circulation

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Breath & Anxiety, One Person, and How to Ease Your Troubles

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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 31 sec

I hope the next 23’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. Breathing Helps with Anxiety: a Meta-Analysis

“Anxious individuals who are unable to withstand the anxiety that accompanies the possibility of something bad happening in the future may experience respiratory interventions as a means by which to control their physiology. This may generalize to a greater sense of anxiety control and self-efficacy in managing symptoms.”

- Leyro et al. (2021)

This meta-analysis found that breathing significantly improves anxiety, both immediately and over the long term, providing effects similar to the gold-standard treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Check out the paper here or sign up for the Breath Learning Center to get my review and takeaways 🙏

2. It Takes Just One Person (each of us)

“Pressure is contagious, but so is good will. Just one person slowing down, one person not putting others under pressure, helps everyone else to relax too.”

- Eknath Easwaran, Take Your Time

Here’s a great reminder that when we use slow breathing, meditation, and other contemplative practices to slow down, we help those around us relax, too 🙏

3. The Effects of Focused Attention on the Body & Mind

“When one-pointed attention is strong, the nervous system kicks into a relaxed mode. Heart rate slows, metabolic rate declines, digestion picks up, and brain activity associated with worry and agitation goes into neutral. It was a major surprise for Western scientists to find that something as simple as concentration could have such profound effects on the body.”

- Mark Epstein, MD, Advice Not Given

👏👏👏

4. How to Ease Your Own Troubles

“Sharing another person’s feelings of distress need not be a downer. As Dr. Aaron Beck…has said, when you focus on someone else’s suffering, you forget your own troubles.”

— Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. & Richard Davidson, Ph.D.

1 Quote

“In addition, the mental component of breath is a sense of rhythmic expansion and contraction. And I think that connects us to every other living thing because all living organisms breathe. So that same rhythm is at the center of the heart of all life.””
— Andrew Weil, MD

1 Answer

Category: The Nose

Answer: The bone & cartilage separating your two nostrils (which sometimes gets displaced) is called this.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is the nasal septum?

In good breath,

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

P.S. beyond meditation

Breath Science & Wisdom Meditations for a Well-Lived Life

Learn to think, speak, and act in alignment with the person you want to be.

Start Today.

The Breathing App for Diabetes

This is the first program specifically made for people with diabetes to help manage their stress through breathing and mindfulness practices. In addition to the amazing program inside the app, we have some really neat things coming up, so sign up now!

Learn more here.

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.

 
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Smell the Flowers, a Test, and How to Pacify the Mind

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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 😊

Audio Block
Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more

Reading Time: 1 min 33 sec

I hope the next 23’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. There, I Have Pacified Your Mind

This passage comes from Advice Not Given by Mark Epstein, MD. It’s a Zen story about Bodhidharma, a famous Buddhist monk, and Huike, who was intent on learning from him:

“Huike says to Bodhidharma, when finally given a chance to speak to him directly, ‘My mind is anxious. Please pacify it.’

To which Bodhidharma replies, ‘Bring me your mind, and I will pacify it.’

Huike says, ‘Although I've sought it, I cannot find it.’

Bodhidharma then says, ‘There, I have pacified your mind.’”

2. Wherever You Find Yourself

“The breath accompanies you the full length of life’s road: you learn about the body, feelings, mental formations, the mind itself, and, finally, the lawfulness of impermanence and emptiness of a substantial self.”

– Larry Rosenberg, Three Steps to Awakening

This is a wonderful reminder of the far-reaching utility of the breath. No matter what you’re currently interested in—the body, emotions, the mind, the self—the breath can be a metaphor or direct tool for studying it. As Rosenberg reminds us: “Wherever you find yourself, the breath is present.” 🙏

3. Smell the Flowers; Blow Out the Candles

“Just as emotions like worry and fear can trigger the body’s stress response, what we experience physically in the body can affect our emotions. Because of this, we can often begin to quiet our worries and calm the symptoms of anxiety simply by controlling one critical body function: breathing.”

– Jennifer Tucker, Breath as Prayer

Tucker provides a simple way to apply this: “Smell the flowers; blow out the candles.” Breathe in through your nose, into your abdomen, as if smelling flowers. Then, exhale slowly through pursed lips as if blowing out candles. Use it as needed today 🙏

4. A Test for You

“Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.”

– Richard Bach

1 Quote

“The breath is not only a source of support for the physical body; it is also a support for mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.””
— Anyen Rinpoche &Allison Choying Zangmo

1 Answer

Category: Circulation

Answer: After being inhaled, it takes oxygen about this long to circulate throughout the body.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is around one minute?

In good breath,

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

P.S. 1890s guy

Breath Science & Wisdom Meditations for a Well-Lived Life

Learn to think, speak, and act in alignment with the person you want to be.

Start Today.

The Breathing App for Diabetes

This is the first program specifically made for people with diabetes to help manage their stress through breathing and mindfulness practices. In addition to the amazing program inside the app, we have some really neat things coming up, so sign up now!

Learn more here.

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.

 
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A Fulfilling Life, How to End, and How to Meditate without Meditating

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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 😊

Enjoy These Posts?

