James Nestor Says Mouth Breathing Triggers ADHD and Chronic Illness

詹姆斯·内斯特称口呼吸会诱发多动症与慢性病 长期口呼吸会改变面部结构并减少氧气输送，从而引发睡眠呼吸暂停、高血压以及儿童行为障碍。 科普记者詹姆斯·内斯特（James Nestor）阐述了现代生活方式、精细软食以及室内环境如何导致普遍的呼吸功能失调，其中口呼吸对睡眠、免疫力和认知表现均有负面影响。他强调，仅需转向鼻呼吸和横膈膜呼吸（腹式呼吸），就能显著改善睡眠呼吸暂停、焦虑、高血压和儿童行为问题等状况。本次访谈还探讨了一氧化氮的作用、二氧化碳耐受度以及将肺活量作为寿命首要指标等核心概念，并提供了包括睡眠时使用封口贴、延长呼气时间以及检测室内空气质量等实用策略，以帮助恢复最佳呼吸功能。 专家指出约95%至99%的人群存在呼吸功能失调；现代加工软食大幅减少了咀嚼刺激，导致颌骨萎缩退化与气道狭窄，进而诱发慢性炎症与代谢障碍。 (19:33) 斯坦福大学实验表明，纯口呼吸仅在几天内便会导致严重的打鼾、睡眠呼吸暂停与血压上升；相比之下，鼻呼吸可多锁住40%的水分，并释放高出6倍的一氧化氮以增强免疫防御。 (14:46) 长期驼背久坐会严重限制膈肌下沉，使现代成年人平均仅利用了其5%至10%的运动范围，被迫依赖浅层胸式呼吸并加重心血管系统负担。 (23:40) 儿童气道狭窄引起的夜间睡眠呼吸紊乱常被误诊为ADHD，长期追踪研究显示，此类呼吸障碍患儿出现多动、焦虑和行为障碍的风险高出正常儿童50%至90%。 (36:36) 弗雷明汉心脏研究（Framingham Heart Study）数据表明，肺活量与肺部尺寸是预测人类寿命最核心的单一指标，30岁后肺功能的快速衰退需通过日常锻炼与呼吸重塑加以遏制。 (51:46)

Science journalist James Nestor argues that modern environments, sedentary habits, and soft diets have compromised human respiratory mechanics, fostering widespread chronic illness that can be alleviated through conscious nasal and diaphragmatic breathing. Industrial Diets and Childhood Airway Collapse (36:36) Human facial structure has undergone rapid structural devolution over recent centuries due to the transition toward soft, industrialized food. While ancestral populations spent three to four hours daily chewing fibrous foods—stimulating forward facial development, wide palates, and open airways—modern children are weaned on soft purées. This lack of mechanical stress leaves jaws underdeveloped and retrognathic, severely constricting the upper airway and prompting chronic mouth breathing. Nestor links this anatomical collapse directly to pediatric behavioral disorders. Drawing on findings from Stanford sleep researcher Dr. Christian Guilleminault and a six-year study tracking over 11,000 children, the discussion highlights that sleep-disordered breathing increases the incidence of emotional distress and ADHD symptoms by 50% to 90%. When airway obstructions fragment nocturnal sleep, children exhibit daytime hyperactivity to compensate, frequently receiving stimulant diagnoses when the underlying driver is nocturnal oxygen deprivation. Nasal Defense Mechanics Versus Chronic Mouth Breathing (14:46) To quantify the physiological toll of oral respiration, Nestor and Swedish researcher Anders Olsson conducted a 20-day Stanford University protocol under Dr. Jayakar Nayak. Ten consecutive days of silicone-enforced mouth breathing caused both participants to develop snoring and obstructive sleep apnea within 48 hours, alongside severe daytime fatigue, elevated blood pressure, and degraded heart rate variability. These symptoms rapidly reversed once unobstructed nasal breathing resumed. The human nose performs over 30 distinct physiological functions, including warming incoming air and conserving 40% more moisture than mouth breathing. Furthermore, the nasal sinuses produce nitric oxide—a potent vasodilator, antibacterial, and antiviral agent that increases sixfold during nasal breathing. Nestor notes that exhaling with a humming sound mechanically agitates sinus linings to boost local nitric oxide release fifteenfold, simultaneously stimulating the vagus nerve to promote parasympathetic autonomic tone. Diaphragmatic Mechanics, Posture, and Human Longevity (23:40) Modern sedentary work patterns physically compress the thoracic cavity, limiting average adults to just 5% to 10% of their potential diaphragmatic movement. Nestor explains that the lungs rely entirely on the downward piston motion of the diaphragm to draw air into their lower, blood-dense lobes where primary gas exchange occurs. Slumped posture forces rapid, shallow chest breathing, replicating survival states observed during 'email apnea'—the unconscious habit of breath-holding and rapid off-gassing while managing digital communications. Optimal diaphragmatic motion acts as a secondary cardiovascular pump, circulating venous blood and lymphatic fluid to eliminate cellular waste. Citing the landmark Framingham Heart Study, which monitored over 5,200 participants across seven decades, Nestor points out that functional lung volume and capacity serve as the single greatest predictor of human lifespan. Because pulmonary function declines sharply after age 30, physical practices like yoga and cardiovascular conditioning are essential to maintain thoracic mobility. CO2 Diagnostics and Autonomic Nervous System Regulation (65:45) Baseline respiratory health can be measured through carbon dioxide tolerance tests such as the BOLT score, where an individual holds their breath after an unforced exhalation until the very first physical urge to breathe. While healthy baselines exceed 40 seconds, average adults score around 15 seconds, and individuals with severe asthma or panic disorders often reach only 3 to 5 seconds due to habitual over-breathing. To restore balance, Nestor recommends pacing breathing to a coherent rhythm of 5 to 6 seconds in and 5 to 6 seconds out (roughly 5.5 breaths per minute). For acute stress, a double-inhale 'physiological sigh' followed by a long mouth exhale rapidly resets neural respiratory centers. Prolonging exhales stimulates respiratory sinus arrhythmia—slowing heart rate and triggering parasympathetic recovery—while nocturnal mouth tape prevents airway resistance, stabilizing sleeping heart rates and reducing micro-arousals. Indoor Carbon Dioxide Hazards in Sealed Architecture (76:49) Modern architectural protocols designed for thermal insulation have produced sealed environments that trap respiratory waste. While outdoor carbon dioxide hovers