How Breathing Helps You Get and Stay Frustrated (and why it’s a good thing)

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Listen Instead of Reading

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4 Thoughts

1. Why You Need to be Frustrated, and How Breathing Can Help

“Long-haul creativity, Robinson believes, requires a low-level, near-constant sense of frustration. … It’s a constant, itchy dissatisfaction, a deep sense of what-if, and can-I-make-it-better, and the like.”

- Steven Kotler, The Art of Impossible

A consistent breathing practice will improve your mental clarity and overall health. But it will also frustrate the hell out of you.

It’s so simple; why isn’t this taught everywhere? Wait, it’s free, and it literally helps everything?

Then, of course, your improved mental clarity will seep into everything you do, and you will get more frustrated with the world, in general. (Not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything 😂)

But now we see it’s a good thing. We need a little frustration, a slight sense of dissatisfaction, a knowing that things could be better. It helps us sustain the creativity needed to deliver what the world needs.

And a regular breathing practice is the easiest way to get that itchy dissatisfaction.

So, please, go get a little more frustrated, and a little more creative, today : )

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P.S. Kotler shares nine different ways for achieving long-haul creativity in the book. This was #5, but its unexpected nature made it stand out the most.

2. A Few Stand-Out Passages on the Importance of the Ancient Nose

“As a general note, the teachings on wind energy training and Yantra yoga emphasize breathing through the nostrils during the entire practice session. Unless we are given specific, personal instruction by a master on how and when to breathe through the mouth, we should always breathe through the nose.”

- The Tibetan Yoga of Breath

“The nose is the heavenly door (while) the mouth is the earthly window. Therefore, inhale through your nose and use your mouth to exhale. Never do otherwise for breath would be in danger and illness would set in.”

- The Primordial Breath, Volume I

"Ancient Egyptian cultures also recognized the importance of the breath, the evidence of which we see today in the many ancient statues that had their noses broken off but otherwise were left untouched. This defacement was no accident, but a deliberate act by conquering groups to take the life, in this case the breath of life, away from these icons."

- Michael J. Stephen, MD, Breath Taking

3. Walking After a Meal: The Simplest Habit for Stable Blood Sugar

“The most important takeaway is simple: Whenever possible, move your body after eating. Doing this helps mobilize post-meal glucose to fuel physical activity and curb the spike you might experience if you were inactive.”

- Levels, Walking after a meal: the simplest habit for stable blood sugar

The folks at Levels put out some of the best blogs; they’re well-written and packed with practical information.

This one was so good it almost made me want to switch my post-meal breathing session for a walk. Who knows, maybe I’ll become The Walking Diabetic : )

Enjoy!

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Related: Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Postprandial Oxidative Stress

4. A Little Bit of Tape goes a Long Way

“I guess it goes to show that a little bit of tape can go a long way.”

- 411 Reader

When you tape your mouth at night, you reap the benefits of nasal breathing for 7+ hours a night. This includes things like better oxygenation, optimal breathing volume, harnessing nitric oxide, and brainwave synchronization.

Ultimately, this leads to deeper and more restorative sleep.

And if you’re a diabetic, your improved sleep might lead to noticeably better insulin sensitivity, which happened for this reader.

“I guess it goes to show that a little bit of tape can go a long way.” Perfectly said. 🙏

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1 QUOTE

“The air, we might say, is the soul of the visible landscape, the secret realm from which all things draw their nourishment.”

- David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous

P.S. Thanks to 411 reader Davis for sharing this book, and specifically the chapter on breathing, with me. So much goodness to explore. 🙏

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1 Answer

Category: Brainwaves and Creativity

Answer: These brainwaves, which are between 8 and 12 Hz, are most associated with creative thinking.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What are alpha brainwaves?

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In good breath,

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

P.S. Slipping the bouncer a $20

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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.

Applying Gandhi's Wisdom, The Science of Learning, and $100 to Your Breath

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Listen Instead of Reading

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Hey,

Welcome back to another issue of the The Breathing 411. Here are 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer that I hope you enjoy this week!

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4 Thoughts

1. Why Your Breathing Gains Get More Boring With Time

“Gaining the first $100 at the track feels much better than winning the second $100, which feels better than winning the third $100, and so on. Eventually, if things get good enough, there is almost no psychological benefit when they get even better. This relationship reflects what economists call diminishing marginal utility.”

- Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice

Building off last week’s “Satisfaction Treadmill,” let’s not forget this passage when our breathing, or anything else we’re working on, starts feeling boring.

We’re still making gains. They just might not feel as dramatic, because we already feel so good.

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Related: James Clear’s Plateau of Latent Potential

2. Applying Gandhi’s Wisdom and Scientific Research to Appreciate Your Favorite Breathing Practice

“Humans do not give greater credence to an objective record of a past event than to their subjective remembering of it.”

- Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

Translation: What you experience holds more weight than what you learn.