Donate to support my research.

Reading Time: 1 min 56 sec

I hope the next 29’ish breaths are the most nourishing of your day.


4 THOUGHTS

1. There is No Single Path to a Fulfilling Life

“It may be helpful to receive advice from more experienced artists, but as information, not as prescription…

Established artists generally draw from their personal experience and recommend the solutions that worked for them. These tend to be specific to their journey, not yours. It’s worth remembering that their way is not the way.

Your path is unique, for only you to follow. There is no single route to great art.”

- Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

Likewise, the methods experienced breathing and mindfulness teachers use are specific to their journey, not yours. There is no single path to a fulfilling life.

2. Soak It In: How We End Our Practice Matters

“The way we finish a practice is as important as the doing of it itself. So, as we do the practices in this audio, try to let each breath be an opportunity to practice awareness, and at the end of each practice, take a moment to soak it in, like liquid into a sponge, and that transformative state will then become assimilated within you.”

- Eddie Stern, Healing Through Breathing

That last part is so good for any contemplative practice: “take a moment to soak it in, like liquid into a sponge, and that transformative state will then become assimilated within you.”

If you feel so inspired, give it a try after your next session 🙏

3. Let Nature Meditate You

“This is the huge advantage of water: you don’t need to meditate to take advantage of its healing effects because it meditates you.”

– Wallace J Nichols, Blue Mind

“You don’t need to meditate…because it meditates you.” That’s so good. And it applies to basically any time in nature, not just water.

So, let that excellent quote be motivation to get out in the environment a little more this week 🙏

4. Breath Awareness vs. Breath Control

Breath observation shows you who you are. Breath control shows you who you can be.

Meaning that breath awareness allows us to tune into the state of our body, mind, and spirit. But breath control reminds us that, in many circumstances, we can radically transform how we feel.

1 Quote

“When you learn to stay with the breathing, to sink deep within your consciousness, you find that there is an intrinsic happiness there that has nothing to do with sensual pleasures, and it gives your life a whole new balance.””
— Larry Rosenberg

1 Answer

Category: Blood Circulation

Answer: These are so narrow that red blood cells must travel single file to pass through them, which also helps maximize contact with air.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What are the capillaries surrounding the alveoli?

In good breath,

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

P.S. scroll through for funny breathing memes

P.P.S. Check out The Breathing App for Diabetes to have Eddie Stern and me guide you through a 28-day slow breathing program.

Coaching

I can currently work with one more person if you can meet on weekends. Just send an email to nick@thebreathingdiabetic.com, and we can discuss it further 🙏

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.

 

Oxygen and The Most Effective Antioxidant

 

Most of my friends make fun of my bedtime (7:45 or 8:00 p.m.). In thought #4, you’ll learn how I’m trying to change that, at least until November…

With that said, here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for the week.

Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. Grow and Multiply Your Breathing Practice

"When it comes to the process of scaling habits, there are two general categories: habits that grow and habits that multiply."

- BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits

Some habits might grow organically: flossing one tooth might grow into every tooth. Others might not: eating an avocado a day might be enough. But, this might multiply into using olive oil instead of a sugary dressing at lunch.

With breathing, it usually grows first.

You might start with just two minutes. This might grow into 5, 15, or 30+ minutes a day. Then at some point, you will naturally find the right growth limit for you.

Then it multiplies.

By creating a breathing practice that makes you feel good, you might begin eating healthier, exercising more, and sleeping better. You might also multiply your breathing practice by incorporating it into other areas of your life—like breath walking or nose breathing during exercise.

But it always happens in a way that’s right for you.

Luckily, there is no one right way to do this. Breathing can be (and is) applied in all domains of life. The best part is watching it grow and multiply in whatever way is right for you on your way to becoming the person you want to be.

2. The Most Effective (and biggest) Antioxidant

"In this regard, we can reasonably view the gigantism discussed in Chapter 5 as an antioxidant response. The increase in body size compensates for the higher external oxygen levels."

- Nick Lane, Oxygen

Oxidative stress is a major issue for people with diabetes. So, discussions on antioxidants always interest me. This one was somewhat crazy, though.

To start, Nick Lane argues that, if we flip our perspective, our circulatory system can be seen as a way of limiting oxygen delivery:

"Our elegant circulatory system, which is usually presented as a means of distributing oxygen to individual cells, can be seen equally as a means of restricting, or at least regulating, oxygen delivery to the correct amount."

His argument is supported by the fact that our cells and mitochondria function best at an oxygen "concentration of less than 0.3% of atmospheric oxygen." Thus, our bodies and circulatory system act to reduce atmospheric oxygen by ~99.7%.

Stated differently, our bodies essentially work as giant antioxidants.

"The development of multicellular organisms can even be considered an antioxidant response, which has the effect of lowering oxygen levels inside individual cells."

He even provides historical evidence that as oxygen levels rise, some species get bigger (hence the headline quote on gigantism). But they don’t get bigger because there is more oxygen for energy; they get bigger to protect them from it.

My mind hurts now too.

But the point is that our bodies were perfectly designed to deliver the right amount of oxygen to the cells—not too much, not too little. Problems arise when we disrupt that beautiful balance.