around 418 to 419 parts per million (PPM), enclosed offices and classrooms regularly climb above 1,000 to 2,000 PPM. At 1,000 PPM, occupants breathe roughly one breath of recycled exhalation out of every thirty, triggering headaches and ocular irritation. Nestor highlights corporate and academic studies showing that cognitive function scores drop by up to 50% under elevated indoor carbon dioxide. Despite public health guidelines treating concentrations below 5,000 PPM as benign, accumulating research ties sustained exposure above 800 PPM to bone demineralization, systemic inflammation, and marked intellectual fatigue, which can be mitigated simply by opening windows to ensure fresh-air exchange. Nestor stresses that fundamental breath retraining and adequate room ventilation provide cost-free, immediate improvements across metabolic, neurological, and cardiovascular health. However, because large-scale clinical trials rarely fund non-pharmacological interventions, standard medicine frequently defaults to surgical removals and pharmaceutical management rather than addressing root respiratory mechanics.

作家兼科学记者James Nestor指出，现代工业化生活方式与软质饮食导致人类面部骨骼退化及呼吸道狭窄，使得高达95%至99%的人群存在呼吸功能失调；长期口呼吸不仅破坏睡眠并被证实与儿童ADHD等慢性病密切相关，而重建以鼻呼吸、膈肌力学和二氧化碳耐受为核心的呼吸模式，是恢复人体自主神经系统平衡与维持健康寿命的关键基础。 饮食软化与面部退化引发气道狭窄 (39:10) Nestor指出，人类面部结构在工业革命后经历了迅速退化而非进化。古代人类每日需咀嚼坚硬纤维食物3至4小时，并维持至少两年的母乳喂养，这种机械负荷促进了面部骨骼向外、向前扩张，形成了宽阔的腭部与通畅的气道。与之相对，现代工业化软食、精制糖及奶瓶喂养削弱了咀嚼刺激，导致现代人群普遍出现颌骨狭小、牙齿错位及呼吸道物理性狭窄。 这种结构性异常在儿童健康中造成了严重后果。Nestor援引Stanford大学睡眠医学研究员Christian Guilleminault等专家的长期观察指出，多数被诊断为注意缺陷与多动障碍（ADHD）的儿童，实质上是因夜间气道阻塞导致了慢性睡眠呼吸障碍。一项追踪逾11,000名儿童长达6年的研究表明，存在睡眠呼吸异常的儿童出现情绪困扰、抑郁和多动症状的概率比健康呼吸儿童高出50%至90%；通过物理扩张气道并矫正呼吸习惯，患儿的ADHD表征往往能够显著缓解甚至消除。 口呼吸损伤与鼻腔一氧化氮防御 (14:46) 为了量化口呼吸对生理指标的直接损害，Nestor与Stanford大学鼻科学研究主管Jayakar Nayak合作开展了为期20天的自我对照实验。在鼻腔被完全堵塞、被迫采用100%口呼吸的10天内，受试者在48小时内便从零打鼾急剧恶化为重度阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停，同时出现血压升高、心率变异性（HRV）骤降以及严重的日间慢性疲劳。Nestor强调，口腔仅是应对窒息的应急备用通道，完全无法提供鼻腔所具备的过滤粉尘、加温空气及保留40%水分等30多项生理功能。 更为关键的是，鼻窦在鼻呼吸过程中能释放高浓度一氧化氮（NO），其入血浓度是口呼吸的6倍，具有扩张血管、改善循环以及直接杀灭病毒细菌的免疫屏障功能。研究表明，仅需在呼气时进行有规律的哼鸣（humming），机械共振即可使鼻窦一氧化氮的释放量激增15倍（1500%），同时有效刺激喉部迷走神经以激活副交感神经系统，临床案例中甚至曾以此辅助治愈严重的慢性鼻炎。 膈肌泵血机制与肺活量预测寿命 (51:46) 现代久坐办公的不良体态长期压迫腹腔，导致被称为人体“第二心脏”的膈肌严重受限。Nestor解释称，肺部仅是被动扩张的组织，必须依赖伞状膈肌在吸气时收缩下沉制造负压，呼气时放松上升排出气体。现代成年人通常仅动用膈肌全量活动范围的5%至10%，被迫代偿性采用浅表胸式呼吸，导致气体无法进入肺底血流丰富的区域进行有效交换。完整的膈肌活化不仅通过机械活塞运动辅助心脏回流血液，还能强力驱动淋巴液循环以清除代谢废物。 在寿命预测方面，历时70年追踪逾5,200名参与者的Framingham心脏研究表明，功能性肺活量与整体肺部尺寸是预测人类寿命最强大的单一生物指标，其预测权重甚至超越多项常规体检参数；肺移植数据同样证实植入较大肺脏的患者生存期显著延长。鉴于肺功能从30岁起步入自然退行，Nestor建议通过规律的有氧运动（可提升15%至20%肺活量）及肋骨外侧扩张训练来抵消这种衰退。 自主神经调控与日常呼吸干预 (65:45) 现代数字生活导致的“邮件呼吸暂停”（email apnea）使人长期处于无意识憋气与浅快换气的防御应激中，过度排出二氧化碳（CO2），进而降低对惊恐的耐受阈值。针对急性焦虑，Nestor推荐采用生理性叹气（连续两次快速鼻吸气后缓慢嘴呼气），通过两到三轮循环即刻重置脑干呼吸中枢；日常则推荐维持每分钟约5至6秒吸气、5至6秒呼气的节奏，利用呼吸性窦性心律不齐机制延缓心跳并抬升HRV，能在数分钟内降低血压10至15点。 为了量化个体的呼吸机能，Nestor介绍了体内氧水平测试（BOLT测试/控制停顿）：正常呼气后闭气，记录出现首次不由自主吞咽或膈肌抽动的时间。健康达标基线为40秒以上，而普通人平均仅15秒，严重哮喘或惊恐障碍患者常低于5秒。在夜间睡眠中，使用Myotape等微弹力唇贴辅助闭嘴，能够消除气道阻力应激，使原本频繁波动的心率曲线恢复平稳，大幅减少夜间微觉醒并巩固深度睡眠。 室内二氧化碳蓄积与强效呼吸机制 (76:49) Nestor结合其实地测试指出，现代封闭节能建筑正造成严峻的室内二氧化碳危机。室外自然基线CO2约为418至419 PPM，而在密闭办公室内，浓度达到800 PPM时学生测试成绩便下降20%；升至1,000 PPM时会出现头痛眼胀，每30次呼吸中即有1次是他人呼出的废气；在会议室或客机滑行时，浓度常逼近2,000至2,700 PPM，导致认知能力下降高达50%并诱发骨矿物质流失，开窗换气是维系认知机能的基础必要措施。 针对全息呼吸（Holotropic）或内火瑜伽等强效高通气技巧，Nestor阐明了其生物学利弊：快速过度换气会导致脑血管剧烈收缩（脑血流量最多降低40%），且随血液pH值上升促使离子钙与白蛋白结合，引发四肢发麻和手足痉挛（tetany）。这种剧烈换气绝非传统误解的“向脑部充氧”，而是通过主动施加受控的急性生理应激来重塑神经系统抗逆性。初学者应在掌握日常鼻呼吸基底后，再审慎尝试高阶过度换气练习。 James Nestor强调，呼吸重塑是一种无需依赖昂贵药物或设备的内源性健康调节途径，呼吁公共卫生领域将日常呼吸机能纳入常规医疗监测。然而他也指出，由于缺乏大型医药财团对非专利生活方式干预的资助，目前该领域仍缺乏大规模双盲随机对照临床研究，许多呼吸机制在特定慢性病康复中的长期疗效仍有待更广泛的循证医学检验。

## Background 本期节目由知名播客频道 The Diary Of A CEO 于 2023 年 9 月 7 日发布在 YouTube 平台上。主持人 Steven Bartlett 与《呼吸：一门失传艺术的新科学》作者、科学记者 James Nestor 展开深度对话，探讨了现代人的呼吸功能障碍及其与 ADHD、糖尿病、哮喘和各类慢性疾病的隐秘关联，并揭示了通过重塑呼吸机制逆转健康问题的科学途径。 ## TL;DR 节目围绕人类在现代文明中逐渐丧失的正确呼吸能力展开，指出高达 99% 的现代人存在不同程度的呼吸失调，而长期口呼吸、气道萎缩与高浓度二氧化碳环境正在悄然侵蚀大众的身心健康。James Nestor 通过严谨的斯坦福自我对照实验、人类学颌面退化史以及神经生理学机制，揭示了鼻呼吸对锁水、释放一氧化氮及激活副交感神经的核心价值。访谈不仅剖析了儿童夜间口呼吸与 ADHD 及面容退缩的直接关联，还澄清了高阶呼吸法对心理创伤与神经重塑的生理学本质。最后，嘉宾提供了包括 BOLT 身体氧水平测试、生理性叹息以及口部贴带等低门槛实操工具，帮助人们夺回维持寿命与生命力的底层健康支柱。 ## Atmosphere & style 整场访谈兼具沉稳的求真力量与极具冲击力的警醒感，没有故弄玄虚的伪科学包装，取而代之的是扎实的解剖学生理学剖析与严谨的实证态度。演播室内随交谈实时攀升的二氧化碳读数，为现场营造出一种富有张力且极具说服力的警示氛围；Steven 坦诚而充满好奇的追问与 Nestor 娓娓道来的亲历故事相互呼应，既有现场闭气实测与呼吸技巧演练的互动趣味，又有对儿童健康危机与现代建筑缺陷的深切反思，让听众在持续的“认知顿悟”中体会到重塑呼吸带来的治愈力量。 ## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=0s) 科学作家詹姆斯·内斯特指出，现代人普遍存在的呼吸功能障碍已成为健康危机的隐形根源，高达 95% 至 99% 的人群存在不同程度的异常呼吸，直接关联哮喘、代谢紊乱及儿童 ADHD 等病症。 - [51:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3106s) 弗雷明汉心脏研究等长期医学数据表明，肺部的大小、容量与健康状态是预测人类寿命长短的最强单一指标，而肺功能自 30 岁起便会自然退化，需要依靠主动锻炼进行维持。 - [01:16:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4609s) 密闭环境中的二氧化碳超标严重侵蚀认知与机体机能：当室内 CO2 浓度突破 800 至 1,000 ppm 时，测试与认知表现便会出现 20% 至 50% 的显著下滑，并诱发潜在的骨骼脱矿与慢性炎症。 - [01:41:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6078s) 日常呼吸优化完全免费且见效迅速，通过建立以鼻呼吸为主、维持每分钟 5 至 6 次（约 5.5 秒吸、5.5 秒呼）的轻柔腹式呼吸节律，配合睡前封口胶带，能显著平抑夜间心率并激活副交感神经。 ## Key takeaways - [09:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=555s) 呼吸是支撑人体健康的核心第四支柱，与饮食、运动和睡眠同等重要；若呼吸模式失调，其余三项健康投资的生理收益将被大幅抵消。 - [38:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2329s) 现代精细软食饮食与奶瓶喂养减少了面部咀嚼应力，导致现代人颌骨萎缩、牙齿拥挤及咽喉气道狭窄，构成了现代呼吸疾病的解剖学根源。 - [46:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2769s) 儿童夜间张口呼吸与睡眠呼吸障碍直接导致大脑缺氧与睡眠破碎，表现出多动与注意力不集中，其症状往往被现代医疗系统误诊为 ADHD 并过度用药。 - [14:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=886s) 斯坦福大学的人体对照实验证实，仅封堵鼻孔进行 10 天纯口呼吸，便会迅速引发严重的打鼾、睡眠呼吸暂停、血压升高和全身性疲惫。 - [31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1894s) 鼻呼吸具备加温、过滤和回收 40% 水分的作用，并在副鼻窦中产生高浓度一氧化氮；通过鼻腔哼唱震动，一氧化氮释放量可激增 15 倍，大幅增强气道抗病菌能力。 - [23:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1422s) 现代久坐办公与前倾体态限制了膈肌下沉，迫使身体转入低效的胸式浅快呼吸，使膈肌这一“第二心脏”的活动幅度缩减至正常水平的 5% 至 10%。 - [01:04:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3856s) 长期面对屏幕与工作邮件会引发无意识的“邮件性呼吸暂停”与过度通气，导致体内二氧化碳过度排出，使机体持续陷入交感神经主导的战或逃恶性循环。 - [01:05:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3949s) 通过“双吸一呼”（生理性叹息）或吸气 4 秒呼气 6 秒的练习延长呼气时间，能够利用呼吸性窦性心律不齐机制放慢心率，迅速激活副交感神经以平复焦虑。 - [01:14:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4456s) 室内二氧化碳浓度是衡量空气循环回流的关键指标；在通风不良的高碳密闭环境中，单纯佩戴口罩无法阻止交叉废气吸入与认知功能大幅下降。 - [01:28:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5284s) 通过 BOLT（身体氧水平测试）在早晨测量自然呼气后出现首个生理吞咽或抽动阻力前的屏息秒数，可以精准诊断个体的呼吸健康基准与二氧化碳耐受度。 - [01:32:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5565s) 哮喘等慢性文明病并非不可逆的遗传宿命，单纯手术切除腺样体和扁桃体无法根治气道功能失调，通过重塑呼吸机能完全有望大幅减轻症状甚至实现逆转。 - [01:38:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5888s) 夜间睡眠使用 MyoTape 等特制口部胶带辅助闭口鼻吸，能向大脑发送稳定的修复节律信号，有效抚平夜间异常心率波动并延长深度睡眠。 - [01:44:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6272s) 全息呼吸等高强度剧烈过度呼吸会引起脑血管收缩使脑血流骤降多达 40%，呼出过多二氧化碳引发的呼吸性碱中毒会导致游离钙降低并形成“龙虾爪”手部痉挛，但受控练习有助于重置神经系统的压力认知阈值。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=0s) 呼吸失调：现代人健康危机的隐形根源 现代人普遍认为只要坚持运动、注重健康饮食，并且每晚睡足八小时，就能拥有健康的体魄。然而，科学作家詹姆斯·内斯特（James Nestor）指出，如果呼吸方式错误，身体将永远处于亚健康甚至疾病状态。人类作为一个物种，在漫长的进化与现代生活方式的剧变中，已在很大程度上丧失了正确呼吸的能力。内斯特在环球调查中发现，高达 99% 的人存在某种形式的呼吸功能障碍，却对这种呼吸习惯对大脑与身体造成的持续性损伤浑然不知。 现代社会的日常模式——久坐不动、错误的睡姿、经过精加工的软食饮食结构——正在潜移默化地摧毁健康。从哮喘、代谢异常、自身免疫系统疾病，到焦虑症乃至注意缺陷与多动障碍（ADHD），呼吸健康专家指出，这些疾病与睡眠时的不良呼吸习惯有着百分之百的直接关联。尤其对于儿童而言，夜间呼吸不畅是一剂导致发育与行为问题的毒药。内斯特警示家长：如果能在孩子熟睡时清晰听到他们的呼吸声，这就是一个极其危险的警示信号（Red Flag）。但令人欣慰的是，每个人都可以重新学会正确呼吸，而且改善呼吸的方法完全免费，甚至在坐着交谈的当下就能立刻展开。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 现代生活习惯引发慢性疾病的呼吸机制 accDescr: 展示久坐饮食等现代生活习惯如何导致呼吸功能失调并最终引发多种慢性疾病 subgraph ModernLiving["现代生活诱因"] A["长时间久坐不动"] B["精细软食饮食"] C["不良睡眠习惯"] end subgraph BreathingDysfunction["呼吸生理失调"] D["99% 人群存在异常呼吸"] E["夜间张口呼吸 / 呼吸声沉重"] end subgraph ChronicDiseases["全身性健康后果"] F["哮喘与自身免疫失衡"] G["代谢紊乱 / 糖尿病"] H["儿童 ADHD / 认知障碍"] I["严重焦虑与睡眠问题"] end ModernLiving --> BreathingDysfunction BreathingDysfunction --> ChronicDiseases ``` 此外，室内空气中二氧化碳（CO2）的浓度往往被大众忽视。当 CO2 浓度突破 800 至 1,000 ppm 时，人体的认知能力和身体机能就会遭受显著的负面影响。在封闭的采访室内，随着谈话进行，二氧化碳数值正不断攀升；如果长时间在密闭空间内工作数小时，身体机能将严重受损。 --- ### [02:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=128s) 个人危机：从反复肺炎到呼吸工坊的震撼启示 内斯特投身呼吸科学研究并非源于预先规划的学术理想，而是一场长达数年的个人健康危机。他在旧金山经常冲浪，但在过去数年间，年复一年地遭受呼吸道感染折磨，反复罹患支气管炎以及轻微肺炎。每次就诊，医生仅仅是机械地开出一包抗生素或药丸打发他回家，病情却不断复发。直到某天与一位医生朋友小聚时，对方注视着他并直言不讳地指出：“我认为你的呼吸系统出了根本问题。” 面对这个从未被重视的无意识生理行为，内斯特半信半疑地听从建议，参加了一堂呼吸训练课（Breathwork Class）。初入课堂时，现场充斥着典型的旧金山“新时代运动”（New Age）风格——飘逸的长袍、发带、捕梦网。这套略显玄虚的做派曾让他心生理性抗拒，内心直呼“天哪，我到底在这里干什么”。然而，当他放下偏见彻底投入练习后，震撼的生理现象发生了： - **反常的身体出汗反应**：内斯特坐在一间体温偏凉的冷气房间角落里，仅仅按照特定的呼吸节奏呼吸，汗水就彻底湿透了 T 恤、牛仔裤，连头发也彻底湿漉漉的，仿佛刚从水中捞出。 - **顽疾彻底痊愈**：这次深层呼吸不仅彻底打破了他体内的某种阻塞，甚至在随后的日子里让他常年难愈的呼吸系统疾病百分之百痊愈。 - **医学盲区的困惑**：当他向常规西医解释这趟经历时，医生们只能牵强地归咎为“发烧”、“房间太热”或“盖了毯子”。医学教育对于呼吸机制的狭隘认知，彻底激发了他作为调查记者的探索欲。 --- ### [04:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=259s) 慢性口呼吸的隐秘代价与希腊自由潜水的觉醒 回顾确诊前的生活状态，内斯特意识到自己常年是一个严重的“口呼吸者”（Mouth Breather）。无论是在跑步、练空手道，还是在旧金山冰冷的海浪中冲浪，他全程都在用嘴喘气。夜晚的睡眠更是灾难：他的床头必须常年摆放一大杯水，夜间频繁口干舌燥地醒来，清晨口腔黏膜干涩发硬。在高强度训练时，他的胸腔甚至会发出明显的喘鸣声（Wheeze）。当时周围的人对他说“欢迎步入中年，年纪大了身体就是这样”，这种将功能退化等同于自然衰老的论调，掩盖了呼吸失常的严重本质。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 詹姆斯内斯特的认知转变历程 accDescr: 展示内斯特从口呼吸多病到通过呼吸工坊及自由潜水建立全新认知的过程 subgraph Phase1["症状潜伏期"] A["习惯性口呼吸<br/>运动/睡眠全天候"] B["慢性支气管炎<br/>轻度肺炎反复发作"] end subgraph Phase2["觉醒突破口"] C["2011 希腊自由潜水赛事"] D["呼吸工坊极致生理排汗"] end subgraph Phase3["科学调查与重塑"] E["跨越医学与古法调查"] F["确立呼吸为健康核心基石"] end Phase1 --> Phase2 Phase2 --> Phase3 ``` 2011 年，内斯特受邀前往希腊报道世界自由潜水锦标赛（Freediving Championship），这次采访彻底重塑了他对人类生理潜能的认知： - **肉眼可见的人类极限突破**：在能见度深达 150 米的澄澈海水中，选手在水面上仅吸入“单单一整口空气”，便毫不犹豫地垂直潜入 120 米深的幽暗深海。 - **不可思议的水下耐受**：选手们化作蚂蚁般大小的身影最终消失在蓝洞深处，整整五分钟后重返水面，平静地吐出一口气并换气，随即从容离场让下一位选手登台。 - **对身体潜能的反思**：现代科学教科书上所断言的“生理不可能”，在自由潜水员对呼吸极致的掌控下被轻易粉碎。这让内斯特坚信，现代人被严重矮化了自身的身体机能，大众对自身呼吸所蕴藏的力量知之甚少。 --- ### [09:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=555s) 颠覆常理：将“呼吸”确立为与饮食运动并列的核心健康基石 主持人史蒂芬·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）坦言，在自己 30 年人生的大前 29 年里，他始终将呼吸视作一种自动发生的、微不足道的生理背景音，从未将其提升到健康层面来考量。在传统健康观念中，大众普遍认为健康的柱石只有营养饮食和规律运动。 然而，内斯特的调查彻底击碎了这种偏见——**呼吸不是伴随生命运行的副产品，而是支撑整个人体健康的根基性支柱（Pillar of Health）**。如果忽视了呼吸的正确模式，无论投入多少心力在昂贵的健身补剂、精细的饮食方案或高强度的肌肉锻炼上，身体底层的生化机制依然处于慢性崩溃之中。现代社会普遍将呼吸视为理所当然的无意识行为，这种集体认知盲区正让数以亿计的人为其健康付出惨重代价。 ### [10:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=617s) 呼吸是健康不可或缺的支柱 许多人遇到睡眠困扰或失眠问题时，第一反应往往是觉得自己生病了、需要吃药，却很少有人意识到呼吸方式正是幕后的关键推手。James Nestor 指出，人体进化出无需刻意提醒就能自动呼吸的机制，这固然令人惊叹——倘若每一口呼吸都需要大脑主动下令，人类将寸步难行。然而，这种无意识行为并不意味着我们无法主动干预它。恰恰相反，我们可以通过有意识地控制呼吸，向身体传递截然不同的生理信号。现实中，受周围环境、睡姿以及口腔结构改变等因素影响，大多数人已经养成了不良的呼吸习惯。 之所以有那么多人投入时间练习呼吸法（breathwork），反复训练缓慢、深沉、依托鼻腔的腹式呼吸，核心目的正是重塑这种自然的本能，使其重新转化为无需费心的无意识习惯。Nestor 坦言，没有人愿意整天时刻监控自己的呼吸节律，大家都希望它在后台自动化运作，但要从错误模式恢复到健康的无意识状态，需要付出大量练习与时间。 面对主持人关于“历经无数万年演化，身体难道不应该默认用正确方式呼吸吗”的疑问，Nestor 给出了斩钉截铁的否定回答。他直言：“现代环境正在合谋让我们生病，这一点绝非危言耸听。”现代人的生活方式——整日久坐、工作负荷、加工饮食、睡眠不足，再加上充斥身边的噪音与空气污染——彻底打乱了身体的原始适应机制。相比之下，当今仅存的极少数原始土著部落根本不需要心脏科、呼吸科或牙科医生，他们拥有整齐的牙齿和完美的呼吸系统。现代人面临的绝大多数病症，实际上都是近几百年内随着文明演进才出现的“文明病”（diseases of civilization）。骨骼考古记录明确证实，几百年前人类的颌骨与面部结构完全能支持顺畅的鼻呼吸，而现代人的面部结构却退化萎缩，导致健康呼吸变得异常困难。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 现代环境导致呼吸退化的恶性循环 accDescr: 流程图展示了现代环境因素如何通过改变生理结构与呼吸模式，最终引发广泛的慢性疾病。 