How often do humans physiologically sigh, and what is its purpose?

Humans physiologically sigh about every five minutes. These deep breaths are essential for re-inflating collapsed alveoli (tiny air sacs) in the lungs, maintaining the lung's surface area for efficient oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, and ensuring overall lung health.

Can breathing patterns influence emotional states and cognitive function?

Yes, breathing patterns can profoundly influence emotional and cognitive states in a bidirectional manner. For example, specific neurons in the pre-Botzinger complex project to the locus coeruleus, affecting mood and arousal. Conversely, emotional states like stress can alter breathing patterns.

What is locked-in syndrome and how does it illustrate emotional control of breathing?

Locked-in syndrome is a severe neurological condition where individuals lose all volitional movement except lateral eye movements. Despite losing 'conscious' control over breathing, their breathing patterns still change in response to emotions, such as laughter, demonstrating an emotional control pathway separate from volitional control.

How does carbon dioxide (CO2) influence brain state and anxiety?

CO2 levels significantly affect brain pH, to which the brain is extremely sensitive. Low CO2 levels due to hyperventilation, often seen in anxious individuals, can exacerbate anxiety. Therapeutic approaches include training people to slow their breathing to normalize CO2 levels and reduce anxiety.

What is episodic hypoxia and its potential benefits?

Episodic hypoxia involves repeated short exposures to low oxygen levels followed by normal air. Studies show it can lead to sustained increases in ventilation and profound positive effects on motor and cognitive function, including stroke rehabilitation and potentially athletic performance.

Does nasal breathing offer advantages over mouth breathing for cognitive function?

Research suggests that nasal breathing is associated with increased brain activity in areas like the hippocampus (involved in memory encoding) and better memory recall compared to mouth breathing. This is partly due to the olfactory system's direct connections to crucial brain regions and the respiratory modulation signals it sends.

How does Dr. Feldman incorporate breathwork into his daily life?

Dr. Feldman is a proponent of simple, short breathwork practices, often using box breathing for 5-20 minutes, particularly after lunch to combat mental lag. He emphasizes starting simple and exploring different patterns to find what works best for individual needs.

What is Magnesium threonate and how does it impact cognitive function and sleep?

Magnesium threonate is a specific form of Magnesium that effectively crosses the gut-blood barrier and brain-blood barrier. Research by Guosong Liu showed it can reduce electrical 'noise' in neurons, strengthening synaptic connections (LTP) and improving cognitive function, memory, and sleep quality.

Why is the mechanistic study of breathwork and meditation important?

Mechanistic studies, especially in animal models like mice, are crucial because they can identify the underlying brain circuitry and effective thresholds for these practices without confounding placebo effects. This helps validate their efficacy and develop optimized, science-backed protocols for human health.

What is 'box breathing' and how is it performed?

Box breathing is a simple breathwork technique where you inhale for a set count (e.g., 5 seconds), hold your breath for the same count, exhale for the same count, and then hold the exhale for the same count, repeating the cycle. Dr. Feldman often uses 5-second intervals.

Key Moments

Breathing for Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Dr. Jack Feldman

Andrew Huberman

Science & Technology4 min read144 min video

Jan 10, 2022|777,236 views|18,937|1,042

andrew huberman huberman lab podcast huberman podcast dr. andrew huberman neuroscience huberman lab breathing breathwork correct way to breath box breathing tumo breathing breathing techniques

Save to Pod

Key Moments

TL;DR

Breathing controls mental/physical states; diaphragm's role, brain centers discovery, physiological sighs, and breathing's link to emotion and cognition.

Key Insights

Breathing is controlled by specialized neural centers in the brainstem, including the pre-Botzinger complex for inspiration and the retro trapezoid nucleus for expiration.

The diaphragm is the primary muscle for inhalation, enabling efficient lung expansion due to its position and the large surface area of the alveoli.

Physiological sighs, occurring involuntarily every few minutes, are crucial for reinflating collapsed alveoli, preventing lung deterioration.

Breathing is bidirectionally linked to brain and emotional states; stress alters breathing, and altering breathing patterns can influence mood and cognitive function.

Breathing patterns can impact reaction time, fear response, and overall neural activity, suggesting a fundamental role in sensory processing and behavior.

Magnesium threonate shows promise for enhancing cognitive function and supporting cognitive durability by increasing long-term potentiation (LTP) in the brain.

THE NEURAL CONTROL OF BREATHING

Breathing's rhythmic generation is orchestrated by specialized neurons in the brainstem. Dr. Jack Feldman's pioneering work identified key centers: the pre-Botzinger complex, crucial for initiating inspiration, and the retro trapezoid nucleus, involved in active expiration. These centers ensure a continuous and regulated flow of air, vital for oxygen intake and carbon dioxide removal, thereby maintaining the body's metabolic and acid-base balance.

