blood sugars

Become A World-Class Breather

 

Greetings,

Here are four thoughts, one quote, and one answer to start off February. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Become a World-Class Breather

"World-class performers are less about complexity and more about optimizing simplicity…It’s about the fundamentals. But small, daily improvements on the fundamentals every day done with ridiculous consistency creates insane revolutions over time."

- Robin Sharma, Optimize Interview

Becoming a world-class breather is actually quite simple: reduce the complexity, optimize the simplicity.

Of course, you can still utilize a variety of advanced techniques. Kobe Bryant didn’t only practice shooting free throws, and Tom Brady doesn’t only practice taking snaps. But it all starts with optimizing the fundamentals.

The best way to do that? Nose, belly, quiet, slow, repeat. Let those benefits compound into "insane revolutions over time."

P.S. Don’t forget James Clear’s advice: We have to start before we can optimize.

P.P.S. I condensed the quote, but I’ve never heard so many buzzwords stringed together so eloquently and with so much conviction : ) Enjoy listening.

2. What Optimal Breathing Can Do for Diabetes 

Although it’s not a panacea, improving our breathing might be the simplest thing we can do for our overall health. And for diabetes, in particular, optimal breathing has several direct and indirect benefits that are especially useful.

For example, it can improve cardio-autonomic function, reduce stress and anxiety (see next thought), improve blood flow, and improve sleep. These benefits can lead to better insulin sensitivity, more stable blood sugars, and less risk of long-term complications. Not bad for something as simple as breathing.

3. Harvard Business Review: Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress

"So what makes breathing so effective? It’s very difficult to talk your way out of strong emotions like stress, anxiety, or anger…But with breathing techniques, it is possible to gain some mastery over your mind."

- Harvard Business Review,
Research: Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress

So much goodness in this quick article. It’s a nice complement to last week’s thought on using breathing instead of thinking, and much more. Enjoy!

4. A Breathing Competition?

Compete: from Latin competere,

in its late sense 'strive or contend for (something)'

from com = 'together' + petere = 'aim at, seek'

- Apple Dictionary

So to "compete" literally means to strive for something together. In that case, we can consider this newsletter to be a breathing competition, with all of us striving to become world-class breathers together.

I hope you enjoy this competition as much as I do.

This thought was inspired by this Optimize +1

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"The pattern of your breathing affects the pattern of your performance. When you are under stress, deep breathing helps bring your mind and body back into the present."

– Gary Mack, Mind Gym

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This is the longest recorded breath-hold that didn’t use pure oxygen inhalation.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is 11 min 35 sec?

 
 

More Breathing in Less Time

 

Greetings,

This week’s 411 is brought to you by espresso, curiosity, my appreciation for your readership, and espresso. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Use Breathing Instead of Thinking

"Social psychologists now know that the truth lies in the opposite direction. People need to change their actions and their minds will follow." – Sean D Young, Stick With It

Experts tell us it’s hard to think our way out of thinking. We need to act and let the mind follow. I believe this is what makes breathing so powerful. It gives you an action you can perform anytime to trick your mind into following.

If you’re anxious, you can breathe slowly, which will calm your nervous system and lead to calmer thoughts. If you’re tired, you can breathe rapidly and stimulate your nervous system, increasing your heart rate and alertness.

There are many ways to use actions to control your emotions and thoughts. But breathing is free and easy. Stop thinking, begin breathing.

2. Post-Meal Breathing for Better Blood Sugars & Digestion

Relaxing breathing methods have been shown to reduce blood sugar spikes associated with meals and glucose tolerance tests. In Breath (pg 43), James Nestor also tells us that right nostril breathing heats up the body and aids in digestion. Together, it seems like a post-meal breathing practice might be a good idea.

I have been testing this in a simple and practical way. Specifically, I’ve been spending ~3 to 5 minutes performing either alternate nostril or diaphragmatic breathing (or their combination) after lunch.

The results have been quite noticeable. My sugars are much better (and even get low sometimes) in the hour following the meal. And these short minutes are especially helpful midday to focus my mind and get me back to work quickly.

Science + Practicality = Better Living

Even if you don’t have diabetes, adding this tiny habit after eating might help with digestion and improve energy levels. Not bad for just a few minutes.

3. More Breathing in Less Time

Brian Johnson is my favorite teacher. Long-time readers are probably sick of me talking about him : ) His motto: More wisdom in less time. In that spirit, here are a few excellent summaries Brian has made of some of the best breathing books:

Enjoy!

Thanks to new 411 reader W.G. for inspiring this thought.

4. The Best Advice You Can Give Someone Interested in Breathing

"Start now. Optimize later. Imperfect starts can always be improved." - James Clear

The Oxygen Advantage, Wim Hof, The Art of Breath, Buteyko, Breatheology, SKY, ujjayi, and on and on. They are all phenomenal for different reasons.

