stress relief

Neat Breath Science, 3 Sentences to Live By, and it is a Panacea


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4 Thoughts



1. Neat Science: How to See If Slow Breathing is an Antioxidant

…our results lead to the hypothesis that slow breathing may exert some antioxidant effect, possibly via parasympathetic stimulation.

- Nature (2017)

The way they got to this hypothesis was pretty cool:

  1. They had people with type-1 diabetes inhale extra oxygen.

  2. After, they observed that arterial stiffness and blood pressure went up. This was likely due to excess oxidative stress.

  3. Then, they repeated the process, but participants breathed slowly at 6 breaths/min while inhaling oxygen.

  4. Slow breathing offset the harmful effects of extra oxygen on blood pressure and arterial stiffness.

Together, this suggests that slow breathing acts as a natural antioxidant.

***

P.S. If you want more neat findings like this, check out the Science 411s in the Breath is Life Learning Center.

2. Get 90% from 50% (or less): A Few Minutes Go a Long Way

As you read any given sentence, you will probably get 90% of the meaning from 50% of the words…the rest of the words are unnecessary filler.

- Peter Hollins, The Science of Self-Learning

This made me think of how, with breathing, we get a lot of psychological benefits from a small percentage of the breaths we take.

Example: A 20-minute morning breath practice might be less than 1% of your breaths. But, it may account for 90% of your equanimity.

Of course, all our other breaths aren’t just “fillers”—they’re critical to our wellness, too. But let’s remember that even a small investment in our breath can go a long way toward our health and happiness 🙏

3. Why Breathing Seems Like a Panacea: Part II

In fact, any condition that is caused or exacerbated by stress can be helped by a well-designed mind body approach. Furthermore, because all health conditions have some stress component, it is no overstatement to say that virtually every single health problem and disease can be improved with a mind body approach.” (my bold)

- Herbert Benson, MD, Relaxation Revolution

Slow breathing is one of the fastest and most effective mind-body approaches to triggering the relaxation response and reducing stress.

And since stress plays a role in basically every health condition, breathing can therefore help in basically every health condition.

Breathe slowly—> reduce stress—> improve virtually every health condition. Maybe it is a panacea, after all? 😊

***

P.S. See Thought #1 here for Part I.

4. Three Short Ancient Sentences to Live By

Walk slowly! Talk little! Love breath!

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

Sounds like a perfect life-mantra to me 🙏


1 Quote

And beyond improving stress resilience, breath practices can restore your sense of being genuinely who you are, of knowing what you feel, of recognizing what others feel, and of being able to experience deep and meaningful connections with people, with your values, and with all that is.
— Richard Brown, MD, and Patricia Gerbarg, MD
 

1 Answer

Category: The Cardiovascular System

Answer: There are approximately this many miles of veins, capillaries, and arteries in an average adult.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is 60,000 miles?


In good breath,

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

P.S. Every. Single. Time.

 
 

Breath is Life Learning
Science and Books Made Simple

For each book and research paper I read, you get an easy-to-digest 411 summary:

  • Web-based text or downloadable PDF

  • Audio podcast version (also downloadable)

Plus, you get a super short daily email with a nugget of breathing wisdom. It only takes a few seconds to read, but it will set you up for a better day, every day.

P.S. 30-Second Science

For each Science 411, if you read the “1 Big Takeaway” followed by the “1 Practical Application,” you can get almost everything you need from a study in about 30 seconds.

P.P.S. Life-Changing Ideas

For each Book 411, you get “1 Life-Changing” idea from that book. Thus, even if you’re not interested in the book, you can open that section and get a quick idea to help you live a better life.

Here are a few of my favorites:

  • From Buddha’s Brain: Our Breath Moves Spirit Around Like Our Hearts Move Blood Around

  • From The Mindful Day: How to Live Longer (regardless of your age, lifespan, or healthspan)

  • From Breath by Breath: How it Should Be, and Letting Breath (and life) Unfold Naturally

  • From The Confidence Gap: No One is Perfect (and the solution)

  • From Stolen Focus: Mind-Wandering is a Superpower (and How to Do It Correctly)

 
 

* 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.


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.

 
 

One Minute Stress Relief, Taste the Soup, and Positive Feelings


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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 😊



 

4 Thoughts



1. Wim Hof’s 1-Minute Stress Relief (no hyperventilation needed)

What I do for stress is one minute of humming and breathing. This always works for me. It taps into your parasympathetic nervous system—where the peace is inside—and calms down your hectic sympathetic nervous system.

