How to Breathe Correctly for Optimal Health, Mood, Learning & Performance

In this episode, I explain the biology of breathing (respiration), how it delivers oxygen and carbon dioxide to the cells and tissues of the body and how is best to breathe—nose versus mouth, fast versus slow, deliberately versus reflexively, etc., depending on your health and performance needs. I discuss the positive benefits of breathing properly for mood, to reduce psychological and physiological stress, to halt sleep apnea, and improve facial aesthetics and immune system function. I also compare what is known about the effects and effectiveness of different breathing techniques, including physiological sighs, box breathing and cyclic hyperventilation, “Wim Hof Method,” Prānāyāma yogic breathing and more. I also describe how to breath to optimize learning, memory and reaction time and I explain breathing at high altitudes, why “overbreathing” is bad, and how to breathe specifically to relieve cramps and hiccups. Breathwork practices are zero-cost and require minimal time yet provide a unique and powerful avenue to improve overall quality of life that is grounded in clear physiology. Anyone interesting in improving their mental and physical health or performance in any endeavor ought to benefit from the information and tools in this episode. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Breathing (00:05:57) Sponsor: LMNT (00:09:36) Respiration, Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide (00:18:18) Breathing Mechanics (00:26:30) Sponsor: AG1 (00:31:23) Chemistry of Breathing, Hyperventilation (00:40:35) High Altitudes, Oxygen & Breathing (00:47:16) Tool: Sleep Apnea, Nasal Breathing (00:51:50) Brain Centers & Breathing Rhythm (00:57:23) Brain, Hyperventilation & “Over-breathing” (01:03:53) What is Healthy Breathing? (01:09:44) Tool: Train Healthy Breathing, Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test & Box Breathing (01:22:39) Tool: Breathwork & Stress Reduction; Cyclic Sighing (01:33:56) Tool: Physiological Sighing & Exercise Side Cramp (01:39:16) Breathing & Heart Rate Variability (01:46:21) Tool: How to Stop Hiccups (01:51:17) Tool: Stress Management & Cyclic Hyperventilation, “Wim Hof Method” (01:57:11) Deliberate Cold Exposure & Breathing (01:59:54) Tool: Inhales & Learning; Exhales & Movement (02:09:15) Mouth vs. Nasal Breathing, Aesthetics (02:16:19) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

Om Podcasten

Huberman Lab discusses neuroscience — how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.  Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. He also works on neural regeneration and directs a clinical trial to promote visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Huberman is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by the elite military in the U.S. and Canada, athletes, and technology industries to optimize performance in high stress environments, enhance neural plasticity, mitigate stress and optimize sleep.   Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover and other top media outlets.  In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 5 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.