The Wim Hof Breathing Method (WHM) is used by millions of people worldwide. And if you search around, you’ll find some hefty claims, along with some inspiring success stories. It seems to help with just about everything.
But what about diabetes?
As a type-1 diabetic, a researcher, and an intermittent WHM practitioner (see my full story here), I recently decided to dig into the science and feasibility of the WHM for diabetes. I found some fascinating things about inflammation and quality of life that make it appealing.
But, at the same time, some real dangers might be overlooked by non-diabetics who practice and teach Wim’s method. And there might be better approach for people with diabetes.
However, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start off with the basics.
What is the Wim Hof Breathing Method?
The WHM generally consists of controlled hyperventilation and breath holds. Most people use the following steps:
30 big breaths (nose or mouth) at a comfortable pace.
After the last breath, hold with your lungs empty (after exhaling).
Hold as long as it is comfortable for you.
When you hit your limit, inhale fully and hold for another 10-15 seconds.
Repeat
That is considered “one round.” Wim generally suggests 3-4 rounds every day, first thing in the morning (this turns out to be critical).
In addition to the breathing, the full WHM consists of cold exposure and meditation. But for our purposes, we’ll focus on the breathing because that’s what gets a lot of attention (and the most common starting point before getting into the cold).
Validated by Science: Direct Control of the Autonomic and Immune Systems
The WHM is one of just a few breathing methods with scientific studies published directly on it.
The most famous is the 2014 PNAS study. PNAS is a top-notch journal, so this one put Wim on the map scientifically.
In the study, participants learned the WHM from Wim himself over a few days. Then, they were brought into a lab and injected with an endotoxin. Lots of people have been injected with this toxin, so scientists have a pretty good idea of what happens afterward: fever, chills, nausea, headache, and so on.
Thirty minutes before injection, the participants started doing the WHM breathing. Then, they were injected and continued doing the breathing (they modified it slightly after 1 h) for another 2.5 h. That’s a total of 3 hours of WHM breathing (!). But the results were incredible.
All the WHM-trained participants reduced basically every symptom associated with the endotoxin injection.
Moreover, they significantly increased anti-inflammatory cytokines while suppressing pro-inflammatory ones.
This was the first time (basically ever) that a person could take direct control of their autonomic and immune systems. I call this study the “4-minute mile” of breathing.
“The PNAS Wim Hof study is the “4-minute mile” of breathing, showing that the impossible was possible.”
What about Chronic Inflammation?
Those results are pretty intriguing since a huge problem with diabetes is immune and autonomic dysfunction. But most of us diabetics probably don’t want to hyperventilate for 3 hours a day to reduce our inflammation.
Fortunately, another study decided to investigate the more long-term effects of the WHM on inflammation in people with spondyloarthritis.
Participants practiced the WHM for 8 weeks. (Note that this was the full WHM, which includes cold. However, recent research still in pre-prints has shown that the breathing alone is really helpful for inflammation.) It looks like they spent about 45- 60 min a day doing these exercises (still a lot, but much better than hyperventilating for 3 hours).
After the 8 weeks, measurements showed that they reduced overall levels of several inflammatory markers. Moreover, the participants’ quality of life scores all went up.
Sounds great so far, right?
Well, yes. But we next need to learn how it works, which will shed more light on how it might impact diabetes specifically.
How Does the WHM Work? Stress, Stress, and More Stress
As mentioned, the WHM consists of hyperventilating and holding your breath. Both of these are stressors. In fact, they are really, really stressful. The PNAS study we mentioned earlier found that when the participants did the breathing, their adrenaline rose higher than people bungee jumping for the first time. That’s a lot of stress.
Counterintuitively, it turns out that intense short-term stress is actually good for you. I won’t go into the details here (and honestly, I don’t understand it enough to speak intelligently on it), but separate fields of science called “psychoneuroendocrinology” and “neuroimmunology” have shown that short-term stress boosts our immune system and lowers inflammation.
It appears that the WHM might trigger this effect perfectly.
“Short-term stress boosts our immune system and lowers inflammation.”