- Wim Hof, The Wim Hof Method

It’s not all big breathing for Wim. He says to deal with stress, we can simply set a timer for one minute, breathe in deeply, and hum in any way we’d like during the exhalation. Repeat until the timer goes off. Easy and highly effective 👏

2. Moving from Self-Explanation to Self-Expression

In learning, self-explanation is a powerful tool. Explaining a topic in your own words makes you think deeply and discover what you really understand about it.

In breathing, self-expression is paramount. It’s less about words, and more about expressing concepts through you, in your unique way, to feel beyond the words.

So here’s to less explanation, and more expression, this week 🙏

3. Taste the Soup: Breathing as a Can-Opener for the Life Force

So how do you access the Life Force? You need tools. Imagine a can of soup. If you want to know what the soup tastes like, reading the side of the can won't help; you need to actually taste it. Unless you have the hand strength of a superhero, this is impossible without a can opener.

- Barry Michels and Phil Stutz, Coming Alive

Breathing exercises are like can openers for the life force all around us.

It’s fun to read the ingredients, but tasting the soup is even better 😊 🍲

4. The Most Valuable Resource to Our Species (plus a gratitude breathing meditation)

Oxygen, in fact, is the most valuable resource to our species. … Consider the last time you thought to yourself while taking a breath, ‘This is great! I have an abundance of the most valuable resource known to our species, and I don't even have to work that hard to get it.’”*

- Drs Jason Selk and Ellen Reed, Relentless Solution Focus

Try using that phrase next time you start a breathing practice, or anytime you need a break from all the negative mental chatter: “I have an abundance of the most valuable resource known to our species, and I don’t even have to work that hard to get it.” <— 👏👏👏


1 Quote

The breath is also our life force. No organ in the body can function without the supply of oxygen we get from the cycle of breathing in and breathing out.
— Bhante Henepola Gunarantana
 

1 Answer

Category: Positive Feelings

Answer: Positive feelings (such as awe & gratitude) occur more frequently and easily when this is higher, providing a physiological reason why slow breathing helps us have more positive emotions.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is respiratory sinus arrhythmia?


In good breath,

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

P.S. I have a headache

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.


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.

 
 

How Breathing Boosts Creativity, Why We Sigh, and Where Rumi’s Soul Lives

 
 

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Welcome back to another 411. Let’s jump straight in…

 
 

 
 

4 Thoughts


1. Breathing to Boost Creativity: Quieting the Amygdala, Pessimism, and 80%

“Unfortunately, to keep us safe, the amygdala is strongly biased toward negative information. …This crushes optimism and squelches creativity. When tuned toward the negative, we miss the novel.

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

When we meditate or practice slow breathing (~4-6 breaths/minute), activity in our amygdala is reduced. It’s hypothesized that this occurs through the “hyperpolarization” of neurons, which literally makes them harder to excite.

This turns down negative thinking and turns up creativity. It’s not magic; it’s membrane potential : )

Perhaps this is why, after interviewing the most creative people on the planet, Tim Ferriss discovered that “More than 80% of the interviewees have some form of daily mindfulness or meditation practice.

These practices naturally lead to cardiorespiratory coherence, quieting the pessimistic amygdala, allowing us to see the novelty all around us.

So how about we slow down our breath, quiet our amygdala, and cultivate a little more creativity, today.

***

Related Quote:When Video Arts asked me if I’d like to talk about creativity I said ‘no problem!’ No problem! Because telling people how to be creative is easy, it’s only being it that’s difficult.” - John Cleese

2. Breathing To Live A Fuller Life

It is life that is the real teacher. Practice should open us to a fuller life, not cut us off from it altogether.

- Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath

As much as I’m obsessed with my breath practice itself, this is perfect. We should use our practice to open us to a fuller life. To be more creative at work, to hike up a mountain, to accomplish a new PR in the gym.

And this really applies to everything we do for better health. Let’s not make the practice our life. Instead, let’s use the practice to have a fuller life.

***

P.S. Like most of these thoughts, I’m talking to myself here : )

3. Why We Sigh

But there may be more to sighing than just sustaining life. Research suggests that sighing also may relieve stress.

- Jack L. ­Feldman, PhD and Ramani Durvasula, PhD

Why We Sigh

As if sustaining life wasn’t enough : )

Here’s another excellent article on sighing, this time from BottomLineInc. Be sure to read how you can “harness the sighing effect.” It’s doesn’t involve sighing at all…

Enjoy!