subgraph ENV["现代生活环境"] E1["久坐 / 加工饮食 / 空气与噪音污染"] E2["面部与颌骨结构退化萎缩"] end subgraph PATTERN["不良呼吸模式"] B1["转为慢性口呼吸 / 浅快呼吸"] B2["夜间气道塌陷与睡眠呼吸暂停"] end subgraph IMPACT["生理病理连锁反应"] D1["深睡眠剥夺，身体修复受阻"] D2["交感神经过度激活与慢性炎症"] D3["糖尿病、自身免疫疾病与代谢紊乱"] end ENV --> PATTERN PATTERN --> IMPACT ``` --- ### [13:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=781s) 呼吸失调引发的现代疾病：从糖尿病到自身免疫 当被问及不良呼吸习惯会导致哪些常见的日常疾病时，Nestor 直言，任何现代高发疾病清单拿出来，几乎都与呼吸脱不开干系，连糖尿病也不例外。常人很难想象糖尿病的发病竟然可能由夜间不良呼吸直接诱发，但科学界早在五十年前就已经发现了这一确凿关联。如果一个人整晚都在睡眠中经历窒息和打鼾，身体就根本无法进入至关重要的深度睡眠阶段，机体无法完成自我修复与代谢调节，身体机能必然走向崩溃。 除了代谢异常外，自身免疫疾病同样深受其害。长期弯腰驼背、急促而浅表地倒抽气，会使身体持续承受过度的炎症负担，并诱发神经系统功能紊乱。身体长期处于交感神经兴奋（战斗或逃跑）的紧绷状态，久而久之便会引爆一系列自身免疫问题。Nestor 强调，这些健康隐患并非单独归咎于某单一因素，而是由“饮食、运动、睡眠与呼吸”四大基柱共同维系。他援引一位研究人员多年前的警示并深表赞同：一个人即使吃最干净的食物、每晚睡足八小时、坚持刻苦锻炼，只要呼吸方式是错的，身体就永远无法获得真正的健康。 - **深度睡眠剥夺与代谢崩溃**：夜间口呼吸与气道阻塞导致无法进入深度睡眠阶段，直接诱发胰岛素抵抗与糖尿病。 - **神经系统失衡与慢性炎症**：持续的浅快口呼吸令交感神经过度激活，使身体处于慢性应激与炎症状态，成为自身免疫疾病的温床。 - **四大健康支柱**：饮食、运动、睡眠、呼吸缺一不可；呼吸一旦崩溃，其余三项的健康收益将被大幅抵消。 --- ### [14:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=886s) 斯坦福口呼吸残酷实验：10天的生理折磨 为了用冰冷客观的科学数据证实口呼吸的危害，Nestor 在其著作开篇记录了一场近乎严酷的自我实验。此前，学术界已有大量动物实验以及针对儿童、老人、运动员口呼吸负面影响的观察，但从无任何严谨的人体试验长时间直接对比“纯口呼吸”与“纯鼻呼吸”的差异。Nestor 找到斯坦福大学顶尖的鼻科学研究主管 Jayakar Nayak 博士，提议招募大批受试者开展临床对比。然而 Nayak 直截了当地拒绝了：该项目不仅根本拿不到科研资助，更存在严重的伦理审查障碍——鉴于医学界深知口呼吸的破坏力，故意让健康人群经受口呼吸折磨在伦理上极具争议。 求证心切的 Nestor 最终决定亲自以身试法，并拉上了瑞典呼吸治疗专家 Anders Olson 共同参与。作为仅有的两名受试者，他们自掏腰包承担了在斯坦福大学进行全套检测的高昂费用。实验设计严密而残酷： 1. **第一阶段（10天）**：两人鼻孔被医用硅胶彻底封堵，强制完全通过口腔呼吸。 2. **第二阶段（10天）**：拆除鼻孔封堵，几乎百分之百转回纯鼻腔呼吸。 3. **对照控制**：两个周期内的饮食种类、每日步数、锻炼强度均被严格控制在完全一致的水平，每天早中晚三次进行各项生理指标采样，全天候监测睡眠质量、血压、心率变异性以及体内炎症水平。 Nestor 回忆起那段经历依然心有余悸，直呼其“恐怖透顶”，甚至留下了轻微的心理创伤（PTSD）。在封堵鼻孔的前几天，他和 Olson 还能苦中作乐，互相打趣彼此睡眠恶化的惨状——仅仅过了两三天，两名原本从不打鼾的健康成年人就双双出现了严重的打鼾和睡眠呼吸暂停。但到了一周之后，玩笑变成了彻底的痛苦。Nestor 每天晚上都对入睡充满恐惧；由于口腔持续暴露在空气中，口腔黏膜极度干燥，即便在床上躺了九到十个小时，醒来时仍感到筋疲力尽、痛苦万分。实验第十天结束时，两人的身体机能已陷入极度糟糕的受损状态。这也让 Nestor 产生了一种深切的同情：现实中有无数人（尤其在过敏季节）常年鼻塞却浑然不觉，完全不知道自己经受的偏头痛与睡眠障碍正是源于此。 --- ### [19:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1171s) 普遍的呼吸功能障碍：95%的人都做错了 针对人群中到底有多少人存在呼吸异常的问题，Nestor 给出了一个惊人的统计视角。根据全天候接触病患的呼吸治疗师以及训练奥运选手的顶尖体能教练的观察，人群中存在呼吸功能障碍（breathing dysfunctionally）的比例高达 95% 至 99%——换言之，现代社会中几乎每一个人都存在不同程度的呼吸问题。 当然，这种功能失调存在一条广泛的分布光谱：一端是饱受哮喘与惊恐发作折磨、呼吸极度紊乱的患者；另一端则是能够忍耐身体剧痛、在国际赛事中夺金斩银，但在呼吸力学上依然存在明显缺陷的顶尖运动员。Nestor 幽默地指出，现实中几乎没有人能够拥有绝对完美的呼吸，正如没有人能保证每一顿饭都吃得百分之百完美一样——“更何况，真有那种每顿饭都吃得无懈可击的人，你大概也根本不想跟他一起出去玩”。但他强调，改善呼吸的基础技巧完全是免费且人人可行的，只要掌握了正确方法，每个人都能在这个光谱上朝着更健康的方向迈出关键一步。 ### [21:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1266s) 呼吸是一门遗失的艺术：从远古智慧到现代失调 Steven 谈到现代人生活方式的脱节，提到他此前与哈佛大学演化生物学家丹尼尔·利伯曼（Dr. Daniel Lieberman）关于赤足奔跑、肌肉力量与超加工食品的讨论。人类如今深陷于各种“错配疾病”（misalignment diseases）中，根本无法与自身的生理演化相契合。当被问及“回看历史，人类到底是如何呼吸的，现代人又错在哪里”时，James Nestor 直截了当地指出：几百年前的人类根本不需要去上什么“呼吸工作坊”（breathwork classes），因为那时候的人类天生就拥有能顺畅呼吸的身体，所处的生态环境也完全支持健康的呼吸模式。 利伯曼等学者对原住民部落的研究揭示了一个令人震惊的现实：在那些脱离现代生活方式的传统文化中，人们几乎没有足部问题、没有背痛、没有心脏病，也没有哮喘。以生活在美国、拒绝现代科技的门诺派（Mennonites）和贵格派（Quakers）为例，他们的生活方式极其传统保守，其人群中的哮喘患病率仅有 0.5%；相比之下，全美现代人口的哮喘患病率却高达 10%。这有力地反驳了“哮喘纯粹是遗传病”的观点，证明现代环境——从坐姿、压力、睡眠到运动方式——正在深刻地摧毁我们的呼吸能力。 - 门诺派与贵格会社群的哮喘患病率仅为 0.5%，而现代美国人群平均高达 10%。 - 原住民与传统社群极少受足部畸形、背痛、心血管疾病及哮喘的困扰，印证了环境错配是现代健康恶化的主因。 --- ### [23:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1422s) 膈肌机制与不良坐姿带来的生理限制 很多人每天伏案长达 8 到 10 个小时，这种身体姿态对呼吸造成了直接的机械性压迫。James 现场演示了前倾瘫坐的姿势：当整个人窝在椅子里时，哪怕拼尽全力也极难完成一次深呼吸。这是因为肺部下方的关键肌肉——膈肌（diaphragm）被完全挤压，无法正常下沉。 James 用极具画面感的语言解释了呼吸的解剖学本质：肺本身就像两个被动的肉质气球，无法自行充气或排气。真正驱动呼吸的是位于肺部下方的伞状肌肉——膈肌。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 膈肌运动与呼吸机制 accDescr: 展示膈肌在吸气下沉形成负压吸入空气，以及呼气上升推动空气排出的机械循环过程。 subgraph InhaleStage["吸气阶段 (Inhale)"] A["膈肌下沉 (Descends)"] --> B["胸腔形成负压 (Vacuum)"] B --> C["空气被动吸入肺部"] end subgraph ExhaleStage["呼气阶段 (Exhale)"] D["膈肌上升归位 (Ascends)"] --> E["挤压肺部气球"] E --> F["气体被推动排出体外"] end C -.-> D ``` 当人们在长途航班或日常办公中弓着背蜷缩 12 个小时，膈肌活动彻底受限，呼吸便被迫退化成浅短的“胸式呼吸”。由于胸部上方的大量区域根本不参与有效气体交换、无法充分吸收氧气，身体为了维持氧供，就必须被迫加快呼吸频率。这种状态就好比“每天只靠吃三片披萨苟延残喘”——身体确实能靠这种低效模式勉强活着，但这绝不等于健康。反观古代雕像或原住民的坐姿，他们的脊柱始终保持挺直却又极为放松，这种自然舒展的骨骼形态正是健康呼吸的基础。 --- ### [26:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1598s) “第二心脏”：深长呼吸对心血管与淋巴的惊人泵力 现代办公环境中的精神压力更让问题雪上加霜。当我们紧盯笔记本电脑、疯狂回复邮件时，身体会触发应激反应，不仅使肌肉更加蜷缩，还会诱发不自觉的屏息或过度急促换气。Steven 顺势提出了一个极具深度的概念：膈肌常被称为人体的“第二心脏”（second heart），它是一种既受自主神经支配、又能被意识主动接管的独特肌肉。 James 证实了这一说法，并强调虽然人类无法通过意念直接命令心脏跳动，但完全可以通过有意识地调控膈肌运动来改变血液流向与循环系统负荷。在现代人身上，膈肌活动幅度通常仅剩下正常范围的 5% 到 10%。由于缺乏膈肌运动产生的胸腔负压与推力，心脏必须超负荷工作来泵送血液，淋巴系统也因为缺乏肌肉泵的挤压而停滞，导致代谢废物难以及时排出。只要稍微加深吸气并充分呼气，不仅能瞬间减轻心脏负担、使心率平稳下降，还能改善血压并加速淋巴液回流。 观察大自然是理解正确呼吸的最佳途径： - 一只熟睡的健康犬类或一个甜睡的婴儿，呼吸时几乎听不到声响，身体起伏极度柔和平缓。 - 原住民在睡眠与日常中的呼吸同样难以察觉。 - 真正的健康呼吸不是夸张地大口喘气，而是像修行的僧侣或呼吸大师那样，“柔软、微妙、平静无息”，这代表着神经系统与内环境达到了极致的平衡状态。 --- ### [29:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1759s) 办公室人机工程与口鼻呼吸的演化备份 对于每天不得不伏案 10 小时的上班族，改善呼吸必须从体态管理开始。早在 1200 年前的《道藏》文献中就曾记载：“体态决定呼吸，呼吸塑造体态”（form dictates your breathing, your breathing dictates your form）。如果一个人开始关注深长缓慢的呼吸，胸腔与脊柱会为了容纳气体而自然展开，不良体态也会随之改善。 针对现代职场人士，James 提出了极具实操性的办公建议： 1. **升降桌交替使用**：打电话或会议时主动站立，站立能自然拉开肋间肌与胸廓，为深呼吸创造物理空间。 2. **微步行重置**：每隔两小时抽出 10 分钟边走动边处理通话，让身体流体和呼吸模式得到动态重置。 在探讨了体态与呼吸的关系后，Steven 提出了一个看似基础却切中演化核心的疑问：“如果鼻呼吸对健康如此至关重要，为什么演化还要保留我们用嘴呼吸的能力？”对此，James 赞叹这是个好问题，并给出了解读：人类之所以具备用嘴呼吸的能力，本质上是一套在鼻腔受阻或极端危机时的“应急备份系统”（backup system），而非日常使用的主要通道。 ### [31:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1894s) 鼻呼吸的生理优势：大自然的精密设计与水分保留 人类虽然在极端情况下可以用鼻子喝水，水也能顺着管道流进胃里，但这绝不意味着鼻子是用来喝水的；同理，尽管人类可以用嘴喘气，也不代表嘴巴是天生用来呼吸的器官。在自然界中，动物的生存本能展现得尤为清晰：一只以时速 100 公里狂暴奔驰的猎豹，依然全程依靠鼻腔平稳呼吸；而一匹马在全速冲刺时同样紧闭双唇仅靠鼻孔进气，在兽医学中，马匹张口呼吸是其身患重病的明确病理指征。鼻科学界的共识是，鼻子拥有多达 30 种服务于呼吸的精细生理功能，它不仅负责给吸入的空气过滤杂质和加温，还能锁住并回收约 40% 的呼出水分。 许多人在户外慢跑时张着大嘴喘粗气，手里还不得不绑着好几个水壶随时补水，这种极度缺水往往是呼吸方式错误导致的直接恶果。只要学会转用鼻腔呼吸，机体就能依靠鼻毛、鼻甲黏膜和复杂的鼻道结构自主锁水，根本不再需要携带那么多沉重的水壶。