fundamentals

Phil Mickelson, and How Modern Science Helps Explain 2000-Year-Old Wisdom

 
 

Listen Instead of Reading

 

Hey,

Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer for this week. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 Thoughts


1. The Real Lesson from Phil Mickelson: For Diabetes, and Life in General

Phil Mickelson used controlled breathing throughout the PGA Championship. So, when he won, it was an exciting moment for the breathing community.

But do you know what happened for the next tournament? He played poorly.

Of course, with sports, we accept that this is just part of the game. Even with his focused breathing, no one can win them all.

But do you apply this concept in your life, especially if you have diabetes?

Do you remember that life is more complex than sports? There’s no “one thing” that will ensure you always win.

But, and this is important, Phil still finished that next lousy round of golf. He didn’t just walk off the course because he wasn’t winning.

And that’s what we have to do. A high blood sugar doesn’t mean we should give up on our protocol. A poor night of sleep doesn’t mean this breathing stuff doesn’t work. Life is hard, and we all have off days. But, that’s precisely when we need our fundamentals the most.

Here’s to knowing we’ll have bad days and weeks, and finishing anyway, knowing we’ll eventually be on top again.

***

P.S. I know nothing about golf, so thanks to my dad for pointing out how bad Mickelson played when we hung out on Father’s Day, sparking this thought : )

2. Breathing is a Scalpel to Your Brain and Emotions

In 2017, a group of Stanford researchers discovered a small cluster of neurons that control your breathing—the breathing “pacemaker neurons.”

It turns out that these neurons extend to other parts of the brain that control emotions, and it’s a two-way street: The emotional areas can influence your breathing, but your breathing can also influence them.

On a recent RadioLab Podcast (aptly titled “Breath”), after learning this, Molly Webster likened her breathing to a scalpel to her brain and emotions:

“I feel like, in a way, he almost gave me like a scalpel to get inside my own brain and control it…If I actually change my breathing, it will change this breath pacemaker region, and it will send an ‘I’m chill’ signal to the fight or flight directly, and it will calm down.”

This brought a massive smile to my face. What a perfect analogy.

Practically and scientifically, you can know that when you take control of your breath, you take control of a small cluster of neurons that talk to other regions of your brain. So the scalpel is right there in your nose. Use it when needed.

***

P.S. Thanks to one of my best friends, Capt J.G., for sending me this podcast.

3. “Breathing Exercises for Better Metabolic Health”

“Research shows that controlled breathing can positively impact our nervous system, reducing stress and maybe even improving glucose control.”

- Levels, Breathing Exercises for Better Metabolic Health

This article is a perfect synthesis of research and practical advice on how breathing might help with blood sugars. It’s basically my entire website summarized into a 6-minute read…I feel rather long-winded now : )

Please read and share this one!

***

Related: My recent conversation with Evan Sorkoa, author of Yoga Therapy for Diabetes, on all things breathing, yoga, and diabetes.

Related: The Lesser-Known Benefits Of Nasal Breathing, Designed For Diabetes

Related: Why Slow Breathing is Beneficial for Diabetes

4. Moderate Breathing, in Moderation

“All breathing in moderation, including moderate breathing.”

A reader helped me add this one to the list of “Breathing Graffiti.” Thanks, M. Night Larry. It’s clever, and it has lots of practical wisdom too.

Remember that we take over 20,00 breaths a day. So Wim Hof is OK now and then. Breath holds are OK now and then. (If you’re in good health, of course.)

All breathing in moderation, even moderate breathing. That’s a simple and valuable principle to live by.

 
 
 
 

1 Quote

“When the mental state is disturbed, the life energy (prana) gets unbalanced and this leads to irregular breath; hence to regulate the mental state the yoga practitioner should regulate the breath.”

Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 300 A.D., from Role of respiration in mind-body practices: concepts from contemporary science and traditional yoga texts

***

P.S. This was from almost 2000 (!) years ago. The neurons controlling how this works (Thought #2) were only discovered in 2017. The paper linked above provides additional insight into the science behind this ancient wisdom.