***

Related: Pair this with one of my favorite articles ever, which goes by the same name: Vice: Why We Sigh

4. The Easiest Way to Immediately Improve Your Breathing

The inhalation should be extremely soft and continuous, whether sitting down or lying down. If you are walking or standing, you should be relaxed. What is forbidden is noise.

- The Primordial Breath, Volume 1

The easiest thing you can do to instantly improve your breathing anytime, anywhere, is just make it quiet. “What is forbidden is noise.

 
 

 
 

1 QUOTE

“The soul lives there in the silent breath.”

- Rumi

 
 

 
 

1 Answer

Category: Amygdala Etymology

Answer: Because of its shape, the amygdala got its name from the Greek word amygdale, meaning this.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is almond?


In good breath,

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

P.S. take it from here good luck

 
 
 

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.

 
 

How Bruce Lee Sees Methods, Full Lotus, and the Beauty of Red Blood Cells

 
 

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This week, you'll learn how to become a mixed breathing artist, learn a decade-old idea still relevant today, and take a look into Wim Hof’s mirror.

Enjoy!

 
 

 
 

4 Thoughts


1. On Bruce Lee, “Methods,” and Becoming Mixed Breathing Artists

The individual is of first importance, not the system. Remember that man created method and not that method created man, and do not strain yourself in twisting into someone’s preconceived pattern, which unquestionably would be appropriate for him, but not necessarily for you.

- Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts

I think we can safely say Bruce Lee would be against using any one breathing “method.” He didn’t even believe there were different forms of fighting.

In fact, many consider Lee to be the original Mixed Martial Artist. Let’s follow his lead and become the first Mixed Breathing Artists.

That means we become both methodical and flexible. We focus on science and self-expression. We don’t strain ourselves to fit into a specific method; instead, we use what’s appropriate for a given situation.

Here’s to using the mixed breathing arts to conquer life’s challenges, today.

***

Related Quote:Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it.” - Bruce Lee

Another:The more complicated and restricted the method, the lesser the opportunity for the expression of one’s original sense of freedom.” - Bruce Lee

2. What Full Lotus Can Teach Us About Breathing

Years after I had mastered the full Lotus, another teacher walked by while I was sitting, tapped on my shoulder, and gestured toward my full Lotus: ‘That is the whole problem for you.’

- Larry Rosenberg, Breath by Breath

This is one of my new favorite stories. Larry Rosenberg had a teacher who thought sitting in full Lotus was essential. So, he practiced diligently and deliberately for 10 years. Finally, he could sit comfortably in it.

Then, a few years later, a different teacher saw him sitting in Lotus and told him, “That is the whole problem for you.” What one teacher said was essential, another said was his problem. His Lotus was perfect; that wasn’t the issue. It was his obvious attachment to it.

The lesson for us is that we cannot attach ourselves to any one approach to breathing (just like Bruce Lee didn’t attach himself to any single martial art).

Of course, we need to be grounded in science-based principles. But remember to be open. The method you’ve perfected might be the one that’s holding you back the most.

3. From NPR: “Just Breathe: Body Has A Built-In Stress Reliever”

The breath isn't something Western medicine should blow off. It's a powerful tool for influencing individual health and well-being. And the best part is all the ingredients are free and literally right under your nose.

- NPR, Just Breathe: Body Has a Built-In Stress Reliever

NPR published this article over a decade ago, but it’s still relevant today. Check it out to learn how we can use slow and fast breathing to stimulate the nervous system, and how slow breathing might change gene expression.

Enjoy the quick read!

4. The Beauty of Red Blood Cells

These experiments revealed a novel activity of the RBC [red blood cell]: the RBC regulates its own principal function—that is, O2 delivery.

- Extrapulmonary Effects of Inhaled Nitric Oxide

There are about 1 billion oxygen molecules on each of the trillions of red blood cells in your body. That’s a lot of oxygen. As the red blood cells circulate, they deliver this oxygen where it is needed most.

And as it turns out, the red blood cells themselves help regulate this process. Specifically, when they sense areas of low oxygen, they release a bioactive form of nitric oxide. This expands the vessels, which allows more blood flow and, ultimately, more oxygen delivery. It’s quite complex, and quite beautiful.

***

Related: Nitric oxide carried by the red blood cells is essential for blood flow regulation and whole-body oxygenation

 
 

 
 

1 Quote

“In this way, the breath is like a mirror that shows you the state you are in.”

- Wim Hof

 
 

 
 

1 Answer

Category: Oxygen in Your Body

Answer: In terms of atoms, oxygen makes up this percent of total body mass.

(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

Question: What is 65%?


In good breath,

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

P.S. we should do this more often!

 
 
 

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.