Intermittent Hypoxia
Moreover, during the breath-hold portion, people drop their blood oxygen saturation significantly (sometimes to half of where they started). This is yet another short-term stressor that can also be therapeutic.
It turns out that intermittent bouts of low oxygen, followed quickly by normal oxygen levels, can improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar, boost immune function, and increase blood flow to the brain.
Together, we see that the WHM combines two intense stressors over a short period: hyperventilation and breath holds. These trigger some positive adaptations that at least partially explain the benefits of the WHM (although there’s a lot of brain stuff happening, too—see the WHM & Diabetes Masterclass below for more).
All of this brings us back to diabetes and this question: Isn't stress bad for people with diabetes?
The 5 Dangers of WHM and Diabetes
Here’s where things get interesting for diabetics.
1. Blood Sugar
Because the WHM is an intense stressor, it will almost certainly raise your blood sugar in the short term (of course, everyone is different, but this has been my experience).
Thus, if your blood sugar is already high, practicing the WHM might not be a good idea.
(Paradoxically, there is also a chance it could improve insulin sensitivity over time due to the intermittent hypoxia. This has never been proven with Wim’s method, just my logical deduction.)
2. Anxiety and Panic Disorder
Here’s another thing to consider. The WHM involves hyperventilation, which is a common symptom associated with anxiety and panic attacks.
People with diabetes have a much higher prevalence of anxiety and panic disorder. Thus, we run a much higher risk of experiencing adverse effects from this aspect of the WHM.
Putting our body through that intense stress and the associated blood sugar increase might leave us feeling worse than when we started.
3. Autonomic Dysfunction
Additionally, people with diabetes generally have worse autonomic nervous system functioning than their non-diabetic counterparts. This shows up consistently as lower heart rate variability (HRV) levels and lower baroreflex sensitivity, even in seemingly healthy diabetics.
Thus, putting our nervous system into fight-or-flight overload might exacerbate underlying nervous system issues rather than alleviate them.
4. Cardiovascular Complications and Hypoxia
People with diabetes suffer from higher rates of cardiovascular disease than non-diabetics (and it’s the #1 cause of death in people with diabetes). Thus, dropping our blood oxygen saturation to the extremely low levels experienced during the WHM might put too much stress on our hearts. (Again, my speculation, but there isn’t any research on WHM and diabetes to know for sure.)
5. Poor Everyday Breathing
Lastly, because WHM encourages hyperventilation, there is a chance this would carry over into your everyday breathing. Of course, this is not what Wim suggests, it’s just a side-effect many people experience—myself included—if you’re not taught proper breathing in addition to the WHM.
If you’re constantly taking bigger breaths, especially through the mouth, it will put you in a chronic state of low-grade stress, intensifying the above-mentioned dangers. This could cause more cardiovascular stress, more nervous system dysregulation, more anxiety, and worse blood sugar control.
So, What Should We Do as Diabetics?
Let’s recap.
The potential benefits:
Improved quality of life
Lower inflammation
Better immune function
Better insulin sensitivity (my speculation)
More energy (we didn’t talk about this, but it’s something most practitioners say)
The potential dangers:
Short-term increase in blood sugar
Increase in symptoms of anxiety and panic
Dysfunctional nervous system
Added stress on your heart
Poorer everyday breathing
With this information, I hope you can decide whether the WHM is suitable for you (or for your clients if you work with people with diabetes). And if you are going to practice the WHM, I suggest finding a certified coach to start out safely. There are tons of them listed here.
If You Want More Information
If you want more information, I put together a 40-min Wim Hof and Diabetes Mini Masterclass ($99 value) as a free bonus to my Breathing for Diabetes Online Workshop. This class goes into more detail than is possible here.
And, by getting the workshop, you’ll learn where I suggest you start before diving into the WHM: slow breathing.
If you’re interested, you can learn more below.
The Breathing for Diabetes Online Workshop
Created for diabetics, by a diabetic.
From Wim Hof to slow breathing, this workshop covers everything you need to know to use breathing to reduce your stress, improve your sleep, better manage the inevitable ups & downs, and live an overall healthier life with diabetes.