Psychology Today

The Science of Presence, Beating Gravity, and How to Sleep Like a Pro

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 

Greetings,

Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for this week.

I hope you enjoy it!

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. How to Sleep Like a Pro: Nose, 4-4-6-2, Repeat

“Breathe deeply and regularly…Try to breathe through your nose, keeping your mouth closed if at all possible. The more you breathe through your nose, the easier you will find it to breathe through your nose. In other words, use it or lose it.”

- Dr. Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe, Learn Like a Pro

I didn’t expect to find anything about breathing in a book called “Learn Like a Pro,” which is geared mainly toward college students. But, to learn well, you need to sleep well. Enter: the power of the breath.

And their advice for falling asleep? Inhale for 4 sec, hold for 4 sec, exhale for 6 sec, hold for 2 sec. “This type of breathing balances both the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your body and allows you to relax more deeply.”

It’s just so awesome to see slow nasal breathing make its way into random places like this. If put into practice, these few sentences could change a student’s life forever. Simply amazing.

Here’s to sleeping (and learning) like a pro, tonight.

***

P.S. I’ve been having a little self-induced stress insomnia recently (such is life), so it was perfect timing for this passage.

Related: Self-Regulation of Breathing as an Adjunctive Treatment of Insomnia

2. Beating Gravity with Your Nose

“The results presented in this work provide evidence that the development of a substantial production of NO in the upper airways of humans may be an important part of our adaptation to life on two legs to ameliorate the influence of gravity on pulmonary blood flow distribution.”

- Nasal nitric oxide and regulation of human pulmonary blood flow in the upright position

Translation: Nasal nitric oxide might have been an evolutionary adaptation to counteract gravity, allowing us to sit and walk upright. 🤯

Gravity moves blood flow toward the base of the lungs. Nitric oxide, however, redistributes blood flow help better utilize the massive surface area of the lungs. This allows us to get more oxygen in the upright position.

So go take a walk, breathe through your nose, oxygenate your body, and enjoy this gift evolution has given us.

***

Related Quote: “Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack.” - Henry Miller

3. Psychology Today: “The Simplest Stress Management Skill”

“It may seem incredible that such a simple exercise can make a huge difference in a person’s ability to feel less stressed.”

- Dianne Grande, Ph.D., The Simplest Stress Management Skill

Of course, that “simple exercise” is slow deep breathing : )

This quick and excellent article touches on the vagus nerve and equal versus extended exhalations. It also provides some straightforward and practical guidelines for a “minimum effective dose” of slow breathing. Enjoy!

4. The Making of the Present Moment

“Your experience of the present moment is based on the activity of your nervous system at that moment. ”

- Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Neurodharma

We are always in the moment. As Howard Cohn says, “In truth, we are always present. We only imagine ourselves to be in one place or another.”

So what “presence” really refers to is experiencing our current moment. And as Dr. Hanson reminds us, our experience of any moment is just our nervous system at that moment. And the fastest way to access that? Our breath.

So experience your breath to experience presence. Or better yet, change your breath, change your nervous system, and use this science and physiology of presence to make your own moments.

***

Related Quote: “Breathe and you dwell in the here and now.” - Annabel Laity

Related Quote: “As such, the state of the autonomic nervous system underlies all psychological and physiological functioning, whether we are conscious of it or not. However, there is a bridge between our conscious mind and the subconscious action of the autonomic nervous system – breathing.” - The New Science of Breath

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“Everything I have earned today was at least partially a result of breathing.  My best performance.  My emotional control. My ability to endure.  Breathing gave me all of this.”

- Rickson Gracie, Breathe: A Life in Flow

P.S. I listened to Breathe, so I apologize if the punctuation is incorrect.

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Breathing in the Womb

Answer: Babies are supplied oxygen in the womb through this tube-like structure.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is the umbilical cord?

In good breath,

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

P.S. it comes very naturally

 
 
 

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.

 
 

Investing, Sleep, and the Most Important Rest in a Day

 

Greetings,

Here are four thoughts, one quote, and one answer (like "Jeopardy!") to consider this week. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

As I have been making my way through Patrick McKeown’s latest book, The Breathing Cure, I’ve been reminded of just how powerful all this breathing stuff is. Patrick has sections on breathing for diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension, and more.

Of course, despite the catchy title, breathing does not "cure" any of these ailments. Still, it’s quite remarkable to see all the conditions it can help with.

Upon reflection, this makes a lot of sense if we remember that breathing is like an index fund for health. It invests a small amount into a wide range of the body’s functions, such as lung and heart health, autonomic balance, and sleep.

Over time, these tiny improvements combine and compound into overall better health. And as Patrick’s new book shows, these benefits can be helpful in many different conditions.

The key, however, is to find a breathing practice that is right for you, get started, and be consistent. Here’s to safely investing in your health today.

P.S. Unlike most financial investments, however, you also get an immediate return on investment with breathing. For example, just two minutes of slow breathing can improve autonomic balance and enhance decision-making.