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 鼻呼吸与口呼吸生理功能对比 accDescr: 对比鼻腔呼吸带来的多重生理保护与口呼吸造成的生理负担 subgraph 鼻腔呼吸["鼻腔呼吸（自然生理设计）"] A["鼻黏膜与鼻毛过滤/加温"] --> B["锁住并回收 40% 水分"] A --> C["副鼻窦释放一氧化氮 (NO)"] C --> D["扩张血管、改善循环、杀灭病菌"] end subgraph 口腔呼吸["口腔呼吸（病理性应急通道）"] E["未经湿化过滤的外界冷空气"] --> F["水分大量流失，口干舌燥"] E --> G["缺失一氧化氮防护"] G --> H["气道易受刺激、感染风险倍增"] end ``` ### [32:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1971s) 一氧化氮的神奇功效：哼唱将杀菌分子提升 15 倍 除了物理层面的温湿度调节，鼻腔更是一座强大的生物化学防御工厂。一氧化氮（Nitric Oxide）是一种在血管扩张、血液循环改善以及杀灭病毒和细菌中起核心作用的奇迹分子。这种分子只能在鼻腔内由特定的副鼻窦组织大量生成，口腔完全不具备这一机制。仅通过鼻腔进出空气，人体吸入的一氧化氮浓度就是口呼吸的整整 6 倍，极大地筑牢了呼吸道抵御感冒、流感等病原微生物的第一道防线。 如果配合鼻腔“哼唱”（Humming），一氧化氮的释放量甚至能实现爆炸性的 15 倍激增。研究表明，震动能让一氧化氮分子从密闭的鼻旁窦组织中充分脱附游离；曾有一项引人注目的病例研究显示，一名慢性鼻炎患者仅仅通过每天四次、每次 10 分钟的有规律哼唱，就彻底治愈了自己的顽疾。与此同时，哼唱产生的声波震动会直接刺激分布在喉部与颅底的迷走神经（Vagus Nerve），有效增强迷走神经张力（Vagal Tone），向自主神经系统发送深度镇定信号。虽然市面上已经出现了专门夹在鼻子上代为震动的微型设备，但挑一首自己喜欢的曲子随性哼唱，不仅零成本，也是最为自然有效的方法。 - **一氧化氮产量增幅**：普通鼻呼吸是一氧化氮释放量的 6 倍；哼唱震动状态下可暴增至原本的 15 倍。 - **自主神经调节机制**：哼唱刺激迷走神经通路，降低交感神经兴奋度，平复心率与焦虑。 - **感染防护逻辑**：缺乏大型药企资助鼻呼吸临床实验，但从解剖学、生物化学和病理机制推论，鼻腔屏障与高浓度一氧化氮显著减少了病毒对下呼吸道的侵染。 ### [35:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2137s) 疫情契机与现代医学的“呼吸盲区” James Nestor 的著作《呼吸：一门失传艺术的新科学》（*Breath*）问世时恰逢新冠疫情席卷全球。虽然新书首发周曾遭遇个别人恶意揣测，指责他“借世纪疫情大发国难财”，但事实上这本书在 2020 年 3 月欧美实施封锁前的半年前便已排版印制完毕并堆满了仓库。然而，这种巧合也揭示了残酷的现实：早在现代医学惊慌失措之前，长久以来被瑜伽士、佛教禅修者和呼吸练习者践行的呼吸调节技术，已在长新冠（Long COVID）及急性期患者的肺功能康复研究中展现出极佳的临床支持，但在主流医学体系中依然罕有人关注。 主流现代西医在接诊患者时，会把听诊器按在胸口听心率、开单化验血液胆固醇，却几乎从不观察和评估患者的呼吸深度与呼吸路径。这种盲区在儿科领域尤为触目惊心：数十万绝望的父母向作者发来求助，他们的孩子被贴上多动症（ADHD）的标签，吞下大把精神类药物却毫无起色，在学校成绩垫底。很多时候，罪魁祸首并非大脑缺陷，而是经年累月摧毁身体的恶劣口呼吸与睡眠呼吸暂停，导致身体长期缺氧、神经系统持续处于濒临崩溃的抗争状态。 ### [38:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2329s) 现代人的退化面容：工业化软食、萎缩的下颌与气道狭窄 很多人误以为儿童的口呼吸只是后天养成的坏习惯，但其生理根源早已深植于骨骼解剖结构的畸变之中。解剖人类学研究显示，现代儿童普遍存在面部“后缩”（Retrognathic）倾向，即下颌骨向后向内萎缩，导致咽喉气道严重挤压狭窄。当这些孩子晚上将头放在枕头上入睡时，坍塌的气道便会发出沉重的喘息与鼾声。翻阅数百年前甚至数万年前的古人类颅骨，几乎清一色拥有宽阔平整的硬腭、前突饱满的颌骨（Prognathic）以及宽敞无比的呼吸道，现代儿童所遭遇的气道困境在古代完全不存在。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 现代人呼吸道退化成因链 accDescr: 从工业化食物减少咀嚼，到颌骨发育不良，最终引发牙齿错位和气道狭窄的演变路径 A["引入工业化精加工食品\n（罐头/糖/烘焙软食）"] --> B["咀嚼刺激急剧丧失\n（每日咀嚼从数小时降至数分钟）"] B --> C["颌骨骨骼与肌肉发育不足\n（面部退缩、口腔容积变小）"] C --> D["牙齿拥挤错位\n（50%人口牙齿不齐）"] C --> E["气道物理空间被严重挤压\n（易发口呼吸/鼾症/ADHD）"] ``` 这种退化彻底打破了人们对达尔文进化论的传统误解——进化（Evolution）的科学本质仅仅是“随着时间推移而发生的形态改变”，绝不代表“向更优越方向进步”，环境的改变完全可以让生物在几代之内急速退化。研究人员能够精准定位颌面畸变爆发的历史拐点：工业加工食品（罐装、瓶装、精制糖、精白烘焙）的传入节点。工业食品从英法扩散至德国、北欧再到全球，任何文化背景的族群只要吃上一代工业软食，人群中就会有 50% 爆发牙齿畸形与拥挤。 - **错颌畸形的本质**：牙齿长得参差不齐并非基因突变，而是口腔容积相比骨架过于狭窄，牙齿无处容纳；口腔过小伴随的必然是上呼吸道体积的大幅萎缩。 - **咀嚼负荷的断崖式跌落**：人类祖先每天至少花费 3 至 4 小时用力咀嚼坚硬的块根、生肉和骨髓；而现代人的精加工食品极其松软，嚼几口便咽下。 - **发育的关键窗口**：幼年期缺乏高强度的咀嚼应力刺激，面部骨骼与咀嚼肌群便无法充分向外扩展发育，最终锁定了易患呼吸障碍的面容；推行更坚硬、需耐咀嚼的天然饮食，配合充分母乳喂养，是挽救下一代呼吸机能的关键防线。 ### [42:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2556s) 咀嚼、母乳喂养与面部气道的发育之谜 几个世纪以前，人类的婴幼儿在长达两年的母乳喂养期结束后，并不会转去吃软烂的苹果泥或现成罐装婴儿辅食（当时根本没有嘉宝 Gerber 这类婴儿食品公司），而是直接过渡到成年人的日常硬质食物，这需要大量的咀嚼活动。James Nestor 强调，这种强度的咀嚼正是过去 300 年间人类面部骨骼如何正常发育、以及在现代又如何出现退化退缩的核心驱动力。 当 Steven 追问为什么长达两年的母乳喂养如此关键时，Nestor 笑着直言“这可能会让我惹上大麻烦”。他特别澄清自己只是一名调查记者，转述的是数十位专家基于解剖学与生物力学的研究结果，绝非要让现代母亲产生愧疚感或羞辱任何喂养方式。现代母亲承受着巨大压力，选择奶瓶喂养没有任何问题。但从生物力学角度来看，母乳喂养时婴儿需要调动面部肌群紧紧含住乳房，乳头深入口腔甚至接近喉部，这要求婴儿施加显著的“咀嚼机械应力”和吮吸力量；长达数年的拉拔刺激会促使面部骨骼向前、向外扩张发育，从而开辟出更宽阔的呼吸气道。相比之下，用奶瓶吸奶轻松得多，几乎不需要多少面部应力，这也是很多孩子在两者之间更偏好奶瓶的原因（流速快且省力）。 即使孩子是用奶瓶抚养长大，只要断奶后提供需要充分咀嚼的健康硬质食物，或配合现代正畸设备进行引导，面部结构依然可以得到良好发育。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 喂养方式与食物质地对气道发育的影响 accDescr: 对比传统高强度咀嚼与现代软食奶瓶喂养对颌面结构及气道大小的不同生物力学结果。 subgraph Traditional["传统方式（颌面充分发育）"] A["长达2年母乳喂养"] --> B["高强度吮吸与面部受力"] B --> C["断奶后直接食用硬质成人食物"] C --> D["面部骨骼前向拉伸与扩张"] D --> E["形成宽敞健康的气道"] end subgraph Modern["现代喂养（气道退化隐患）"] F["奶瓶喂养"] --> G["阻力小、缺乏机械应力刺激"] G --> H["断奶后长期摄入软质泥状辅食"] H --> I["颌骨发育不足、面部扁平后缩"] I --> J["气道狭窄与气流受阻风险升高"] end ``` --- ### [46:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2769s) 儿童夜间口呼吸、睡眠呼吸障碍与 ADHD 的惊人联系 Nestor 提醒家长，无论孩子当前是否表现出生理疾病，都必须高度重视他们的呼吸方式：白天是否多数时候用嘴呼吸？夜间睡眠是否张嘴甚至发出能听见的呼吸声？在睡眠中如果能清晰听到孩子的呼吸，甚至哪怕伴随轻微的气道阻力声，都是必须立刻排查的“重大红色警报（big red flag）”。 这种呼吸模式会引发严重的下游健康连锁反应，使孩子未来患哮喘、过敏、糖尿病和自身免疫性疾病的风险大幅上升。更具冲击力的是，Nestor 透露不少睡眠与呼吸领域的研究人员直言：“世界上根本没有所谓的 ADHD（注意力缺陷多动障碍），它本质上就是睡眠呼吸障碍（Sleep-Disordered Breathing），完全是由夜间呼吸紊乱引起的。” Nestor 虽然认为这种绝对化的断言略有夸大，但现实情况相差不远——当孩子由于气道狭窄出现打鼾或阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停时，整晚都处于缺氧和睡眠破碎状态；白天为了维持清醒，身体被迫处于多动亢奋状态，医疗体系便给他们开利他林（Ritalin）等兴奋剂来提神；到了晚上难以入睡，又给他们开安眠药助眠。而安眠药会使咽喉周围肌肉进一步松弛，导致气道塌陷与呼吸阻力加剧，陷入恶性循环。 早在 20 世纪 70 年代，斯坦福大学睡眠医学先驱克里斯蒂安·吉勒米诺（Christian Guilleminault）教授就曾大声疾呼夜间气道受阻对儿童发育的破坏性危害，但当时乃至今日，许多警告仍被主流忽视。Nestor 的官网上免费整理了 500 多篇相关的科学文献供公众查阅。 - **儿童呼吸危险信号**：夜间张口睡觉、能够被旁人听见的呼吸声、轻微呼吸受阻或打鼾。 - **潜在远期危害**：过敏、哮喘、糖尿病、自身免疫疾病风险增高，白天多动或注意力涣散。 - **医学反思**：许多儿童接受了扁桃体和腺样体切除术，虽然手术短期内能扩大气道，但若不重新训练正确的鼻呼吸习惯，呼吸问题往往会在日后卷土重来。 --- ### [48:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2916s) 纠正呼吸习惯是否能让 ADHD 症状彻底逆转？ Steven 对多动症这一论点深感震撼，并询问是否有扎实的研究证据表明改善呼吸能消除注意力障碍。Nestor 坚决地回答：“只要把呼吸问题修复，绝大多数病例中的 ADHD 症状都会随之消失。” Steven 补充了一项震撼的大规模纵向研究：该研究追踪了超过 11,000 名儿童，从 6 个月大持续跟踪到 6 岁。结果发现，患有睡眠呼吸障碍的儿童出现多动、攻击性、抑郁和焦虑等行为与情绪问题的概率大幅飙升，他们出现类似 ADHD 症状的可能性比正常鼻呼吸儿童高出 **50% 至 90%**。Nestor 指出，类似结论在数十项研究中被反复证实：医学界长期将多动症简单视为大脑神经递质问题，但如果纯粹是神经元问题，精神类药物就应该能根治，然而事实并非如此；在很大程度上，它本质上是一个生理层面的夜间通气与缺氧问题。 当 Steven 问及 30 岁的成年 ADHD 患者是否也能通过调整呼吸获得改善时，Nestor 保持了审慎态度。他指出个体差异巨大，不能做出包治百病的断言： - 成年人的症状诱因更为复杂，不存在“万能药方”。 - 但可以肯定的是，建立健康的鼻呼吸习惯对任何成年人都会带来积极收益——收益可能表现为细微的情绪平复，也可能是颠覆性的身心蜕变。 --- ### [51:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3106s) 肺活量与肺功能：衡量人类寿命长短的最强预测指标 对话随后转入呼吸效率与长寿之间的深层联系。Steven 提到了他与 Peter Attia 博士讨论过的最大摄氧量（VO2 Max），将其理解为每次呼吸人体摄取氧气的能力。Nestor 解释，VO2 Max 衡量的是呼吸系统从肺部提取氧气并泵入血液循环的综合效率，虽然不是评估运动表现的唯一标准，但它是一个极具价值的衡量工具。 接着 Nestor 抛出了一个他在多年调查中发现的惊人医学共识：在探寻人体寿命的决定因素时，大量长期追踪研究表明，**肺部的大小、容量与健康状态，是预测人类寿命长短的最强单一指标（greatest indicator of lifespan）**。 