baroreflex

Nose or Mouth, 23 Years Ago, and How to Make Spiritual Progress

 

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4 Thoughts



1. How to Make Spiritual Progress

[B]reath is the animated, nonphysical aspect of your being. So that when you look in the direction of breath, when you focus your attention on your breath, you are really looking at your spiritual self.”*

- Andrew Weil, MD, Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing

This is why Dr. Weil also says that “if you do nothing other than pay attention to your breath today, for a few seconds more than you did yesterday, you have increased your spiritual awareness. You have made spiritual progress.”*

Sounds good to me 🙏

P.S. My New #1 (and 23 Years Ago)

This tape, Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing (released 23 years ago!), will now be my #1 recommendation for anyone beginning with breathing.

It’s not “perfect,” but it’s less than 2 hrs and has basically everything we need to start a breath practice. It was one of my favorite listens in a really long time 🙏

2. Should We Exhale through Our Nose our Mouth?

This is one of the most common questions I receive. There’s no perfect answer, but here are my rules of thumb, which you might find helpful:

  • Nasal exhales: This should be the default breathing we use most of the time.

  • Mouth exhales: This can be used for (1) deeper relaxation during slow breathing, (2) learning to extend your exhales, and (3) during exercise.

3. Strengthen the Inflammatory Reflex with Slow Breathing

It was proof that as well as slowing the heart, the vagus nerve can act as a powerful brake on inflammation. Tracey called this the ‘inflammatory reflex.’ … If the brain detects a signal via the vagus nerve that inflammation has been activated in the body, it swiftly fires a return signal to calm it down again.

- Jo Marchant, Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body

Here’s another reason why a regular slow breathing practice, which increases vagal tone, is so powerful: it might strengthen our “inflammatory reflex.

Here’s to using our breath to put the brakes on inflammation, today : )

4. Two Breaths at Once

You can’t breathe two breaths at once.

So focus on this one.

And watch your mindfulness and spiritual awareness grow.


1 QUOTE

Of all the techniques that I have investigated for reducing stress and increasing relaxation, it is breathwork that I have found to be the most time-efficient, the most cost-efficient, and the one that most promotes increased wellness and optimal health.
— Andrew Weil, MD
 

1 ANSWER

Category: Breathing-Related Reflexes

Answer: Another critical reflex that is modified by our breathing rate is this, which keeps blood pressure within safe limits.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is the baroreflex?



In good breath,

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

P.S. I think I’ve got her on the ropes

Breathing for Diabetes Online Course ($99):

If you love learning about breathing, want to live a healthier life, or just want to support my work, 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.


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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.

 
 

Are Long-Term Diabetic Complications Reversible?

Fred_Rogers_Helpers.png
 

As a person with type-1 diabetes, long-term complications are like the boogeyman. I hide under the covers, turn off the lights, and they can’t get me. I am healthy, after all. Right?

But the truth is, diabetic complications are more common than I would like to admit. There are, however, two pieces of good news.  

There is Always Good News

First, a popular study showed that for every 1% reduction in HbA1c, there was a significant reduction in the risk of many diabetic complications.  

For example, in type-2 diabetics, a 1% drop in HbA1c was associated with a 14% drop in heart attacks. Because we know that slow breathing can help reduce HbA1c, this is more motivation to be consistent with our breathing practice (and exercising, eating healthy, and sleeping more).

Second, the study I’m sharing this week found that some diabetic complications are reversible by slow deep breathing:


Deep breathing improves blunted baroreflex sensitivity even after 30 years of type 1 diabetes

(Click Here to Read Full Summary)

Journal: Diabetologia, Volume 54, Article number: 1862 (2011)

Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) measures your heart’s ability to adjust your blood pressure in response to changing conditions. It’s also an early indicator of autonomic dysfunction. People with diabetes typically have reduced BRS, even before other complications show up.

This study found that slow breathing at six breaths/min restored BRS to normal levels, even in long-duration type-1 diabetics (>30 years). These results indicate that reduced BRS in diabetics is partially functional and hence partially reversible.

How did slow breathing do this? The authors showed that it increased heart rate variability and parasympathetic tone, leading to improved cardiovascular and autonomic functioning.


More Benefits of Slow Breathing for Diabetics

While getting this post ready, I was considering all of the research showing the benefits of slow breathing for diabetes. This inspired me to create this little graphic, which I think sums it up succinctly.

 
 
Benefits_of_Slow_Breathing.png
 
 


The earlier we address the adverse effects of diabetes, the better our chances are of avoiding complications.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. That is trust.

P.P.S. My stats for this week:

Average BOLT Score: 30 sec (Min: 26 sec, Max: 36 sec)
Average CO2 Tolerance: 64 sec (Min: 54 sec, Max: 82 sec)
Average Blood Sugar: 102 mg/dL (Min: 47 mg/dL, Max: 230 mg/dL)