2. Mouth Tape is Passive Income for Your Health

Wealthy people grow their wealth in their sleep.

Healthy people grow their health in their sleep.

Taping your mouth at night is like passive income for your health. It requires only a small upfront investment: putting the tape on before you go to sleep. All of the benefits—like deeper sleep, improved mental clarity, and reductions in sleep apnea—come without any additional effort.

Thus, we might be wise to take the advice of a 1983 paper published in the journal Sleep: "While asleep, shut your mouth and save your brain."

3. Slower Breathing Facilities Eudaimonia via Your Vagus Nerve

"This accumulating body of evidence suggests that slow-paced breathing is a cost-free and readily available way to facilitate eudaimonia by lowering blood pressure, improving psychophysiological well-being, and increasing happiness."

- Christopher Bergland—Slower Breathing Facilitates Eudaimonia…

As you will learn in this article, Eudaimonia is "the condition of human flourishing or living well." So, when a headline implies that slow breathing might help us achieve this, I’m all in. This quick read lived up to its promise. Enjoy!

4. Breathing Tranquility

"Tranquility. It’s the feeling we have when we truly TRUST ourselves. When we know we’re headed in the right direction and we’re able to quit comparing ourselves to everyone else and stop second guessing ourselves every 5 seconds."

- Brian Johnson

Although slow breathing induces a sense of tranquility, that’s not what this made me think of. It made me think of the tranquility that can come when you find the right breathing practice for you.

We’re all different, and there’s no "perfect" method for everyone. Tranquility comes when you find the one that’s right for you and you know you’re headed in the right direction, whether it’s the latest popular technique or not.

My breathing tranquility? Seven seconds in, eleven seconds out. Repeat.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."

– Etty Hillesum

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: By consuming oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen and giving off carbon dioxide and water, these two processes are fundamentally alike.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What are combustion and human respiration?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Follow me for more financial advice

 
 

Breathing’s Indirect and Unseen Benefits

 

Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 411:

Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for you to consider this week. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS


1. The Science of Breathing’s Indirect Benefits

Last week we learned that breathing is the only true compounding health habit. However, I believe the real magic occurs when breathing begins improving other areas of our lives. I’ve never had a reasonable explanation for these "indirect effects." They just seemed to happen. But now I do, thanks to Tiny Habits.

In this excellent book, behavioral scientist BJ Fogg shows us how tiny changes in one area of your life can lead to massive changes in others. It all comes down to a simple equation: B = MAP

A Behavior happens when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt all come together. Makes sense. But the significant breakthrough Fogg discovered is the curved (nonlinear) relationship for when action occurs (adapted from his book below):

Befor_and_After.jpg

In this hypothetical example, we see how a breathing practice might help you exercise by increasing your motivation and physical ability (e.g., better sleep and oxygenation). The exercise prompt is now above the action line, and you exercise.

This is behavioral science, not physics. So there are no exact numbers for "motivation" or "ability." It will be unique from person-to-person. But this is where the real magic of compounding occurs. We move beyond just breathing, and begin fulfilling our own individual goals and ambitions.

P.S. Some examples from my life:

  • Walking 100 miles.

  • Having more energy to manage my diabetes.

  • Waking up before 4 a.m. every day for breathing research.

2. Health is What You Don’t See

"But the truth is that wealth is what you don't see. Wealth is the nice cars not purchased. The diamonds not bought. The watches not worn, the clothes forgone and the first-class upgrade declined."

- Morgan Housel, The Psychology of Money

Similarly, health is what you don’t see. It’s the cold you didn’t get, the late night you didn’t have, the stress you didn’t experience, the breathlessness you didn’t have after a brisk walk to catch your flight.

This is why the benefits of a long-term breathing practice might not be immediately apparent. You can’t measure the number of health issues that breathing helped you avoid. But that makes them no less important.


3. Longer Exhalations Are An Easy Way to Hack Your Vagus Nerve

"Just two minutes of deep breathing with longer exhalation engages the vagus nerve, increases HRV, and improves decision-making."

- Christopher Bergland, Psychology Today

Here’s another gem from Psychology Today on slow breathing, stress, and the vagus nerve. I may or may not have visualized "squirting some stress-busting vagusstoff" onto my heart when I took my next slow breath : )

4. Breath Matching

Rather than focus on any specific method, focus on your goals: to reduce anxiety, to increase focus, to improve autonomic function, to fall asleep, and on and on.

Then, based on those aspirations, find the right match. For combatting anxiety, you might choose extended exhales. For focus, you might pick box breathing.

But it’s not about the method; it’s about the outcome you wish to experience.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Life and respiration are complementary. There is nothing living which does not breathe nor anything breathing which does not live."

- William Harvey, 1653, Lectures on the Whole of Anatomy

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: More than 60% of primary care physician visits are related to this condition.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is stress?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Really made me stop and think