著名的弗雷明汉心脏研究（Framingham Heart Study）跟踪了 5,200 名受试者长达 70 年，最终数据明确揭示：寿命最长的人群，正是那些拥有最大、最健康肺功能的人。甚至在针对肺移植患者的临床研究中，科学家们观察到了极为直接的因果关联——那些在外科手术中被植入较大容积供体肺部的患者，其术后生存期显著且大幅度地超过了被植入正常大小或偏小肺部的患者。健康的肺容量为机体提供了巨大的生理储备，是支撑生命长度最坚实的基石。 ### [53:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3216s) 肺活量随年龄的衰退与自我强化的恶性循环 James Nestor 指出，无论通过何种途径，拥有更大的肺部与更强的肺功能都对健康至关重要。幸运的是，人类完全不需要通过肺移植来实现这一点，而是可以通过健康的呼吸练习、日常拉伸以及体育锻炼，自然而然地维持肺部容积。然而，生理数据揭示了一个残酷的现实：人体机能从 30 岁左右就开始走下坡路，肺功能会迅速衰退；尤其是女性在 50 岁至 60 岁阶段，肺容积和肺功能会出现显著萎缩。这种衰退最要命的地方在于，随着人体衰老，系统本需要更轻松地获取更多氧气，萎缩的肺却让供氧变得愈发艰难，许多人的整体健康正是从这个节点开始全面瓦解。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 肺功能衰退的恶性循环 accDescr: 展示肺活量下降如何通过减少运动能力导致进一步恶化 subgraph Spiral["衰老引发的恶性连锁反应"] A["年龄增长与不良呼吸"] --> B["肺活量与肺功能衰竭"] B --> C["运动与活动耐受力急剧下滑"] C --> D["日常活动与伸展减少"] D --> B end ``` Steven 随即点破了这一过程的恶性本质：这是一种典型的“自我强化、自我实现的下行螺旋（downward spiral）”。当肺容量下降时，人的运动表现与运动耐力随之下降；运动量减少反过来进一步导致肺部萎缩，让人更加不愿动弹。James 对此高度认同，他强调，在研究了呼吸科学这么多年后，他坚信在衰老过程中，人类最应该关注的生理指标就是呼吸功能——包括肺部能吸入多少空气、晨间屏息时间的长短。然而，当今许多长寿领域的专家只盯紧营养学、微量元素和器械训练，却几乎完全忽略了肺容量。事实上，人体每天要将大约 30 磅的空气吸入并呼出肺部，我们从呼吸中汲取的能量远远超过食物和饮水。 - **年龄分水岭**：30 岁起肺功能开始走下坡路，女性在 50 至 60 岁时肺容积萎缩尤为剧烈。 - **每日摄入量**：人类每天进出肺部的空气重达 30 磅，其能量与代谢权重远超饮食。 - **瑜伽的本质**：早在数千年前，古印度瑜伽士就掌握了这一秘密，瑜伽体式的核心正是通过不同角度的身体拉伸将气息深送入肺部的各个角落。 --- ### [57:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3424s) 正确呼吸的生物力学自测：双手摆位与胸廓延展 为了让普通人能够在日常生活中切实扩大肺活量，James 在演播室现场带领 Steven 进行了一套精准的呼吸生物力学自测。他指出，首先要纠正大众对“腹式呼吸”的常见误区——很多人以为肚子鼓起来就是深呼吸，但实际上即便屏住呼吸，人也可以自主把肚皮挺进挺出，那只是一种假象。真正的深度横膈膜呼吸，体现为下腹及腰侧的向外横向扩张，代表横膈膜正在充分向下移动。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 三步呼吸生物力学自测法 accDescr: 依次通过骨盆上沿、锁骨胸部和颈部排查呼吸张力 subgraph Phase1["第一步：盆骨上沿"] A["双手置于坐骨/髋骨上方"] --> B["吸气时双手向两侧横向推出"] end subgraph Phase2["第二步：锁骨与胸腔"] C["四指搭锁骨，中指指尖微碰"] --> D["吸气自下向上抬，手指自然分开但肩不上耸"] end subgraph Phase3["第三步：颈部排查"] E["双手轻触颈部四周"] --> F["深吸气时颈部肌肉完全放松无紧绷"] end Phase1 --> Phase2 Phase2 --> Phase3 ``` 在这套自测中，James 详细拆解了三个步骤与排查标准： 1. **髋骨上沿测试（侧向横向扩张）**：将双手掌根轻搭在髋骨与坐骨上方、侧腹的位置。吸气时意念要沉得非常低，双手应当像双翼一样被向两侧“横向推开”，同时会感受到腹腔脏器受到温和的挤压。如果使用皮尺环绕测量，能测出 1 到 1.5 英寸的横向外扩增量，就说明横膈膜已正确下沉。 2. **锁骨胸部测试（由下而上的流动）**：四指轻轻搭在锁骨上，仅让两手中指的指尖轻轻相触。吸气时先让下腹充盈，再顺畅地将气息引导上升至胸口。此时两手中指应当随着胸腔向外横向舒展而自然分开，但全程“严禁耸肩”，双肩必须保持沉稳下垂。 3. **颈部张力排查（警惕代偿机制）**：双手环绕贴在脖子上，重复上述自腹至胸的深呼吸。此时颈部肌肉必须保持柔软松弛，不能有哪怕一丝一毫的发力与紧绷感，严禁动用颈部辅助肌群来生拉硬扯地吸气。 James 补充说明，肺部绝大多数的气体交换表面积和毛细血管都集中在肺底。普通人若只用胸部浅呼吸，就完全浪费了底部的高效交换区；而自由潜水员（Free Divers）正是将这种生物力学开发到极致的专家。无论是高矮胖瘦，顶级自由潜水员都拥有惊人的宽大胸廓，因为他们懂得如何调动横膈膜并百分之百榨取肺部的每一寸容积。 --- ### [01:02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3760s) 现代压力、战斗或逃跑反应与浅呼吸的心理闭环 Steven 顺势引申到日常生活的诱因：现代人之所以普遍沦为浅呼吸者，核心在于全天候处于屏幕、社交媒体、焦虑和“战斗或逃跑（fight-or-flight）”的慢性应激状态中。许多听众在收听播客探讨呼吸的这一秒，很可能才突然意识到自己刚才正处于极其急促微弱的浅层呼吸之中。自由潜水员能够使用横膈膜 80% 至 90% 以上的活动幅度，而现代普通人平均仅动用了区区 10% 左右，甚至常常低于这个数字。 James 深刻剖析了生理机制与心理学之间的双向缠绕。呼吸状态会直接改变脑部神经回路的运作与焦虑水平，而大脑产生的焦虑情绪反过来又会立刻绑架呼吸模式，形成另一个顽固的闭环。在现代职场中，人类演化出的威胁感知系统已经被严重过度敏感化：面对非致命的现代刺激——比如同事一封刻薄的邮件，或者老板对上个项目表达失望的通知——身体并不会去理性区分这是否会危及生命，而是直接激活原始的急性应激反应，瞬间诱发生理上的屏息、心跳加速与极度短促的呼吸。 ### [01:04:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3856s) “邮件性呼吸暂停”与现代生活中的压力恶性循环 人类在遭遇压力时的生理本能，数千年来并未改变：身体瞬间紧绷，下意识屏住呼吸，紧接着是急促短浅的过度通气。詹姆斯·内斯特（James Nestor）解释说，数千年前在荒野中生存时，这种反应极其有用——察觉到危险接近时，屏气是为了隐藏声响不被发现；紧接着的大量通气则是为了给呼吸系统增氧，为“战或逃”（Fight or Flight）做好生理准备。然而在当代社会，人们在日常生活中面临信息过载，神经系统变得过度敏感，使得这种本属于生死危机关头的应激反应频繁被触发。 在办公环境与日常屏幕使用中，这种现象尤为普遍。研究人员给它起了各种名称，例如“持续性部分注意力”（Continuous Partial Attention）或学术上的注意力紊乱综合征，但内斯特更青睐“邮件性呼吸暂停”（Email Apnea）这个直观易记的术语。美国国家卫生研究院（NIH）等机构的研究表明，日复一日处于这种呼吸紊乱状态，会导致身体陷入无休止的“恐惧、威胁与压力”闭环，进而引发高血压、代谢功能失调等一系列长期健康损伤。相比药物干预，掌控呼吸是斩断这一压力恶性循环最迅速、最见效的方式。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 压力呼吸循环与干预 accDescr: 展示从压力刺激到身体功能受损的循环，以及通过呼吸干预打破该循环的路径。 subgraph StressLoop["压力应激反应循环"] A["外部压力刺激<br/>（如工作邮件、排队插队）"] --> B["屏住呼吸 / 肌肉紧绷"] B --> C["急促过度通气<br/>（呼出过多 CO2）"] C --> D["持续交感神经兴奋<br/>（战或逃状态）"] D --> E["长期健康危害<br/>（高血压、代谢失调）"] end subgraph Intervention["呼吸重置干预"] F["识别异常呼吸"] --> G["双吸一呼 / 延长呼气"] G -.->|打破循环| D end ``` --- ### [01:05:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3949s) 呼吸急救法：双吸一呼与延长呼气的现场演练 当意识到自己正在急促呼吸或无意识屏气时，第一步是立刻喊停。内斯特向主持人史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）现场演示并教学了一套呼吸重置法：连续吸气两次，紧接着一次长呼气（即生理性叹息，Physiological Sigh）。在机场排队被插队、星巴克做错咖啡这类令人烦躁的日常琐事中，都可以使用这一技巧。内斯特指出，练习时动作应当轻柔、隐蔽，无需大张旗鼓，周围人甚至根本看不出你在调整呼吸。在做了几次深长的呼气后，史蒂文立刻感叹整个人感觉完全不同了。 随后，内斯特引导史蒂文尝试“吸气 4 秒、呼气 6 秒”的舒缓呼吸节奏。当史蒂文吸气用力过猛、胸口剧烈起伏时，内斯特立即打断并提醒他：“放慢，动作要轻到我看不出来。你太用力了。”他强调，呼吸练习并不是越用力越好，唯有轻柔、缓慢且放松的节奏，才能有效激活副交感神经系统。对于日常练习，吸气 5 秒、呼气 5 秒同样是一个极佳的基准，但将呼气延长至 6 秒能够更迅速地带来镇静放松感。 - **双吸一呼重置法**：吸气一段后暂停片刻，再补吸一小口充满肺部，随后彻底长叹呼气，可瞬间重置呼吸机能。 - **4-6 呼吸法**：吸气 4 秒，呼气 6 秒，通过延长呼气比例直接诱发副交感神经的放松反射。 - **5-5 平衡呼吸**：吸气 5 秒，呼气 5 秒，维持日常呼吸的平稳与节奏感。 --- ### [01:08:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4109s) 神经系统黑客：自主神经调控与心率变异性（HRV） 针对史蒂文提出的“副交感神经与呼吸系统究竟如何运作”的通俗解释请求，内斯特阐释道：呼吸是人类接入并黑进自主神经系统的唯一意识入口。人类无法靠意识命令心脏跳慢一点，也无法用意念调节肝脏代谢，但完全可以凭意志改变呼吸。交感神经系统主导战斗或逃跑，在危机时刻至关重要，但若整天处于紧绷状态，就会诱发焦虑与自身免疫性疾病。健康的动物（如荒野中的羚羊）在遭遇猛兽袭击脱险后，短短五分钟就能转入安睡状态，展现出极强的神经切换弹性；而现代人却几乎全天候深陷交感神经亢奋中。 内斯特指出，慢性压力和焦虑症人群体内的二氧化碳（$CO_2$）水平普遍极低，因为急促呼吸会把维持血管舒张和氧气释放所需的 $CO_2$ 过量排出（off-gassing）。对于这类人群，进行憋气测试不仅是诊断手段，更是极佳的治疗练习：通过耐受更高浓度的 $CO_2$，能帮助身体恢复内稳态。至于延长呼气为何能减轻焦虑，其机制在于“呼吸性窦性心律不齐”（Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia）： - **吸气阶段**：心率自然轻微上升； - **呼气阶段**：心率自然减慢。 通过佩戴可穿戴设备（如 Whoop 手环）观察心率变异性（HRV），可以清晰捕捉到这种变化。延长呼气实际上是在向大脑发送安全信号，诱导心脏节律放缓。许多人仅通过两三分钟的呼吸调整，就能使收缩压迅速下降 10 到 15 个点。 --- ### [01:13:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4397s) 中场赞助插播：Huel 营养代餐 在进入下一个话题前，节目插播了赞助商 Huel 的广告。史蒂文向听众介绍了 Huel 推出的畅销体验套装（Best Seller Bundle），该套装精心挑选了各类代餐正餐与能量棒，并附赠标志性的 Huel 摇摇杯、代餐碗以及剪裁合身的免费 T 恤。史蒂文提到自己无论在董事会、实验室研发阶段还是在家中，都全面尝试过 Huel 的各线产品，极大提升了生活便利性，并鼓励新用户通过这一套装尝试并加入“Hooligan”健康社群。