January 15, 2024

A Wild Sleep Study, Becoming Great, and Being More Human

January 15, 2024

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Reading Time: 2 min 2 sec

I hope the next 30’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Tickle Your Adrenals with this Therapeutic Breathing Exercise

“In the body, laughter serves an important purpose. It quite literally tickles the adrenals. The diaphragm is located just above the adrenal glands, which house our reactivity, our fear and anger, our apathy and hatred. When we laugh, we flex and release the diaphragm. This gives a light jiggle to the adrenals that I think of as a tickle. … In my experience, the adrenals are often quite relieved by the invitation to relax and let go.”
– Gladys McGarey, MD, The Well-Lived Life

This is your friendly reminder to laugh and “tickle your adrenals” today. Laughter is, after all, the most therapeutic breathing exercise 😊

2. Becoming More Human, Not Superhuman

“It’s very intuitive: If we breathe better…we can deliver more oxygen to our muscles and organs, including the heart and brain, and thus heighten our physical capacity. All we’re really doing is assisting the body in working the way it was meant to work in the first place.”
– Patrick McKeown, The Oxygen Advantage

That’s a great reminder that breathing (and other mind-body practices) are not hacks to boost our health to superhuman levels. They’re simply “assisting the body in working the way it was meant to work in the first place.”

We’re becoming more human, not superhuman.

3. A Mind-Blowing Study on Sleep: Is It All in Your Head?

Of course, sleep is critical to health, and if this study was performed over a long duration, its results would likely change. But this passage from Dr. Langer is an extraordinary reminder of the power of the mind:

“Our intervention was simple: We programmed a bedside clock to alter the amount of time that participants thought they had slept, irrespective of their actual sleep duration.

When the clock was sped up, such that people thought they had slept for eight hours but had slept only for five, their reaction times were quicker on an auditory psychomotor vigilance test as compared to their performance when knew they had five hours of sleep. Conversely, when people slept for eight hours but thought that they only slept for five, their performance was worse than when they had slept eight hours and thought they had slept eight hours. Clearly, our perceptions of how much we’ve slept, and not just the actual number of hours, matter.”

Here’s the link to the study. I highly encourage reading the first three sentences of the discussion 🤯

4. The Biggest Mistake in Breathing

The most common mistake in breathing is using the nose, lungs, and diaphragm, but not the heart.

1 Quote

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve…You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.””

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Listen to it for deep inspiration.

1 Answer

Category: The Mind

Answer: Focusing on this, which literally translates to “tool of thought” or “mind tool,” can add a touch of mindfulness (and hence additional benefits) to a slow breathing practice.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is a mantra?

In good breath,

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

P.S. Libraries were a good start but…

Coaching

Breathing & Mindfulness 1-on-1 (I currently cannot take on new clients. But if you’re interested, please send me a message, and I’ll let you know when space opens.)

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Amazon Associate Disclosure

I’ve been recommending books for almost 6 years. Yet somehow, I just discovered that I could be an Amazon affiliate [face-palm]. In any case better late than never. Now, any Amazon link you click is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. So, if you’d like to support my work, buying books through these links is helpful : )

* 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.

Nicholas Heath

November 20, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

An Incredible Study, Meaningful Change, and Gratitude Right Now

Nicholas Heath

November 20, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 43 sec

I hope the next 26’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Carve a Canyon: How to Produce Meaningful Changes with Breathing

“Rather, I think the power of breathwork to change the function of the nervous system can be compared to the way water cuts a canyon through rock. It’s the constant stimulus, the constant pressure, that produces huge changes, so that what appears to be a very gentle force produces very large results.”
- Andrew Weil, MD, Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing

This analogy is why I appreciate gentle and easy breathing exercises.

Of course, intense sessions can provide rapid transformations.

But one strong thunderstorm rarely carves a lasting canyon.

It’s the gentle, constant force of simple techniques, applied over years & years, that often produces the most meaningful change.

2. There’s Something in the Air (this is truly an incredible study)

In The Mindful Body, Ellen Langer, Ph.D., describes an incredible study. Participants were led into an empty room. Beforehand, one of three things had happened:

Meditators had meditated for 45 minutes and then left.
People had watched a stressful video for 45 minutes, then left.
Or the room was just empty for 45 minutes.