 
 
 
 

1 Answer

Category: Breathing in History

Answer: The healing power of the breath was recognized this far back.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is 7000 BCE? (pg. 58)

In good breath,

Nick Heath, T1D, PhD
Diabetes is Tiny. You are Mighty.

P.S. You know. Like a book.

 
 
 

Sign Up For The Breathing 411

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.

 
 

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.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is 11 min 35 sec?

 
 

The Breathing 411 - What do 5,649 and 28,800 Have in Common?

 

Hello and 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"). Enjoy!

 
 
 
 

4 THOUGHTS

1. What do 5,649 and 28,800 Have in Common?

"The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961." - Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement

Active people become anxious and lose life satisfaction when their step count drops to 5,649 or less. That’s a bit staggering, given the U.S. and global step count statistics Kelly cites.

That passage got me thinking, "I wonder if there is a similar idea for breaths per day?" However, with breathing, it would be opposite: The more breaths you take, the more unhealthy you are. Sure enough, there is something close:

"Recent evidence suggests that an adult with a respiratory rate of over 20 breaths/minute is probably unwell, and an adult with a respiratory rate of over 24 breaths/minute is likely to be critically ill.” - Respiratory Rate: The Neglected Vital Sign

If your spontaneous breathing rate is over 20 breaths per minute, you are "probably unwell." That comes out to about 28,800 breaths per day.

So, do you want to feel unwell and anxious?
Take less than 5,649 steps and breathe more than 28,800 breaths per day.

Want to be happy and healthy?
Walk more, breathe less.

P.S. That 28,800 number might even be too high. James Nestor shares some great ancient wisdom on this:

"Chinese doctors two thousand years ago advised 13,500 breaths per day, which works out to nine and a half breaths per minute. "
- Breath

2. The Most Fundamental of the Fundamentals

Last week, Kobe Bryant provided an excellent example of the importance of practicing the fundamentals. We talked about how we don’t need to worry about the "latest and greatest" breathing technique. Instead, we need to focus on the fundamentals. They’re simple, but they’re not easy.

We can take that thought step farther: Breathing itself is the most fundamental of the fundamentals. We’re all in the sport of life. And that requires breathing…at least 13,500 times a day : ) So, let’s optimize that first, then work on the fundamentals of your particular sport or profession.

3. Bring Attention & Intention to Your Breathing

"Attention without intention is wasted energy." - Chris Bailey, Hyperfocus

This quote makes complete sense in terms of productivity, self-improvement, and group workouts (CrossFit, yoga, etc.). But the minute you apply it to something like sitting down to breathe, it can get misinterpreted:

"Set an intention for your breathing practice."

"Be intentional with your breathing today."

It’s just begging to be put in the "woo-woo" category and not be taken seriously.

But intentions are powerful (hence the quote from Chris Bailey). So a compromise I have made is to set scientific intentions before each slow breathing practice. "I am going to increase my heart rate variability" or "I am going to balance my autonomic nervous system."

These are just facts that I state at the beginning of my practice that work as intentions, without feeling woo-woo.

I find it to be an excellent way to give the practice more meaning. (And don’t forget to celebrate afterward!)

4. Slow Breathing for Hypertension

Slow, controlled breathing (<10 breaths per minute) has consistently been shown to be beneficial for reducing blood pressure. So much so that it is recognized by the American Heart Association for its positive effects. (They’ve given it a Class IIa, Level of Evidence B. Here’s what that means.)

This got me thinking about a paper published back in 2005 that I loved. They concluded:

"Slow breathing showed the potential to be a simple and inexpensive method to improve autonomic balance and respiratory control and reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients." - Joseph et al. (2005)

The interesting part was that the authors provided an exciting hypothesis for how that’s occurring using autonomic function as the foundation. That hypothesis inspired me to create this little graphic to help get the point across.

Read the Full Summary for More Details.

 
 
 
 

1 QUOTE

My new favorite definition of success:

"To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
 
 
 

1 ANSWER

Answer: The largest lung capacity of any mammal.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is 5,000 liters (or 1,320 gallons)?

(For reference, the human lung has a capacity of about 6-liters.)

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. How I Feel Shopping on Amazon Now.

 
 

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.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is one minute?*

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