As the Make it Stick authors also tell us, research shows it’s “nearly impossible to avoid basing one's judgments on subjective experience.”

Some might say this is a flaw of being human—we base things on emotions instead of facts. I say it’s amazing, at least when it comes to breathing : )

Because with breathing, this means that whatever you experience is what’s true for you. Your practice is yours; no science or statistics needed.

Practically, it means that if your experience with Wim Hof was terrific, then you should keep doing it. Or, if slow breathing was life-changing, do that.

As Gandhi tells us, “As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it.” This applies perfectly to breathing. And science agrees.

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P.S. If you like mouth breathing 24/7, I’m sorry, that doesn’t count here 😂

Related: “What is the Right Breathwork Method For Me?” from Breathwork Alchemy (Excellent Instagram post—concise and packed with wisdom)

3. Mouth Tape: End Mouth Breathing for Better Sleep and a Healthier Mouth

“Becoming a nose breather is a process, but even repeated cycles of just a few minutes of nose breathing can effectively train your body to do it regularly.”

- Dr. Mark Burhenne, Mouth Tape: End Mouth Breathing for Better Sleep and a Healthier Mouth

Mouth taping is odd. It’s perhaps the most important thing we can do for our health, but it’s hard to recommend without sounding slightly crazy.

Fortunately, Dr. Mark Burhenne wrote this great article, which covers basically every aspect of taping up at night. It will now be my go-to for anyone interested in the topic.

Enjoy the great read, and enjoy sharing it with others.

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Related: Mouth breathing during sleep significantly increases upper airway resistance and obstructive sleep apnea

4. To Take Care of Your Heart, Take Care of Your Breath

“In other words, the primary role of the heart is to distribute the oxygen brought into the lungs during inhalation, and to bring carbon dioxide back to the lungs where the excess can be breathed out.”

– Patrick McKeown, The Breathing Cure (pg. 237)

I’ve never thought of it this way: Your heart’s main job is to make your breathing useful to the rest of your body. So from this viewpoint, it’s obvious they must work together. And all the science we review makes perfect sense.

Of course breathing efficiently would make our hearts work more effectively. And of course we would see measurements like heart rate variability increase and blood pressure decrease.

That’s because the heart and breath can’t be separated. Thus, we might even say, to take better care of your heart, take better care of your breath.

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Related Quote: “Although the lungs are clearly an essential element of the processes we associate with breathing, they alone do not provide the whole story.” - Respiratory Physiology: A Clinical Approach

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1 Quote

“Deep breathing is a potent inducer of the parasympathetic system. The release of acetylcholine not only calms our organs, it also stimulates the release of serotonin, dopamine, and prolactin, the feel-good hormones targeted by medicines like Prozac and Zoloft. But yoga and breathing exercises produce this effect naturally and without side effects.”

- Michael J. Stephen, MD, Breath Taking

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1 Answer

Category: Nasal Airways

Answer: Although the effect is less commonly discussed, when this gas is released into the nasal airways, it helps warm incoming air.

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(Cue the Jeopardy! music.)

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Question: What is nitric oxide?

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In good breath,

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

P.S. Except for what happens in my brain

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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.

The Breathing 4.1.1.

I am trying a new format this week. I’m calling it “The Breathing 4.1.1.”

Below, I share 4 thoughts, 1 quote, and 1 answer (think “Jeopardy”). Enjoy!

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4 THOUGHTS

1. Expert Q&A on Sleep Tape

James Nestor’s first "expert Q&A" episode has been released. It’s on sleep tape with Dr. Mark Burhenne. I especially appreciated Dr. Burhenne’s confidence in recommending that people wear mouth tape. Watch Interview Here.

2. An Easy Hack for Dropping SpO2 during Breath Holds

I’m always playing around with my breath holds. Lately, I’ve been performing a full exhale before each hold.

Normal Breath In —> Fast and Complete Exhale Out —> Hold

I’ve seen additional SpO2 drops of 5-10% (!). My breath holds are not as long, but I’m getting into intermittent hypoxia easier. I really try to empty my lungs as much as possible to get more significant drops in SpO2.

3. Is Tissue Hypoxia Really the Problem?

“In this, chronic overbreathing will not create ‘hypoxia’ in tissues; this is a fact that many Buteyko adherents consistently get wrong.  The real damage from overbreathing comes from the constant energy the body has to expend to run more cells anaerobically and to constantly buffer for carbon dioxide deficiencies.” - James Nestor, Breath

I talk about tissue hypoxia a lot. Here, James says that it’s not necessarily tissue hypoxia that’s the problem, but the body’s response to prevent it from happening that causes the damage. In any case, the underlying issue is the same: We need to get an adequate supply of oxygen for our cells to function correctly.

4. A Simple Way the Breathe Light

Teaching people to breathe "light" is often tricky. However, in Restoring Prana, Robin Rothenberg provides one of the most practical ways I’ve heard: Imagine taking up less space with each breath. I imagine less air being pulled into my nose with each inhale, and each exhale disturbing less air around me. Give it a shot.