3. Slow Breathing Enhances Decision-Making

"The 5-2-7 pattern breathing exercise improved decision-making performance and prevented stress under overwhelming psychological pressure."

- Inc. This 2-Minute Breathing Exercise Can Help You Make Better Decisions, According to a New Study

Here is an excellent article from Inc. on how slow breathing can help you make better decisions (based off a 2019 study).

I especially appreciated the practical advice they provided on how you might apply these findings in real life in the "Putting it into practice" section. Enjoy!

4. American Academy of Sleep and Multiplying Habits

"It is, therefore, the position of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that these seasonal time changes should be abolished in favor of a fixed, national, year-round standard time."

- Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

Because nasal breathing at night changed my life, I am fascinated with sleep. So I take statements like this from sleep experts quite seriously. But it’s one thing to read an article and get inspired; it’s another to take action.

So this year, I have decided to try ignoring Daylight Savings Time.

This is something I can try in my life. My job allows me to come in later and stay later. And our daughter will be happy to have her sleep schedule unchanged.

I hope you’ll join me.

Not with the time change, but with whatever is firing you up these days. Here’s to multiplying our habits on our way to becoming the people we want to be.

P.S. My bedtime will now be a more reasonable 8:45 or 9:00 p.m. : )

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Man was created of the Earth, and lives by virtue of the air; for there is in the air a secret food of life…whose invisible congealed spirit is better than the whole earth."

- Michael Sendivogius (1604)

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: Although considered the "elixir of life," this gas was not discovered until the 1770s.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

…

Question: What is oxygen?

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Fitness is my passion.

 
 

The Breathing 411 - The lung microbiome, David Blaine, and a perfect breath

 

Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of The Breathing 4.1.1.

Below you’ll find 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think "Jeopardy").

Thank you for reading!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. On Practicing the Fundamentals

"If someone at Kobe’s level needs to commit hours to practicing the fundamentals, then so do all of us. Kobe taught me a pivotal lesson that morning. The basics are simple, but not easy."
- Alan Stein Jr., Raise Your Game

Imagine the best basketball player on the planet allows you to watch him practice. Then, he spends hours working on his fundamentals. Nothing fancy, no showboating, just the basics. That’s exactly what Alan Stein saw when he watched Kobe Bryant practice during his prime.

We talk about breathing here, not the highest level of basketball ever played. But the message is the same.

With all the fancy breathing techniques and new approaches, it’s easy to be looking for the "next thing" (—> guilty here <— ). But let’s not forget that it all comes down to the basics. They’re simple, but they’re not easy.

(This idea, like many, was inspired by knowledge from the Optimize Program.)

2. Oxygen Therapy Harms the Lung Microbiome

We’ve discussed how inhaled oxygen can lead to adverse effects in people with diabetes. Specifically, high levels of inhaled oxygen can reduce arterial function. But there might be other problems with oxygen therapy, especially when done over prolonged periods.

For example, your lungs have their own microbiome (pretty neat). And a recent study showed that inhaled oxygen harms this microbiome, leading to an increased risk of lung damage. This idea is especially relevant during COVID-19:

“Upon hospitalization, these patients are administered oxygen in an attempt to bring their levels back up to normal. However, a new study hints that this universal therapy may have unintended consequences via an unexpected source -- the microbiome.”
- ScienceDaily

Read the whole summary from ScienceDaily here:

Oxygen Therapy Harms Lung Microbiome in Mice

3. David Blaine on Breath Holds, CO2, and 45 Minutes Without Air

David Blaine was recently on the Joe Rogan Podcast. They began talking about breath-holds within 5 minutes (this link should take you right to it).

Here are two quotes I loved from it:

"The breath-holding thing is all about like, a CO2 build up in the bloodstream, and it’s about a tolerance level to it…"

And when Joe asks about the panicked feeling you get when holding your breath, David’s reply is:

“That’s not an O2 deprivation. That’s a trigger from a CO2 build-up, which is giving you an alert…"

All of you "breathing nerds" already knew this. But it is little tidbits like these that help the general population learn.

He goes on to talk a little about pre-breath-hold hyperventilation, blacking out, and how we can go 45 minutes without air.

In addition to the breath-hold stuff, it’s a fascinating interview.

4. Is there a Perfect Breath?

“What is the perfect breath? Far from being some noble yet unreachable goal that takes years of rigorous practice to master, a perfect breath is any breath you take for which you are completely and mindfully aware.” - Al Lee & Don Campbell

That definition is, well, perfect. But let’s not forget about James Nestor’s perfect breath, which has deeper roots in science and physiology:

"They discovered that the optimum amount of air we should take in at rest per minute is 5.5 liters. The optimum breathing rate is about 5.5 breaths per minute. That’s 5.5-second inhales and 5.5-second exhales. This is the perfect breath."

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

"Your quality of sleep is closely related to how you breathe, both when you sleep and when you are awake."

- Anders Olsson

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The amount of time it takes blood to circulate around your entire body.

…

(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

…

Question: What is one minute?*

(This fun fact came from James Nestor’s Breath.)