Listen Instead of Reading
Hey,
Here are four thoughts, one quote, and one answer for this week.
I hope you enjoy!
4 Thoughts
1. Why We Should (and Should Not) Care About HRV
“Over the years we've experimented with many different types of physiological and psychological measures. Heart rate variability (HRV) patterns… have consistently emerged as the most dynamic and reflective of our inner emotional states.”
I’ve been on an HRV kick lately. And although I’m fascinated by the physiological implications of it—its correlation with disease and diabetes, its impact on stress, and so on—here’s another reason we should care: It’s the “most dynamic and reflective [measurement] of our inner emotional states.”
Of course, this makes perfect sense, as our emotional states impact our physiology, and vice-versa. HRV gives us an index for them all, which is why we should care about it.
But, we should also remember that high HRV isn’t the end goal. It’s the positive states associated with high HRV we’re after.
So here’s to using slow breathing to maximize HRV while (paradoxically) remembering that HRV is not the end goal.
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Related Quote: “‘When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.’ Measurement is only useful when it guides you and adds context to a larger picture, not when it consumes you.” - James Clear, Atomic Habits
P.S. Huge thanks to Crussen for The Heartmath Solution. After taking his genuinely incredible Heart Coherence class, I contacted him, and he said Heartmath helped inspire it. I immediately grabbed the book and loved it.
2. The Positive Breathing-Relaxation Feedback Loop
“Slow breathing techniques with long exhalation will signal a state of relaxation by VN, resulting in more VN activity and further relaxation.”
Here’s a positive feedback loop we can celebrate: Slow breathing sends a message of relaxation via the vagus nerve, which increases vagal activity, further enhancing relaxation. Thank you, complicated physiology.
Practically, this is why when you start your slow breathing practice, you don’t feel much at first, but after a few minutes, you feel like a different person. You’re experiencing this positive breathing-relaxation feedback loop in action.
Complex science. Simple to experience.
Give it a shot today.
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Related Quote: “Not only does VN control heart rate and slow deep breathing, slow respiration rates with extended exhalation could also activate the PNS by VN afferent function in the airways. This is a form of respiratory biofeedback.” - Same paper as above
Related: Longer Exhalations Are an Easy Way to Hack Your Vagus Nerve
3. A Wealth of Health | Breathing: Misconceptions and Tips (and Wim Hof’s Mastery)
“Taking control of the breath — consciously thinking about the unconscious respiratory mechanism — is the first step to improving a plethora of everyday struggles and habits.”
I picked that quote because it goes perfectly with Thought #4 below on Lucid Breathing. But the article is packed with information (and name drops, 😂). It covers a lot of ground, somewhat disjointedly, but I think you’ll enjoy it.
My favorite part was a reminder of something I often forget: That Wim Hof is a master of the breath (and marketing). Although his method frustrates many in the breathing community, James Nestor nailed it in this article:
“Everyone thinks that Wim Hof is breathing ‘Wim Hof breaths’ all the time,” Nestor said. “He’s not. He’s breathing like that for 20 minutes, and the rest of the time he’s breathing really slowly, and he’s humming.”
Enjoy!
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Related: 20 One-Sentence Thoughts on the Wim Hof Method
4. Are Lucid Breathers the Future of Evolution?
“It seems to be only around 20 to 30% of the population are actually natural lucid dreamers…Maybe those 20 to 30% of people who do lucid dream are at the forefront of hominid evolution, and they are going to be the next species of preference. We just don't know.”
Maybe the same is true of lucid breathers? Interestingly, Nature made it difficult to control our dreams. It made it simple to control our breath—though most of us sleep right through it.
But control over our breath was not an accident. As Belisa Vranich and Brian Sabin tell us in Breathing for Warriors, “It's an invitation, an opportunity to take part in our own nature and evolution.”
So wake up in your breath. Use it to control this dream we call living.
1 Quote
“The quality of our breath expresses our inner feelings.”
- TKV Desikachar
P.S. I found that quote here.
1 Answer
Category: Heart and Breath Pacemakers
Answer: Although our heartbeat is controlled by pacemakers in the heart, the breathing pacemakers are located here.
…
(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)
…
Question: What is the brainstem?
In good breath,
Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
Diabetes is Tiny. You are Mighty.
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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.