MECHANICS OF RESPIRATION AND THE DIAPHRAGM

Inhalation at rest is largely a passive process driven by the diaphragm's contraction, which lowers and expands the thoracic cavity. This mechanical action, coupled with the expansive rib cage movement, decreases pressure within the lungs, allowing air to rush in. The lungs contain an immense surface area (around 70 square meters) across millions of alveoli, facilitating efficient gas exchange. The diaphragm's strategic positioning and efficiency are critical for mammals to achieve the lung capacity needed for high metabolic demands, including supporting a large brain.

THE MYSTERY AND FUNCTION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGHS

Physiological sighs, occurring approximately every five minutes, are involuntary deep breaths essential for lung health. These sighs serve to reinflate collapsed alveoli, which can occur due to surface tension within the fluid-lined air sacs. Without these sighs, lung surface area would diminish, impacting gas exchange. Research, including experiments with Bombesin peptides in rats, suggests specific neural pathways mediate these vital sighing reflexes, ensuring lung integrity.

BREATHING'S BIDIRECTIONAL LINK TO EMOTION AND COGNITION

The brain and breathing share a profound, bidirectional relationship. Emotional states like stress trigger characteristic changes in breathing patterns, while deliberate alterations in breathing, such as slow, controlled breaths, can modulate mood and reduce fear responses. Rodent studies demonstrate that slowing respiration can significantly reduce fearfulness, suggesting breathing acts as a potent regulator of emotional and cognitive states by influencing neural circuits.

THE INFLUENCE OF BREATHING ON NEURAL OSCILLATIONS AND PROCESSING

Breathing rhythms are not isolated to respiratory control but influence broader neural activity, including brain oscillations. These oscillations play a critical role in coordinating neural signals, enabling the brain to unify sensory inputs and process information efficiently. While breathing's slow frequency might seem unrelated to faster neural oscillations, its rhythm can be leveraged by the brain for sensory processing, contributing to states of alertness, memory encoding, and overall cognitive function.

BREATHHOLDS, EPISODIC HYPOXIA, AND PERFORMANCE

Breath-holding, or apnea, significantly alters oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, impacting brain state. Episodic hypoxia, alternating short periods of low oxygen with normal air, has shown remarkable benefits for motor and cognitive function, potentially by improving neural plasticity and recovery from injury. While voluntary breathwork patterns like cyclic hyperventilation may partially mimic these effects, the precise mechanisms and optimal protocols are areas of ongoing scientific investigation.

NASAL BREATHING AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS

Breathing through the nose, rather than the mouth, appears to have specific cognitive benefits, particularly for memory. This is partly due to the link between olfaction and the brain; nasal breathing enhances olfactory input, which projects to brain areas involved in memory, like the hippocampus. Furthermore, respiratory modulation in general seems to influence brain regions processing sensory information, suggesting that how we breathe can subtly impact our cognitive abilities.

BREATHING'S BROAD NEURAL AND AUTONOMIC COORDINATION

Breathing is intricately coordinated with numerous bodily functions. Heart rate, pupil size, fear responses, and reaction times all exhibit fluctuations tied to the respiratory cycle. This widespread influence suggests that breathing acts as a fundamental oscillator that synchronizes various neural and autonomic processes, impacting everything from sensory perception to motor performance and emotional reactivity.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF BREATHWORK

The understanding of breathing's impact is leading to practical applications in breathwork. Simple techniques like box breathing can provide immediate benefits for stress reduction and focus. More complex practices, like cyclic hyperventilation, show potential for enhancing mental and physical performance. The key might lie not just in specific techniques but in experiencing the transitions between states induced by breathwork, encouraging exploration and personalized practice.

MAGNESIUM AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Adequate magnesium levels are crucial for brain health, influencing synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. Magnesium threonate, a specific form that effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier, has shown significant potential in animal models and human studies to enhance memory and cognitive performance, potentially by reducing neural noise and strengthening long-term potentiation.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Supplements

●Products

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●Books

●Drugs & Medications

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Breathing for Health & Performance: A Quick Reference

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Practice physiological sighs regularly (naturally occurs every ~5 minutes but can be replicated with two short inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth) to re-inflate alveoli and maintain lung health.

If anxious or stressed, try slow breathing exercises to restore balanced CO2 levels for anxiety relief.

Consider short breathwork sessions (5-20 minutes, e.g., box breathing) to shift brain state, improve focus, and calm down, especially during periods of lag or high anxiety.

Explore varying durations in your breathwork practice (e.g., 5-second vs. 10-second box breathing) to understand how different patterns affect your internal state.

For cognitive and memory enhancement, focus on nasal breathing over mouth breathing, particularly when learning new information.