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1 QUOTE

“He who tastes a grain of mustard seed knows more of its flavor than he who sees an elephant load of it.” - Yogi Mamacharaka, Science of Breath

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1 ANSWER

Answer: The amount of water used to humidify the air we breathe each day.

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(Cue the Jeopardy music.)

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Question: What is 1 pint? [1]

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In good breath,
Nick

P.S. Coming to you live from…

[1] Essentials of Pathophysiology (3rd Edition), Carol Mattson Porth

Two Simple Ways to Improve Your Sleep Tonight

Charles Dickens just walked into a hotel room. The year is 1860. As arguably the most famous author alive, you might think he set up his writing station and poured a glass of Brandy. Instead, he pulled out his compass and rearranged the place [1].

Dickens’ Odd Fix for Insomnia

Dickens believed that sleeping with his head toward the north helped with his insomnia. This sounds funny but is probably more helpful than his previous solution, which was to walk all night, sometimes covering up to 30 miles [2].

Although Dickens’ sleeping habits were peculiar, it was his keen observations of others that changed sleep science.

Joe’s Snoring and Sleep Science

In 1836, Dickens began writing The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, also known as The Pickwick Papers. In it, Dickens’ character “Joe” displayed all of the classic characteristics of sleep apnea. Joe was always tired, he fell asleep during the day, and he snored loudly.

Sleep scientists credit this work as being the first accurate observations of sleep-disordered breathing [3], recording it 120 years before the science caught up.

Modern Sleep Science Catches Up

Today, estimates of sleep-disordered breathing are, well, breathtaking. The term “sleep-disordered breathing” itself is rather generic. It covers a wide range of issues related to sleep and breathing (most commonly, obstructive sleep apnea).

However, in 1996 a review study was published that sheds light on the mechanisms that cause sleep-disordered breathing. This research helps explain why it is so common and provides suggestions as to what we can do about it.

Sleep and Breathing State-of-the-Art Review: Sleep-Induced Breathing Instability

(Published in Sleep in 1996 — Click Here to Read Full Summary)

The main conclusion from this study is that your breathing system does not work the same during sleep as it does during wakefulness.  

For example, there is less input to the muscles that keep your upper airways open, which can narrow or collapse them. This narrowing of the upper airways also increases breathing resistance. Additionally, sleep dampens the chemoreflexes that usually keep blood pH in a tight range. 

Interestingly, this “State-of-the-Art Review” concluded that carbon dioxide (CO2) could potentially help with sleep-disordered breathing. CO2 could stimulate the chemoreflexes that keep breathing steady. Additionally, CO2 is a smooth muscle dilator, which would help increase blood flow to the muscles that keep the airways open.

Two Ways You Can Start Tonight

1. Tape Your Mouth

You can start adding CO2 to your breathing tonight by taping your mouth during sleep, which will reduce breathing volume and increase CO2.

Paradoxically, while nose breathing increases resistance during the day, it reduces upper airway resistance during sleep. This small change will help you breathe better during sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and energized.

2. Breathe Less During the Day

You can also practice light breathing during the day to train your body to tolerate more CO2. By doing this consistently, you can reset your baseline CO2 back to normal values and ultimately improve your breathing during sleep.  

In good breath,
Nick

P.S. I think we all need a smile like this right now.

References

[1] Source: https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/blogs/how-dickens-got-a-good-nights-sleep/11074673.blog (I made up the little hotel story to go with it…he might have in fact poured some Brandi too…)

[2] Source: https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/15/3/264/2749285 

[3] Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3365094/

Our somewhat surprising breathing patterns during sleep

We spend 1/3 of our life sleeping. And sleep is arguably one of the most important aspects of good health. Therefore, I expected that during sleep, breathing would be slow, deep, and rhythmic (i.e., “perfect”).

However, a review published in 1984 in Clinical Science showed that breathing rate is actually highly variable during sleep. In fact, breathing rates often increase and become irregular and shallow, especially during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Although breathing rate might increase, the overall breathing volume is reduced, dropping as much as 16% from waking values.

This drop in volume is accompanied by relative hypoxia (low O2) and hypercapnia (high CO2). We discuss improving CO2 tolerance quite often. During sleep, your CO2 tolerance increases by as much as 66%.

What do these findings mean from a practical perspective?

Well, sleep is clearly a time when breathing should reduce and CO2 should increase. Therefore, if you are sleeping with your mouth open, you are likely overbreathing and not reaching the physiological states your body was meant to reach during sleep.

Luckily, this is an easy fix. Simply taping your mouth at night will restore nasal breathing and will provide the first step in reducing breathing volumes to their natural levels during sleep.

If you are not already, give it a shot. This one small change has had the greatest positive impact on my health and energy. It might do the same for you.

In good breath,
Nick