But the most important thing is to choose one and start—experience for yourself how simple and powerful these practices are. You can optimize later.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

In my own experience, a deep breath is always a good first reaction to a first report. Try to let the potato cool a bit before you pick it up.

— General Colin Powell, It Worked For Me

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: This "nasal nerve" is the first one emerging from the brain.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the olfactory nerve?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Preach

 
 

Can Breathing Improve Insulin Sensitivity? (+ 35 hours & 291 miles)

 
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On Valentine’s Day, the CDC published a report documenting trends in diabetes incidence from 2002-2015. The take-home message: Rates of diabetes, both type-1 and type-2, are increasing in people less than 20 years old, especially in racial and ethnic minority populations.

Results like this make no-cost interventions more important than ever. (I will not get into the cost of diabetes here. But, I’m fortunate to have a job with great benefits, and I still feel the cost of diabetes daily.)

Which brings me to this week’s paper. It is a follow-on to the one I shared last week, which showed that relaxation breathing lowers blood sugar spikes.

Here, the same author published a review paper on breathing, glycemic response, and insulin sensitivity:

Review: Can yoga breathing exercises improve glycemic response and insulin sensitivity?

(Click Here to Read Full Summary)

Overall, this review concluded that slow breathing exercises can improve glycemic control and increase insulin sensitivity.

The glucose-lowering effect of slow breathing is likely due to reduced sympathetic activity and, subsequently, reduced glucose production by the liver.  That is, slow breathing reduces your body’s internal production of glucose.

The improved insulin sensitivity is likely related to reduced sympathetic output, but could also be due to improved tissue oxygenation.

These breathing techniques are so simple, yet they could be life-changing to diabetics.

If you feel inspired, please share the CDC study and this paper (or my summary of it) with someone you know with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

It’s a small, no-cost step in the right direction toward improving the lives of diabetics.

In good breath,
Nick

 
 

P.S. 100 Mile Ruck Thank You!

Thank you all for the support during the 100-mile ruck! It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I finished.

Overall, it took me 35 h 45 min to finish and I took approximately 225,000 steps to cover the 100 miles.

Including those who walked with me, we put in a combined 291 miles for chronic disease and raised ~$2K for HHPF! Simply amazing! THANK YOU!

 

Exercise and Hypoxia Increase Insulin Sensitivity (& 100 Mile Ruck Website)

 
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There are many paradoxes in breathing. For example, breathing less air delivers more oxygen to your cells.

Here is another one. Many diabetic complications (for example, insulin resistance) are rooted in tissue hypoxia. Yet, the deliberate practice of intermittent hypoxia (IH) can improve insulin sensitivity, as shown by the study I’m sharing this week.

Acute hypoxia and exercise improve insulin sensitivity (Si2*) in individuals with type 2 diabetes

(Read the Full Summary)

This research examined four different protocols:

  1. Rest at normal O2 levels for 60 min

  2. Rest in hypoxia for 60 min

  3. Exercise with normal O2 for 60 min

  4. Exercise in hypoxia for 60 min

All participants were type 2 diabetics. Oxygen levels for the hypoxic group were maintained at ~14.6%, and the results showed that the participants’ SpO2 never fell below 88% (well within the therapeutic range).

Here were the main findings:

  • Hypoxic rest increased insulin sensitivity more than rest at normal O2 levels

  • Hypoxic exercise improved insulin sensitivity greater than exercise in normal O2 levels

Together, these results imply that exercise and hypoxia can be added together to improve insulin sensitivity.

However, before jumping in, we must remember that hypoxia does induce stress, and stress hormones increase the body’s production of glucose. Thus, the increased insulin sensitivity could just be the body’s preemptive response to the stress: It knows more sugar is coming, so it primes itself to use it.

We should keep this in mind as we practice intermittent hypoxia: It’s important to find our Goldilocks zone, where we’re experiencing hypoxia, but not inducing too much stress. I recommend starting slowly with walking breath holds. You get the benefits of exercise and hypoxia in a safe, easy-to-perform way.

Try adding 3-5 walking breath holds to your morning routine. They don’t have to be intense, just enough to feel it. And, make sure you can recover normal breathing within 3 breaths after the hold…this ensures you do not push too hard.

Give it a shot, and remember, consistency over intensity.

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Here is the link to the 100 Mile Ruck fundraiser page:

https://www.hhp-foundation.org/donate

Please share the link with friends and family. And consider walking a mile or two with me virtually. Or, if you can, come out to Gleason Park in Indian Harbor Beach, FL between 8 AM - 10 PM on Feb. 29th to walk in person!

 
 
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