Consider Magnesium threonate supplementation (after consulting a healthcare professional) for cognitive durability, reduced neural noise, and improved sleep quality, beginning with a half dose to assess tolerance.

Explore cyclic hyperventilation followed by breath holds (Tummo/Wim Hof style) for heightened alertness and reduced stress reactivity, understanding it partially mimics episodic hypoxia.

Avoid This

Do not ignore chronic breathing issues or conditions like asthma; seek medical advice.

Do not use low oxygen tanks (like 8% oxygen) at home without explicit medical guidance for episodic hypoxia; it can be dangerous.

Do not rely solely on 'belly breathing' as superior to rib cage expansion; both diaphragmatic and intercostal muscle involvement are natural, and intentional focus on belly movement may not always be necessary for general health.

Do not assume all meditation or breathwork practices are equal; explore different methods to find what resonates best for your specific goals.

Do not overdose on Magnesium supplements, particularly normal Magnesium salts, due to the risk of digestive issues like diarrhea.

Do not be intimidated by advanced breathwork practices initially; start with simple, short routines and gradually increase complexity if desired.

Common Questions

Dr. Jack Feldman's research identifies two primary brain centers: the pre-Botzinger complex, which generates the rhythm for inspiration (inhale), and the retro-trapezoid nucleus, which is involved in active expiration (exhale) and carbon dioxide sensing. These work together to control breathing patterns.

Topics

Meditation Health & Longevity Neuroscience & the Brain Mental Health & Psychology Magnesium Supplementation Stress Reduction Cognitive Enhancement Physiological Sighs Brainstem Control Breath-mind Connection Breathwork Protocols

Mentioned in this video

Organizations

Stanford School of Medicine

The institution where Andrew Huberman holds teaching and research roles.

University of California, Los Angeles

The academic institution where Dr. Jack Feldman is a distinguished professor of neurobiology.

Mindfulness Institute at UCLA

Where Dr. Feldman took a course in meditation to investigate the breathing component of meditation.

University of Florida

The institution where Gordon Mitchell conducts his research on episodic hypoxia.

Our Breathwork Collective

A platform offering daily live and on-demand guided breathing sessions and workshops, advised by Dr. Feldman, for learning and teaching breathwork protocols.

MIT

The institution where Susumu Tonegawa, a memory researcher, is based.

NCCIH

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which provided a startup grant for Dr. Feldman's project on slow breathing in mice.

New York Times

A newspaper where Dr. Feldman read an article on mindfulness, sparking his interest in the topic and its connection to breathing.

Mayo Clinic

A medical research and practice group that has partnered with Thorne Supplements.

Companies

Athletic Greens

An all-in-one vitamin, mineral, and probiotic drink, recommended for foundational nutritional needs and gut microbiome health.

Neurocentria

A company for which Dr. Feldman is a scientific advisor, co-founded by his former graduate student Guosong Liu, involved in Magnesium research for cognitive function.

Thorne

A supplement company partnered with Huberman Lab Podcast, known for high-quality ingredients and precise dosages.

Concepts

Pre-Bötzinger Complex

A small region in the brainstem, discovered by Dr. Feldman, critical for generating the rhythm of inspiration and containing neurons that initiate every breath.

Multiple System Atrophy

Another form of neurodegeneration involving loss of neurons in the pre-Botzinger complex, potentially linked to sleep-related breathing issues and death.

Locus Coeruleus

A brain region that projects widely throughout the brain, influencing mood, where specific inspiratory-modulated cells from the pre-Botzinger complex project.

Retro-Trapezoid Nucleus

A second oscillator discovered in the brainstem, near the facial nucleus, involved in generating active expiration and sensing carbon dioxide levels.

Pranayama

A set of yogic breathing techniques, mentioned as being somewhat similar to varying box breathing durations.

Amygdala

A part of the brain important in fear processing, where major manipulations can significantly reduce freezing responses in mice.

Tummo

A breathwork style involving cyclic hyperventilation followed by breath holds, mentioned for its effects on alertness and cognitive focus.

People

Doug Laffey

Developed a technique to ablate specific cells by conjugating a peptide with saporin, used to study the role of Bombesin-sensitive neurons in sighing.

Michael Fanselow

A colleague of Dr. Feldman and an expert in fear research, who helped with standard fear conditioning tests in mice exposed to slow breathing protocols.

Alicia Maurette

A colleague of Dr. Feldman who has developed a therapeutic treatment for anxious patients by training them to breathe slower and restore CO2 levels.

Russian operative

Allegedly involved in the assassination of a Bulgarian diplomat using ricin.

Jack Feldman

Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, known for his pioneering work on the neuroscience of breathing and the discovery of major brain centers controlling respiration.