Participants entering after the meditators or stressful video watchers found the room more appealing and enlivening <—that’s pretty neat.

But wildly, only the group entering after the meditators improved their reaction time in a mindfulness test.

As Dr. Langer summarized, “These mysterious results suggest that somehow our mindfulness leaves a residue in the air and as such may affect the mindfulness of others.” 🤯

3. What Sets Breath & Mindfulness Apart: They Empower You

Breathing and mindfulness for people (with diabetes) are different than most approaches.

Instead of focusing solely on blood sugar control and doing everything “perfect,” these practices empower you to reduce stress, improve mental and emotional health, and cultivate resilience.

The goal isn't perfect numbers; it's peace of mind and lifelong agency.

4. Experience Gratitude Right Now

I shared this breath last year, but we can never do it too much 😊

Take a few conscious breaths and think to yourself: “This is great! I have an abundance of the most valuable resource known to our species, and I don't even have to work that hard to get it.”

1 Quote

“We die with each out-breath, only to be breathed back to life with the next in-breath.””

— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

1 Answer

Category: Cognitive Function

Answer: Slow breathing (and mindful breathing) both improve this, allowing us to better resist distractions.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is inhibition or impulse control?

In good breath,

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

P.S. My two rules are:

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

I know I’m a broken record, but I can’t recommend iCalm enough. I take 1/2 shot before my coffee and absolutely love it. Give it a try!

Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

Nicholas Heath

October 30, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

Heroes, the Healing Power of Breathing, and the Key to Living Longer

Nicholas Heath

October 30, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 46 sec

I hope the next 27ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. A 2023 Review: Mindfulness Slightly Improves HbA1c in Diabetes

“Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown that mindfulness interventions are effective in improving glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. The reduction in HbA1c levels is approximately 0.3%”
- Hamasaki (2023), Medicines

A 0.3% improvement is not super meaningful. However, they also found that mindfulness helped reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in people with diabetes. Together, that’s still pretty neat 👏

2. But Mindfulness Helps in Less Quantifiable Ways, Too

For diabetes (or any condition), mindfulness helps in less quantifiable ways, too. Perhaps the most important is that, with increased awareness, we begin to notice variability in our symptoms. This gives us back some control over our condition:

“Put plainly, paying attention to variability helps us see that symptoms come and go, which helps us home in on the situations and circumstances that might contribute to these fluctuations so that we might exert some control over them. Having that kind of increased control gives rise to solutions that otherwise would not be forthcoming, as well as more optimism and less stress, which give rise to greater health in general.”
- Ellen Langer, Ph.D., The Mindful Body

Sounds good to me 👏👏👏

3. Nasal Breathing while Walking: The Key to Living Longer?

I feel obliged to share this amazing passage I read on Thursday morning in 52 Ways to Walk (such a good book, too):

“Obsessed with notions of health, he was fascinated by his breathing. In fact, Kant developed a technique of breathing solely through his nose—250 years before scientists recognized the role of nasal breathing for good health. Kant was so determined to breathe only through his nose that he refused to walk with a companion, fearful that conversation might inadvertently make him inhale through his mouth. Kant lived to just short of his eightieth birthday, a phenomenal age in 1804.”

4. The Healing Power of Breathing

The healing power of breathing is less about actual physical healing (although it can do that) and more about giving us back agency.

Controlling our breath shows us that we can control our mental and physical state, and this provides a sense of agency in all of life.

By controlling our breath, we become our own healers (and heroes).

1 Quote

“In order to heal, you may wish to become your own hero.””

— Gabor Maté, MD

1 Answer

Category: Slow Breathing & Pain

Answer: Slow breathing is thought to increase the release of these, which help explain its pain-reducing effects.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are endorphins?

