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Dr. Jack Feldman (@prebotzinger) is a distinguished professor at UCLA and world expert in the science of breathing. He is credited with groundbreaking discoveries in identifying the particular areas of the brain involved in breathing.
Andrew Huberman and Dr. Jack Feldman discuss how and why humans breathe the way we do, the anatomy and physiology behind breathing, the influence of breathing on the brain & body, and specific protocols to train breathing for various outcomes.
Host: Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab)
Breathing allows us to take in oxygen for body metabolic function and remove the carbon dioxide we produce
When you inhale, you contract the diaphragm and pull it down which expands the lungs
The diaphragm is extremely efficient at working with the lungs and passing air
At rest, exhaling is passive
Neurons in the spinal cord & brain stem go to respiratory muscles in diaphragm and rib cage and contract
preBötzinger Complex (discovered by Dr. Feldman): every breath begins with activation of neurons in this region which connect to motor neurons in intercostals and diaphragm
At rest you can maintain nasal breathing because the amount of air needed it manageable through these smaller pathways
Retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN); (discovered by Dr. Feldman): cluster of neurons essential in chemoreception, how organisms respond to chemical stimuli
By default, we are diaphragmatic breathers – particularly when you need to increase ventilation
We sigh about every 5 minutes because you need a big pressure to pop the lungs open
Consequence to state of mind & biology in the absence of sighs: breathing is impaired, carbon dioxide builds, stress increases, lung function deteriorates (as shown in lab rats)
You’ll notice that during stress you sigh more because your body is trying to relax  
Physiologic sigh: double inhale through nose followed by long exhale through mouth
If you suppress the ability to gasp, you can’t reignite breathing
Patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions have a loss of neurons in thepreBötzinger Complex – they often have breathing disturbances in sleep (not wakefulness) and can’t resuscitate
Breathing affects emotional and cognitive states
  • Olfaction: inhaling and exhaling creates signals from nasal mucosa, riding on a respiratory-related oscillation
  • Vagus nerve: receives signals from many places – lungs, gut, etc. – so there’s a huge respiratory oscillation signal from vagus nerve
There’s an emotive control over breathing as well – breathing changes when we laugh  
In apnea, carbon dioxide levels are going from low to high and has a profound influence on breathing and cognition
Controlled episodic hypoxia AKA Wim Hoff breathing can increase mental focus and cognition (short bursts of fast inhales and exhales for one minute, then hold breath about 15 seconds & repeat 5 minutes)
There are anecdotal reports of the effectiveness of breathing on one side of the nose versus the other – in other words, closing one side of the nose and breathing
Fear response & reaction time change in coordination with respiratory cycle
Different breathing practices could be affecting the outcome through different pathways
Tummo or Wim Hof style breathing: this is basically rapid, deliberate hyperventilation – this will make you feel alert and liberate adrenaline
Fastest method to calm down in real time: physiological sigh: two inhales through the nose followed by an extended exhale through the mouth, repeat 5 minutes
To increase heart rate – inhale longer and/or more vigorous than exhale
To slow heart rate down – exhale longer and/or more vigorous than inhale
Cyclic hyperventilation: deep inhale through nose immediately following by deep exhale through mouth x 25-30 then fully exhaling until lungs are empty and repeating – cycle for 5 minutes
Supplement that has shown enhancement in sleep and cognition: mangesium threonate at 200-400mg 2-3 hours before sleep