Kevin Yackle

A former graduate student at Stanford who contacted Dr. Feldman, leading to a collaboration exploring molecules enriched in breathing-critical brain regions and the ascending effects of breathing on emotion.

Susumu Tonegawa

A Nobel laureate and world-class memory researcher at MIT, who hired Guosong Liu.

Bulgarian diplomat

Mentioned in an anecdote about a high-profile assassination in London, allegedly involving ricin-laced umbrella.

Eric Kandel

A neuroscience colleague known for his distinctive 'inspiratory laugh'.

James Nestor

Author of a book on breathing, mentioned in the context of physiological sighs.

Liqun Luo

Leader of the lab where Lindsey Schwarz and Kevin Yackle conducted research on the pre-Botzinger complex and locus coeruleus connections.

Dick Chen

A renowned learning and memory researcher at Stanford, with whom Guosong Liu worked after leaving Dr. Feldman's lab.

Andrew Huberman

Host of the Huberman Lab Podcast and Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

Gordon Mitchell

Researcher at the University of Florida doing extraordinary work on episodic hypoxia and its profound benefits on motor and cognitive function, including stroke recovery and athletic performance.

Wim Hof

An individual known for a breathwork style (cyclic hyperventilation) that is recognized for its impressive physiological and cognitive effects.

Guosong Liu

Dr. Feldman's former graduate student and CEO of Neurocentria, deeply interested in learning and memory, who discovered the cognitive benefits of Magnesium threonate.

Mark Krasnow

A renowned biochemist at Stanford, whose lab Kevin Yackle worked in, involved in the collaboration with Dr. Feldman on breathing-related molecules.

Javier Bardem

Actor who played the protagonist in the movie adaptation of 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'.

Noam Sobel

Researcher whose group has published papers on nasal breathing and its impact on brain alertness and memory storage.

David Millhorn

Conducted intriguing work in the 1980s on how intermittent hypoxia affects ventilation and brain function, showing prolonged increases in breathing after repeated low oxygen exposures.

Lindsey Schwarz

Collaborated with Kevin Yackle in Liqun Luo's lab on research involving ablating pre-Botzinger cells projecting to the locus coeruleus.

Fay Mow

A brilliant chemist who collaborated with Guosong Liu to develop Magnesium threonate, identifying its superior ability to cross the gut blood barrier.

Media

Blue Velvet

A film mentioned humorously by Dr. Feldman when discussing experimenting with episodic hypoxia at his desk for cognitive improvement.

ADHD Podcast

A previous Huberman Lab Podcast episode where DHA, Ginkgo Biloba, and Phosphatidylserine were discussed regarding neurodivergence.

Products

Thesis

A company that creates targeted nootropics designed for specific cognitive outcomes.

Supplements

Vitamin D3K2

Supplements offered as part of Athletic Greens' special offer, vital for overall health and cardiovascular health.

Phosphatidylserine

A phospholipid mentioned as an ingredient in Thesis nootropics, discussed in the context of ADHD.

Magnesium Threonate

A specific form of Magnesium found to be highly effective at crossing the gut-blood barrier and improving cognitive function and sleep in both animal and human studies, believed to work by reducing electrical noise in neurons.

Ginkgo Biloba

A herb mentioned as an ingredient in Thesis nootropics, helpful for increasing focus, although some people experience headaches.

DHA

An omega-3 fatty acid mentioned as an ingredient in Thesis nootropics, beneficial for brain health.

Drugs & Medications

Ricin

A highly dangerous ribosomal toxin mentioned in comparison to saporin, known for its ability to kill cells and spread, making it virtually impossible to work with in labs.

Saporin

A plant-derived molecule similar to ricin, used in conjunction with ligands to ablate specific cells by internalizing the ligand-receptor complex, thereby killing only cells expressing a particular receptor.

Bombesin Related Peptides

A class of peptides released by the hypothalamus during stress, found to dramatically increase sigh rate when injected into the pre-Botzinger complex, suggesting a link between stress and sighing.

Software & Apps

Calm

A meditation app that Dr. Feldman used for box breathing practice, before letting his subscription lapse.

Headspace

A meditation app with various meditation lengths and styles, supported by published studies for stress reduction and focus, making consistent practice easy.

condition

Parkinson's disease

A neurodegenerative disease where loss of pre-Botzinger neurons may lead to breathing disturbances during sleep, potentially contributing to death via apnea.

Lou Gehrig's Disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease where neurodegeneration might affect breathing centers, potentially leading to death during sleep.

Books

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

A book about a young man with locked-in syndrome who wrote his autobiography by blinking, illustrating the human condition.

Journal of Neuroscience

A respected journal in the field that published studies on how deliberately restricting one's breathing to nasal breathing can improve memory.

Locations

London

The city where a Bulgarian diplomat was allegedly assassinated by a Russian operative using ricin.