In good breath,

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

P.S. thank u for coming to my ted talk

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

If you haven’t already, try iCalm. They called it “meditation in a bottle”…I gave in and bought…and now I use it almost daily, lol. Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

Nicholas Heath

October 23, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

When Laughter Occurs, Choosing Joy, and a New Favorite Passage

Nicholas Heath

October 23, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 😊

Reading Time: 2 min 19 sec

I hope the next 35ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. This May Be My New Favorite Passage on Mindfulness

“Cultivating mindfulness is a way to pour energy in the form of attention, awareness, and acceptance into what is already right with you, what is already whole, as a complement to, not a substitute for, whatever help and support and treatments you may be receiving or need—if you need any at all—and see what happens.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., The Healing Power of Mindfulness

I could read that all day. And I can think of no better motivation for practicing mindfulness than that passage 👏

2. When Laughter Occurs…

“When laughter occurs, respiratory exchange processes are enhanced, blood pressure is reduced, and the body produces endorphins which act not only as mood enhancers, but also as a natural pain killer. Psychological enhancements include reduced anxiety and stress as well as increased self-esteem and self-efficacy”
- Brett Bartholomew, Conscious Coaching

Just a reminder to laugh a little bit today…it’s the most therapeutic breathing exercise : )

3. How Breathing Impacts Whole-Body Energy

“The nose, trachea (windpipe), lungs, circulatory system, and their attendant muscles all act to transport or modify oxygen from the surrounding air to make it readily available to individual cells. Each of these organs plays a crucial role in determining oxygen supply, and therefore energy availability, to cells at various levels within the body. Consequently, a change in functioning in any one of these systems could potentially alter the course of energy production within the entire body.”
- Alan Hymes, MD, Science of Breath

Sometimes, it seems crazy that breathing can have such a profound influence on our bodies and minds. Then, you read a passage like this from an MD and realize it’s not so crazy after all.

Because our breathing determines oxygen supply (and therefore energy availability), any change we make “could potentially alter the course of energy production within the entire body.” 👏

4. Choose Joy to Make It Effortless

“Almost anything can be made pleasurable if we don’t tell ourselves we have to do it. When we make it fun, trying becomes unnecessary. Consider how odd it sounds to try to eat something you like eating or do something you like doing. ... If we enjoy doing something, it will feel effortless. When we’re mindfully engaged, we don’t notice the presence or absence of effort.”
- Ellen Langer, Ph.D., The Mindful Body

This is a nice reminder that if we find a way to make our breathing/mindfulness/(whichever wellness practice you do) more enjoyable, it will become effortless. And if it’s effortless & enjoyable, we’ll be more consistent, and we’ll get much more out of it.

Deal of the Week: ResBiotic

ResBiotic a doctor-developed probiotic targeting the gut-lung connection. It’s one of the only probiotics I’ve found that doesn’t upset my stomach.

If you’re looking for an effective and simple way to support gut and lung health, check them out. They're offering 411 readers 15% off with the code BREATH411 at checkout.

Let me know what you think if you try it out!

1 Quote

“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.””

— Alan Watts

1 Answer

Category: Oxygen Transport

Answer: Approximately this percentage of total oxygen transported in the blood is carried by hemoglobin, with the remaining dissolved directly in the plasma.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is 98%?

1 Spots Left

I have 1 spots left in October for my 8-week program for overcoming stressful life setbacks. Email nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com with subject line “breath” to learn more.

In good breath,

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

P.S. hey sorry i overreacted

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

If you haven’t already, try iCalm. They called it “meditation in a bottle”…I gave in and bought…and now I use it almost daily, lol. Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

Amazon Associate Disclosure

Nicholas Heath

October 16, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

One Solution to Stress, Getting More, and the Best $0.99 I’ve Spent

Nicholas Heath

October 16, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 😊

Reading Time: 2 min 12 sec

I hope the next 33ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. The Most Ubiquitous Form of Stress (and one solution to it)

“Our bodies get worn down more quickly under chronic stress, and chronic uncertainty is the most ubiquitous form of chronic stress.”
- Elissa Epel, Ph.D., The Stress Prescription

Our greatest, “most ubiquitous form of chronic stress” is uncertainty. (This statement holds up in my life. It’s mind-blowingly obvious, yet I’ve never realized it.)

One of Dr. Epel’s Solutions: Accept and embrace uncertainty as an unavoidable part of life. Easy to say, harder to do.

