breathing, we get a lot of psychological benefits from a small percentage of the breaths we take.

Example: A 20-minute morning breath practice might be less than 1% of your breaths. But, it may account for 90% of your equanimity.

Of course, all our other breaths aren’t just “fillers”—they’re critical to our wellness, too. But let’s remember that even a small investment in our breath can go a long way toward our health and happiness 🙏

3. Why Breathing Seems Like a Panacea: Part II

In fact, any condition that is caused or exacerbated by stress can be helped by a well-designed mind body approach. Furthermore, because all health conditions have some stress component, it is no overstatement to say that virtually every single health problem and disease can be improved with a mind body approach.” (my bold)

- Herbert Benson, MD, Relaxation Revolution

Slow breathing is one of the fastest and most effective mind-body approaches to triggering the relaxation response and reducing stress.

And since stress plays a role in basically every health condition, breathing can therefore help in basically every health condition.

Breathe slowly—> reduce stress—> improve virtually every health condition. Maybe it is a panacea, after all? 😊

***

P.S. See Thought #1 here for Part I.

4. Three Short Ancient Sentences to Live By

Walk slowly! Talk little! Love breath!

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

Sounds like a perfect life-mantra to me 🙏


1 Quote

And beyond improving stress resilience, breath practices can restore your sense of being genuinely who you are, of knowing what you feel, of recognizing what others feel, and of being able to experience deep and meaningful connections with people, with your values, and with all that is.
— Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD
 

1 Answer

Category: The Cardiovascular System

Answer: There are approximately this many miles of veins, capillaries, and arteries in an average adult.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is 60,000 miles?


In good breath,

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

P.S. Every. Single. Time.

 
 

Breath is Life Learning
Science and Books Made Simple

For each book and research paper I read, you get an easy-to-digest 411 summary:

  • Web-based text or downloadable PDF

  • Audio podcast version (also downloadable)

Plus, you get a super short daily email with a nugget of breathing wisdom. It only takes a few seconds to read, but it will set you up for a better day, every day.

P.S. 30-Second Science

For each Science 411, if you read the “1 Big Takeaway” followed by the “1 Practical Application,” you can get almost everything you need from a study in about 30 seconds.

P.P.S. Life-Changing Ideas

For each Book 411, you get “1 Life-Changing” idea from that book. Thus, even if you’re not interested in the book, you can open that section and get a quick idea to help you live a better life.

Here are a few of my favorites:

  • From Buddha’s Brain: Our Breath Moves Spirit Around Like Our Hearts Move Blood Around

  • From The Mindful Day: How to Live Longer (regardless of your age, lifespan, or healthspan)

  • From Breath by Breath: How it Should Be, and Letting Breath (and life) Unfold Naturally

  • From The Confidence Gap: No One is Perfect (and the solution)

  • From Stolen Focus: Mind-Wandering is a Superpower (and How to Do It Correctly)

 
 

* 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.

 
 

Holotropic Breathing, a 6 bpm Prayer, and the Power of PNS


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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. Study: Prayer and Mantra Lead to ~5.5-6.0 Breaths a Minute

Remark­ably, the regularity of breathing seen during recitation of the Ave Maria or of the mantra was similar to regu­larity during controlled breathing at 6/min, indicating that these methods could stabilise the respiratory rate as effectively as precisely timed control.

- Effect of rosary prayer and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms

In this now somewhat famous study, reciting the Hail Mary prayer or a yoga mantra naturally led to a breath rate of almost exactly 5.5-6 breaths/min. Leading to the conclusion: “The rosary might be viewed as a health practice as well as a religious practice.” 👏

***

P.S. I released a Science 411 for this paper on Friday as part of my new Breath is Life Learning Center. You still have two days to get this & tons of wisdom for just $11/month or $110/year (27% off forever) 🙏

2. The Power of the PNS and How to Nourish It

Parasympathetic activation is the normal resting state of your body, brain, and mind. If your SNS were surgically disconnected, you’d stay alive (though you wouldn’t be very useful in an emergency). If your PNS were disconnected, however, you’d stop breathing and soon die.

- Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Budhha’s Brain

That’s crazy. And since our PNS is so vital, I think it’s safe to say we should nourish it every chance we get. So how do we do it?

Here are two (of several) exercises Dr. Hanson suggests:

  1. Diaphragmatic Breathing: Place a hand on your stomach and look down at it. Then, breathe slowly, and try to “breathe into your hand with real oomph, so that it travels back and forth half an inch or more with each breath.

  2. Big Exhales:Inhale as much as you can, hold that inhalation for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly while relaxing.

Better yet, combine the two, and enjoy stimulating and nourishing your PNS a little more this week : )

3. The Healing Power of (different) Breaths

Each breath form is taught for its own special healing purposes. Just as you use different exercises for different muscle groups, you gain more by using a variety of breathing practices that each has their own unique effects.

- Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD, The Healing Power of the Breath

Just an excellent reminder that one of the key healing powers of the breath is that we can use it in different ways for different outcomes.

We “gain more by using a variety of breathing practices that each has their own unique effects.” <— Let’s do that 👏

4. Are All Breathing Practices Holotropic?

Discussing the word “holotropic:”

This composite word means literally ‘oriented toward wholeness’ or ‘moving toward wholeness’ (from the Greek holos = whole and trepein = moving toward or in the direction of something).

- Stanislav & Christina Grof, Holotropic Breathwork

Based on that, I’d say we practice “holotropic” breathing—moving toward wholeness—every time we stop and breathe consciously.

So regardless of what methods we use, let’s all orient toward wholeness a little more, this week 🙏

***

P.S. I’m releasing a Book 411 on Holotropic Breathwork this Friday. Although it’s somewhat controversial to some, I absolutely loved the book (and its bold claims). I hope you’ll consider signing up to get it.


1 Quote

All persons going to sleep should think, not of their business, not of their riches or poverty, their pains or their pleasures, but, of what are of infinitely greater importance to them, their lungs; their best friends, that have kept them alive through the day.
— George Catlin
 

1 Answer

Category: The Nervous System

Answer: The nervous system can transmit information up to this many miles per hour.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is 268 mph?


In good breath,

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

P.S. A brosecco

 
 

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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.


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.