My Way of Doing It: Practice mindfulness of breathing, learning to cultivate an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance as you receive each breath exactly as it is. This mindset will transfer to your perspective off the cushion, too.

2. A Simple Way for Getting More Out of Your Practice

Before you start:

“Take a moment to reflect on your motivation, making sure that the wish to practice for the benefit of all beings is present in the mind.”
- Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo, The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

It only takes 5-10 seconds, and you can adopt this beautiful mindset for any wellness practice you do 👏

3. Mindfulness is Contagious (you can make others healthier)

“As more than forty years of research has shown, mindfulness is good for our health. The research on mindful contagion suggests that one person’s mindfulness may increase another person’s mindfulness. Thus, I think it may be the case that the people around us with whom we interact may actually be having a positive effect on our health.”
- Ellen Langer, Ph.D., The Mindful Body

✅ Mindfulness is good for our health.

✅ Our mindfulness can increase another person’s mindfulness.

Thus, deductive logic tells us that, by practicing mindfulness, we may be able to positively impact the health of those around us 🙏

4. Becoming Your Own Island

“You don’t need a course in silence or relaxation to be able simply to pause. Silence can be anywhere, anytime—it’s just in front of your nose.”
- Erling Kagge, Silence

That’s amazing by itself, but it got even better. Kagge went on to say, “Sure, we are all part of the same continent, but the potential wealth of being an island for yourself is something you carry around with you all the time.”

“An island for yourself” <– That’s so good 👏

Here’s to using our breath to create our own island of silence, today.

BONUS: The Best $0.99 cents I’ve Spent

This gentle, fade-in alarm clock: Progressive Alarm Clock (this is iPhone specific, but it looks like Android has other good options).

P.S. I just Googled “gentle alarm clock” and found this one. Perhaps there are better ones out there, but this does the trick for me.

1 Quote

“I recommend breathwork to almost all patients that I see because, in my experience, stress is a primary cause (or an aggravating cause) of most cases of illness. And even if people have diseases that clearly have organic physical causes, relaxation can nonetheless benefit them and help their body’s healing system work better.””

— Andrew Weil, MD

1 Answer

Category: Respiratory Tract

Answer: The upper & lower respiratory tracts are lined with this, which can trap small particles, thus helping to filter incoming air.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is a mucous membrane?

3 Spots Left

I have 3 spots left in October for my 8-week program for overcoming stressful life setbacks. Email nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com with subject line “breath” to learn more.

In good breath,

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

P.S. achieved full enlightenment

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

If you haven’t already, try iCalm. They called it “meditation in a bottle”…I gave in and bought…and now I use it almost daily, lol. Use discount code NICK20 for 20% off.

Nicholas Heath

October 9, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

Mind-Body Unity, the Real Power of Breath, and a Beautiful Resilience

Nicholas Heath

October 9, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 55 sec

I hope the next 30ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. After a Breathing, Mindfulness, Yoga/etc. Session, Ask Yourself this:

“How does it feel to be like this? Does it feel natural? Is this a way you would want to continue to be in your life?”
– Rosamund Oliver

Then, if it is a way you’d like to continue to be in your life, use it as motivation to carry that feeling into the rest of your day 🙏

2. Slow Breathing: External vs. Self-Paced

You can choose a rate (say, 6 breaths a minute), use an app, breathe at that rate, and feel great. I’ve done this for years.

However, you can also let your body set the pace: you can voluntarily breathe slowly without using an external pacer.

Here’s a great explanation of why this works from Yogani. He’s talking about spinal breathing, but it applies to slow breathing in general:

“The time it takes will be different for each person. It can be different for the same person from day to day, depending on the course of purification occurring in the nervous system. It can even vary in a single spinal breathing session we are doing. Duration is a function of our inner neurobiological processes and our metabolism, which change as the processes of inner purification and opening are occurring. // In spinal breathing we comfortably favor slow deep breathing, whatever that is for us in the moment. That is what determines the duration.”

3. If Mind and Body are One, Then…

“If mind and body are one, we can do more than change the body by changing the mind; we can change the mind by changing the body.”
- Ellen Langer, Ph.D., The Mindful Body

And this is precisely the power of breathing. It’s the most direct path to realizing this mind-body unity.

Change your breathing, to change your body, to change your mind.

4. But the Real Healing Power of Breathing Lies Here

The real healing power of breathing lies in metaphor:

When we accept the breath as it is (mindfulness of breathing), we learn to accept life just as it is, helping us see reality more clearly.

When we control our breath (breathing exercises), we discover a locus of control over our body and mind in any situation.

And when we examine the breath with curiosity, we learn that everything—all the mundane, everyday, overlooked aspects of life—can become interesting with mindful awareness.

P.S. We deeply explore and apply these metaphors (along with the actual physical & emotional benefits of breathing) in my 8-week coaching for overcoming stressful setbacks. Email me at nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com with subject line “breath” and I’ll send you more details.

1 Quote

“Laughter is a beautiful form of resilience, one that evinces a generosity of spirit.””

— Erika Sánchez

1 Answer

Category: Involuntary Breathwork

Answer: These are repeated spasms of your diaphragm accompanied by sound from your vocal cords.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are hiccups?

In good breath,

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

P.S. up for the October challenge?

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

If you haven’t already, try iCalm, an awesome product made by a mindful and loving company (use discount code NICK20 for 20% off).

Nicholas Heath

October 2, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

3 Simple Lessons, Why We Practice, and the Most Important Determinant

Nicholas Heath

October 2, 2023

weekly email, Batch 9

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 😊

Reading Time: 1 min 57 sec

I hope the next 30ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.

4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing Exercises Reduce Oxidative Stress: 2023 Meta-Analysis

“Breathing exercises can improve the main biological indicators of OS [oxidative stress] toward the direction of antioxidation and improve the OS state by increasing the levels of antioxidants and reducing those of oxidative markers.”
– Li et al. (2023), Frontiers in Medicine

This 2023 meta-analysis examined 10 studies, finding that breathing exercises of all kinds (fast, slow, inspiratory muscle training, and so on) significantly reduce biomarkers of oxidative stress. Breath practices also increase the body’s antioxidant capacity, which may benefit both healthy and disease states 👏

2. The Most Important Determinant & the Mother of Mindfulness

Ellen Langer, Ph.D., put the word mindfulness on the map in western psychology (she’s even referred to as the “mother of mindfulness”).

I’m reading her latest book (she’s one of my favorite authors), The Mindful Body, and I felt obliged to share this passage because it’s so good. Enjoy:

“But my use of the word “mindfulness” also, importantly, refers to a condition of the body. Indeed, I believe our psychology may be the most important determinant of our health. I’m not just speaking of harmony between mind and body. I believe the mind and body comprise a single system, and every change in the human being is essentially simultaneously a change at the level of the mind (that is, a cognitive change) as well as the body (a hormonal, neural, and/or behavioral change). When we open our minds to this idea of mind-body unity, new possibilities for controlling our health become real.” (my emphasis)

3. Three Simple Lessons about Breathing

The best morning breathing exercise is a good night’s sleep.
The best healing breathing exercise is a good dose of laughter.
And the best time of day for breathing exercises is always right now.

4. Experiencing Wholeness: Why We Practice

“Through ongoing practice, we can come to live in a more integrated way from day to day and from moment to moment, in touch with our own wholeness and connectedness and aware of our interconnectedness with others, with the larger world in which we find ourselves, and with life itself. Feeling whole, even for brief moments, nourishes us on a deep level.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D, Full Catastrophe Living

That’s why we practice: it brings us wholeness. And even if we only experience wholeness briefly, it still “nourishes us on a deep level” 🙏

1 Quote

“The silence around us may contain a lot, but the most interesting kind of silence is the one that lies within. A silence which each of us must create.””

— Erling Kagge

1 Answer

Category: Breathing 101

Answer: This is the clinical name for shortness of breath.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is dyspnea?

In good breath,

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

P.S. how to make parties more interesting

iCalm for Focused Relaxation

If you haven’t already, try iCalm, an awesome product made by a mindful and loving company (use discount code NICK20 for 20% off).