随后，节目对话重新切入疫情与健康防护的相关讨论。 ### [01:14:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4456s) 口罩争议与室内空气循环的真相 Steven Bartlett 开启了一个颇具争议性的话题：在新冠疫情期间，人们热烈讨论口罩是否会对身体有害，甚至有人认为口罩锁住了二氧化碳、导致疾病，甚至在当下仍有人主张给儿童戴口罩会导致各类病痛。对此，James Nestor 直言这个问题“比母乳喂养的话题还要敏感争议得多”。他客观指出，外科医生和牙医佩戴口罩已超过百年，他们佩戴高品质口罩并在需要时使用，工作状态完全正常；同时多项科学研究证实，在人人都佩戴且规范佩戴的前提下，口罩确实能阻断新冠及其他病毒的传播。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 密闭室内二氧化碳累积与交叉呼吸机制 accDescr: 展示在密闭无新风环境中，随二氧化碳浓度上升，交叉吸入他人呼出气体的比例大幅增加的过程。 subgraph Ambient["室内环境状况"] A["室外新鲜空气<br/>~418 PPM"] --> B["密闭/循环风室内<br/>CO2 持续累积"] end subgraph Concentration["CO2 浓度递增与影响"] B --> C["800 - 1,000 PPM<br/>认知/测试成绩下降 20%<br/>约每 30 口吸入 1 口他人废气"] C --> D["1,400 - 2,000 PPM<br/>测试成绩骤降 50%<br/>潜在骨骼脱矿与慢性炎症"] D --> E["> 2,500 PPM<br/>严重恶化（如机舱、酒吧、地铁）<br/>约每 7-17 口吸入 1 口他人废气"] end subgraph Risk["口罩的局限性"] E --> F["过度依赖口罩防线<br/>佩戴劣质口罩/吸入化学残留"] F --> G["严重回流空气中<br/>口罩无法阻止气溶胶与废气吸入"] end ``` 然而，James 话锋一转指出了残酷的另一面：在美国等地，长达六个月非常有效的社交隔离结束后，官方给出的指引变成了“只要戴上口罩就可以随意出门聚集”，但这并未真正遏制病毒扩散。James 归结了三大核心问题： 1. 市面上大多数人佩戴的口罩质量极差，充斥着化学残留物，长期吸入对健康有害； 2. 绝大部分人的佩戴方式并不规范； 3. 口罩给人们带来了虚假的安全感，误以为戴上口罩就绝对安全。 更致命的是室内通风问题。James 在亲自研究室内二氧化碳浓度后发现，在很多官方宣称“只要戴口罩就安全”的场所，二氧化碳浓度严重超标，意味着“你每吸入的七口空气里，就有一口是别人呼出的‘残汤剩饭’（someone else's breath backwash）”。在这样一个空气高度循环回流的环境中，戴多少层口罩都无法阻挡病毒的侵袭。 - 外科医生与牙医规范佩戴优质口罩已有百年历史，科学证实正确佩戴口罩能降低病毒传播。 - 劣质口罩的化学材质挥发、不规范佩戴以及盲目的虚假安全感削弱了防疫效果。 - 在高浓度循环风环境中，平均每 7 口呼吸就可能包含一口他人呼出的废气，单纯依赖口罩根本无济于事。 --- ### [01:16:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4609s) 隐形杀手：二氧化碳如何摧毁认知与身体健康 Steven 对二氧化碳浓度与“二手呼吸（recycled air）”之间的直接关联感到非常震惊。James 解释道，这也是他在《呼吸》一书出版后从一位呼吸科专家那里学到的——室内二氧化碳浓度是衡量空气循环回流程度的最佳指标。为此，James 特意购买了一个随身携带的二氧化碳检测仪，并在采访现场实时监测。 现场数据显示，采访刚开始时演播室内的二氧化碳浓度是 700 PPM，而此时已经飙升到了 1,100 PPM。James 展开了一组令人触目惊心的数据对比： | 二氧化碳浓度 (PPM) | 环境典型场景 | 对人体健康与认知的影响 | 交叉呼吸比例估算 | |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- | | **~418 - 419** | 室外新鲜自然空气 | 健康基准线，最理想的呼吸环境 | 无他人废气滞留 | | **800** | 常见通风不良的室内/教室 | 学生考试成绩出现 20% 的下滑 | 废气开始累积 | | **1,000** | 普通封闭办公室 | 引发眼部刺激、咽喉肿痛等不适；超 18 项研究证实长期暴露会导致骨骼脱矿、肾脏钙化及慢性炎症 | 约每 30 口呼吸含 1 口他人呼出废气 | | **1,400 - 2,000** | 许多封闭学校、会议室 | 一项针对 24 名雇员的研究显示认知评分骤降 50%；学生测试成绩下降达 50% | 恶化加剧 | | **2,500 - 2,700** | 刚登机起飞前的机舱、长途飞行 | 昏昏欲睡、极度疲倦、“感觉糟糕透顶” | 约每 17 口呼吸含 1 口他人呼出废气 | | **4,000 - 5,000** | 拥挤的酒吧、部分地铁车厢 | 官方设立的危急红线（实际上远在 800-1,000 PPM 危害就已显现） | 每 7 口呼吸就有一口是他人废气 | James 强调，官方监管机构常宣传 5,000 PPM 以下不需要担心，但这完全是误导；已有 18 项以上的严谨科学研究证实，浓度只要超过 800 至 1,000 PPM，就会产生诸如骨骼脱矿（bone demineralization）、肾脏钙化（kidney calcification）及慢性系统性炎症等严重健康威胁。 - 随着演播室访谈进行，封闭环境内的读数从 700 PPM 一路攀升到 1,100 PPM，若再录制几小时很可能会突破 1,500 至 1,700 PPM。 - 在飞机起飞前准备阶段，机舱内二氧化碳常达 2,500 至 2,600 PPM，许多乘客一上飞机就昏睡往往是二氧化碳过高导致，并非单纯的起飞疲劳。 - 密闭学校教室的测试成绩直接下降高达 50%，而现代社会正让成千上万面临升学大考的学生在缺氧高碳的室内受损。 --- ### [01:21:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4906s) 现代建筑的通风困境与演播室的沉思 面对这些研究数据，Steven 忍不住调侃道：“照这么说，因为你一直在对面呼吸，我现在已经变笨了 50%！”两人都感叹二氧化碳的隐蔽与致命——人们在公共场所全面禁烟，因为二手烟看得见、闻得着；而二氧化碳无色无味、难以直接察觉，却时时刻刻在密闭建筑中损害人体。 James 提到现代建筑设计的严重弊端：许多高档酒店为了安全或节能，把窗户彻底焊死或封死，一夜之间二氧化碳检测仪每两小时就跳升 100 点，导致房客早起时精疲力竭。他打趣道：“我强烈建议大家千万别买二氧化碳检测仪，否则无论走到哪你都会变成一个神经质（neurotic）。”但他认为新鲜空气是不可忽视的人权，并大胆预言：在未来几年内，各大企业高管为了维持团队的工作表现与认知生产力，必然会被迫对办公环境的新鲜空气供给提出硬性标准。解决这一问题其实极其简单——哪怕只是把窗户留出一条细小的缝隙，空气质量就会发生戏剧性的逆转。 这番话彻底击中了 Steven 的痛点。Steven 坦白，为了录制的高品质静音效果，这个演播室是一个完全密封、没有一扇窗户的“密闭隔音舱”。这里原本是他旧厨房的复制版，旧址位于大楼顶层，带有一个巨大的露天阳台，随时可以推开门呼吸新鲜空气；而如今为了隔绝外界噪音，团队搬到地下打造成了密室。Steven 苦笑着承认，自己经常在这个毫无新鲜空气进入、仅靠中央空调内循环的密封房间里连轴工作九个小时，一天连续录制三场长播客，“你现在这么一说，我真的开始觉得浑身温热、昏昏欲睡了”。现代人追求便利与功能性打造出的密闭空间，无形中成了侵蚀大脑认知与健康的温床。 ### [01:24:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5091s) 现代建筑与认知疲劳：缺氧与密闭空间的错配问题 Steven 坦言自己在录制过程中感到异常疲惫，虽然部分原因来自高强度的谈话和持续的大脑思考，但结合之前讨论的研究——室内二氧化碳过高可导致认知能力出现高达 50% 的波动——他禁不住发问：如果能找到办法向当前这个演播室引入更多氧气并排出二氧化碳，自己的状态会发生怎样的变化？James Nestor 毫不犹豫地向他保证，身体一定会感到好转，大脑的运转效能也必然优于现状，具体改善幅度虽因人而异、因日子而异，但正面影响毋庸置疑。James 指出，人类的生理演化根本不是为了被终日困在四面白墙的密闭盒子里，这本质上是人类生理机能与现代生活方式之间的“严重错配”（misalignment problem）。 回溯到一百年甚至仅五十年前，几乎所有建筑物都配有可以随时推开通风的窗户。然而，现代建筑设计为了追求更容易控制供暖与制冷成本，普遍采用了全密闭式的“气泡”设计。典型的例子就像大型超市沃尔玛（Walmart），室内没有一扇窗户，完全依靠蓝光人工照明形成完全受控的人造环境。这种节能与便利的代价是人类的健康受损。James 透露，如今自己入住酒店时，总会向柜台提出一个常招致异样眼光的古怪要求：“这间客房有能打开的窗户吗？”只有当一个人随身携带二氧化碳检测仪并深入阅读过相关科研报告后，才会切实体会到通风与新鲜空气是多么不可忽视的生存刚需。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 现代密闭建筑对大脑认知能力的影响机制 accDescr: 展示从密闭建筑设计导致二氧化碳堆积，再到引发认知障碍与疲劳的因果链条 subgraph BuiltEnv["现代密闭环境设计"] A["追求温控节能设计<br/>（密闭气泡空间）"] --> B["缺乏可开启窗户与自然光"] end subgraph PhysiologicalImpact["生理与认知衰退"] B --> C["室内 CO2 浓度攀升 / 氧气稀薄"] C --> D["大脑神经系统氧合不足"] D --> E["出现严重疲劳感与认知表现下滑<br/>（文献显示最高可达 50% 差异）"] end ``` ### [01:26:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5181s) 自然环境对脑力产出的赋能与认知觉醒 Steven 顺着这个话题分享了切身体会：每当撰写新书时，他习惯远离写字楼，特意跑到丛林深处或湖畔的大自然中闭关写作。过去他只觉得这样灵感更好，现在恍然大悟，在大自然中写作不仅是心态问题，更是通过置身于低二氧化碳、高含氧量的流通空气中，切切实实大幅提升了大脑的认知水准。他总结道，无论是进行深度对谈访谈、撰写严肃专著，还是处理任何高负荷的复杂脑力工作，工作空间必须具备两大先决条件：**优良的通风条件**与**充足的自然光线**。 James 对此表示赞同，并指出文化层面的变革已见端倪，未来必将有越来越多的人对工作与生活环境的空气质量提出明确要求。人在户外自然中思维之所以更清晰，除了环境极低的二氧化碳浓度外，还综合了自然光谱的照射、大自然自带的减压与激发灵感的作用，空气质量无疑是这套综合系统中最不可或缺的关键一环。Steven 感慨道，人们往往把“无知视为福气”（ignorance is bliss），在疲惫或状态不佳时胡乱寻找原因、错判病因（misdiagnosing the problems）。能够通过硬核知识搞清身体运行机制，即便只是简单改善通气把氧气引进来，就能唤醒更高阶的大脑认知潜能，这种知情带来的赋权感（empowerment）是无可估量的。 ### [01:28:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5284s) 晨间健康自测：BOLT 身体氧平衡测试实操指南 随后，Steven 将话题切入到具体的健康诊断操作上，询问 James 每天早晨如何在酒店房间里通过屏息来进行健康自测，是否使用秒表计时。James 解释，这项测试通常被称为 **BOLT 测试**（Body Oxygen Level Test，身体氧水平测试），亦称“控制暂停”（control pause），该概念由呼吸专家 Patrick McEwen 等人广泛推广。James 随即指导 Steven 进行了一次现场实测，并特别提醒观众和听众，为了测试的准确性，必须严格遵循标准流程： - **准备动作**：保持安静坐姿，不要深吸气，只进行平缓柔和的正常吸气。 - **起步呼气**：自然呼出气体，直到气体排尽至“中性点”（neutral point），绝对不要刻意过度用力排空气体。 - **计时切入**：就在中性呼气结束的瞬间，捏住鼻子或停止呼吸，同时启动秒表。 - **终止信号**：严格记录从闭气到**身体出现第一声生理阻力反抗**的时间间隔。这种信号可能是喉咙产生不由自主的吞咽冲动、横膈膜出现轻微抽搐痉挛，或是咽喉后部感受到压力堆积。 - **判定标准**：该测试**绝非极限闭气挑战**（not a maximum breath hold test）。恢复呼吸时的状态至关重要——必须能立即恢复平缓、完全不费力的正常呼吸；如果在结束时猛烈喘粗气（发出 gasp 叹气声），就说明为了刷数字而违背原则死撑，测试成绩直接作废。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: BOLT 身体氧水平测试的标准执行流程 accDescr: 描述平缓吸气、呼气至中性点、开始屏息计时以及在首个生理不适感出现时立即停止计时的四个阶段 A["平缓吸气<br/>（切忌大口深吸）"] --> B["自然呼气至中性点<br/>（不强行挤出余气）"] B --> C["启动计时闭气"] C --> D{"捕捉首个不适信号<br/>（吞咽动作 / 横膈膜抽动）"} D -- "立即停止计时" --> E["无喘息、平缓恢复呼吸<br/>（记录秒数）"] ``` 在现场测试中，Steven 闭气达到了 40 秒，但 James 敏锐指出他在最后时刻出现了一点勉强支撑的痕迹。针对不同人群的测试基准线，James 拆解了相关数据分布： - **40 秒及以上**：理想的健康水准。代表机体拥有良好的二氧化碳耐受度与高效的肺部氧气摄取能力。 - **20 秒左右**：大多数顶尖职业运动员在初次尝试时的典型成绩。运动员往往习惯咬牙忍耐痛苦，通过意志力硬撑竞技，但其实际内在呼吸机能并不健全，这也是许多足球、棒球运动员在退役后身体健康迅速彻底崩溃崩盘的重要根源。 - **15 秒左右**：绝大多数普通成年人的平均水准，尤其在年长者群体中极为普遍。 - **3 至 5 秒**：伴有重度哮喘、焦虑症或惊恐障碍（panic disorder）患者的常见成绩，直观反映出其严重的呼吸模式功能障碍（respiratory dysfunction）与极其低下的二氧化碳耐受能力。 James 特别告诫，BOLT 评分是用于检视身体呼吸机能现状的诊断起点，绝不能当作与他人竞争攀比的工具。单次测量不足为据，因为数值会因睡眠质量优劣、晨昏时段、饭前饭后等日常变动而剧烈起伏。严谨的做法是每天分早、中、晚三次测试，连续记录一周后计算均值，以此作为衡量自身呼吸系统基准健康的真实 BOLT 得分。 ### [01:32:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5565s) 破除哮喘宿命论：呼吸重塑与慢性文明病的逆转 测试间隙，演播室内的二氧化碳监测仪数值再次攀升，两人打趣若这是走势图该多好。话题由此引申到了哮喘疾病。Steven 坦白自己从不患哮喘，因此对该病知之甚少，在他的传统认知中，哮喘似乎属于“与生俱来的基因缺陷”，确诊后患者通常只能终生依赖药物维持。 James 明确反驳了这种普遍共识，直斥其为彻头彻尾的认知误区。诚然，部分个体存在天然的遗传易感倾向，但这绝不等于被宣判了终生无法摆脱哮喘的“无期徒刑”。他举了身边朋友三岁孩子的真实遭遇：孩子被诊断为哮喘，医生开具了沙丁胺醇（Albuterol）等各类药物喷剂，甚至手术切除了腺样体与扁桃体，却从始至终没有任何医护人员询问或观察过孩子的呼吸方式。James 询问朋友后得知，那孩子整夜都在张嘴打呼噜，白天清醒时嘴巴也始终闭不上，处于全天候的口呼吸状态，而现代医疗系统对如此显眼的病因线索竟完全视而不见。 James 严正指出，除少数不可逆的遗传性神经系统病变外，现代人完全不该被动接受“文明病（diseases of civilization）将伴随终生”的悲观论调。如同过去人们认为糖尿病不可治愈，而如今 Virta Health 等医疗机构已经充分证明通过调整饮食结构能彻底逆转 2 型糖尿病一样，**哮喘和焦虑症同样可以通过呼吸机能重塑实现根本性扭转**。改善呼吸习惯至少可以大幅削减发病症状；在理想状态下，完全可以达到无症状自愈。他接触过数十位被哮喘折磨了几十年的患者，他们童年时期因呼吸困难无法在户外奔跑嬉戏，只能长年被困在室内闭门吸药，而最终正是通过主动掌控并重塑自身的呼吸模式，彻底摆脱了哮喘的所有病症。 - **核心观点**：哮喘往往被误解为纯粹的遗传宿命，但大量案例表明口呼吸与通气过度才是恶化病情的关键元凶。 - **逆转范式**：正如饮食调整可逆转 2 型糖尿病（如 Virta 公司所证实的临床路径），掌握并矫正呼吸方式被证明能极大缓解甚至彻底消除哮喘及焦虑症状。 ### [01:34:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5696s) 腺样体切除与哮喘误区：探寻呼吸功能障碍的根源 斯蒂芬向詹姆斯询问起他之前提到的一位朋友的故事。那位朋友年仅三岁的孩子患有哮喘，焦急万分的父亲打电话向詹姆斯求助。医生和外科医生的诊断建议是立刻切除这个三岁幼童的扁桃体和腺样体，坚信这才是哮喘发作的祸根，并宣称切除后孩子就能顺畅呼吸；更令人震惊的是，医生还断言孩子余生都必须依赖口服类固醇药物和支气管扩张剂。詹姆斯明确表示，自己无意去质疑外科手术在某些紧急情况下的必要性，但他坚决反对让一个才三岁的孩子就此背负终身服药的枷锁。 詹姆斯指出，如果仅仅通过手术摘除扁桃体和腺样体，却完全不解决根本的呼吸功能障碍，哮喘、睡眠呼吸暂停以及打鼾等所有病症最终都会卷土重来。他迅速帮朋友引荐了一位顶尖的呼吸治疗师。斯蒂芬对此深有感触地反思道，回顾自己的童年，身边有无数同龄人都经历过扁桃体切除手术。从演化生物学与祖先适应的角度来看，经过数百万年漫长进化才形成的人体器官，绝不可能在近四十年里突然变得毫无用处。腺样体和扁桃体的充血发炎，本质上是现代环境与人类身体严重失调后所表现出的生理症状。在贸然把手术刀伸进一个三岁孩子的嘴里大肆切除之前，医学界更应该追问：究竟是什么环境与呼吸刺激导致了这些组织的慢性发炎？ - **临床试验警示**：大量医学证据表明，若不矫正基础的病态呼吸模式，单纯切除腺样体和扁桃体并不能根治哮喘或睡眠窒息症。 - **演化失调视角**：人类器官的功能失调是近几十年生活环境改变的产物，应当先通过自然干预恢复身体机能，而非盲目将手术作为首选方案。 --- ### [01:38:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=5888s) 闭嘴胶带的魔力：平稳心率与大脑的夜间主钟 斯蒂芬将话题引申到自己的伴侣身上。他的女友患有轻度鼻中隔偏曲，平时甚至熟睡时都能清晰听到她用鼻子呼吸的杂音。近期她开始尝试佩戴一种名为 MyoTape 的口部贴带——这种胶带环绕在嘴唇四周，中间留有透气孔，能够在不完全封死嘴唇的情况下温和提醒闭嘴。令他们大为惊奇的是，在查看智能穿戴设备 Whoop 记录的晨间健康报告时，女友夜间的心率曲线呈现出前所未有的平缓走势。以往她入睡后心率经常出现剧烈波动，频繁飙升至 60 到 70 次/分；而在使用贴带辅助闭口鼻吸后，整夜心率平稳如镜，夜间惊醒次数骤降，睡眠效率显著提升。 詹姆斯对此完全不感到意外，因为他每天都能收到大量读者发来的类似反馈与手环数据截图。大脑在睡眠期间极度渴望获得一种稳定、流畅且具有周期性的信号，而这种节律正是由平缓深沉的鼻呼吸来校准的。深长轻松的鼻腔呼吸是人体在夜间修复大脑与生理系统的“主时钟”。睡眠本是身体休息、再生和细胞修复的黄金期；一旦出现口呼吸或呼吸阻塞，身体就会误以为面临生存威胁，被迫频繁中断修复机制去应对危机，从而导致心率狂飙与微觉醒。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 夜间呼吸模式对生理修复的影响对比 accDescr: 展示口呼吸引发威胁警报与鼻呼吸维持平稳节律对夜间睡眠修复的两种不同生理机制 subgraph MouthBreathing["夜间口呼吸模式"] A["气道阻力与口呼吸"] --> B["呼吸急促紊乱"] B --> C["大脑感知潜在危机"] C --> D["心率剧烈脉冲飙升<br/>夜间频繁惊醒中断"] D --> E["阻断深睡眠与身体细胞修复"] end subgraph NoseBreathing["夜间鼻呼吸模式"] F["使用辅助贴带 / 闭口鼻吸"] --> G["深长、平缓、流动的呼吸信号"] G --> H["校准睡眠大脑主时钟"] H --> I["副交感神经主导<br/>心率平稳与高HRV"] I --> J["进入深度休眠与高效机体自我重塑"] end ``` - **数据表现**：坚持夜间鼻呼吸能够有效平抑夜间心率脉冲，显著拉长深度睡眠时长并提升心率变异性（HRV）。 - **辅助工具的选择**：无论依靠意志力、下巴托带（chin strap）还是特制口部胶带（如 MyoTape），只要能维持双唇闭合即可。MyoTape 这类留孔胶带能消除人们初次封口的窒息恐惧，尤其适合呼吸紊乱的儿童。 --- ### [01:41:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6078s) 寻找呼吸的完美节奏：5.5秒法则与个性化调整 谈到呼吸的奥秘，斯蒂芬好奇地询问是否存在所谓的“完美呼吸节律”。詹姆斯解释道，每个人由于体格和耐受力的不同会有细微差异，但最理想的基础起步节律是“吸气 5 到 6 秒，呼气 5 到 6 秒”。詹姆斯幽默地坦白，他在畅销书《呼吸》中曾精确提出“吸气 5.5 秒、呼气 5.5 秒”（即每分钟 5.5 次呼吸）的研究结论，结果发布后收到了铺天盖地的读者来信与焦虑求助，许多人抓狂地抱怨自己练习了两周都无法精确卡准那半秒钟。詹姆斯啼笑皆非地感慨道：“天哪，我都干了些什么！”因此他现在更鼓励大家放宽心态，维持在 5 到 6 秒的区间即可。 随着研究的深入，詹姆斯发现呼吸频率还应根据身体硬件与健康状态动态微调。身材高大的人（如身高在 6 英尺/183 厘米以上）拥有更大的肺活量，横膈膜需要更长的下沉距离，他们的最佳节律通常更慢，大约每分钟 4.5 次呼吸，即吸气 8 秒、呼气 8 秒。相比之下，处于生长发育期的新陈代谢旺盛的儿童需要更快的换气频率，可以从吸气 3 秒、呼气 3 秒循序渐进地练习。对于那些饱受恐慌症、重度焦虑困扰或二氧化碳耐受度极低的人群，强行进行长呼慢吸反而会诱发不适，他们应从最轻松的“吸气 2 秒、呼气 2 秒”逐步拓展。现代智能穿戴设备让人们能直观追踪呼吸与 HRV 的实时共振，从而锁定最适合个体的呼吸甜蜜点。 - **黄金基础节律**：吸气 5 至 6 秒，呼气 5 至 6 秒（约每分钟 5 至 6 次呼吸）。 - **高大体型特征**：身高 6 英尺以上人群建议降至每分钟约 4.5 次呼吸（吸气 8 秒，呼气 8 秒）。 - **焦虑及儿童适应**：低耐受者可从 2 秒或 3 秒对等节律起步，逐步建立二氧化碳适应力。 --- ### [01:43:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6232s) 迷幻体验般的强烈呼吸法：放下执念与情绪疗愈 斯蒂芬将话题转向了高阶呼吸法，聊起他的伴侣经常沉浸于一种极具颠覆性的呼吸仪式中。这种高强度的呼吸训练常被称作“内火呼吸”（Inner Fire）或“全息呼吸”（Holotropic Breathwork）。斯蒂芬回忆起自己第一次随女友体验这种呼吸仪式时的震撼感：整个人仿佛经历了一场无需药物的“致幻之旅”。 在那次呼吸体验中，斯蒂芬感到自我（Ego）的坚硬外壳瞬间消融瓦解，整个人被无法抑制的强烈情绪所包裹。那并不是消极悲伤的痛苦，而是一种前所未有的生命澄澈感与清醒感。伴随着意识层面的震颤，斯蒂芬在仪式结束后产生了一种迫切的冲动——他渴望立刻去向身边的好几个人真诚道歉。就在当天早些时候，他还因为一些微不足道的鸡毛蒜皮琐事与人争吵不休，但在高强度呼吸带来的精神洗礼下，那些狭隘的固执与防线彻底崩溃了。 ### [01:44:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6272s) 高强度呼吸法与“龙虾爪”痉挛背后的生理学真相 针对史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）提到强效呼吸练习中“自我溶解”（ego dissolution）并被广泛用于心理创伤和心理健康治疗的现象，詹姆斯·内斯特（James Nestor）从生理学层面进行了深入剖析。他强调，在尝试这些剧烈呼吸法（如调息法 Pranayama、昆达里尼 Kundalini、全息呼吸法 Holotropic）之前，必须先打牢呼吸基础——掌握鼻呼吸、慢呼吸和正确的生物力学。这类高强度呼吸往往要求快速喘息，有时甚至需要口呼吸，其核心目的并非日常养生，而是由练习者主动在体内触发急性应激反应（stress response），其机制与冰水浴（ice baths）完全一致。通过“过度呼吸—屏息—慢呼吸”的循环交替，练习者得以在受控环境中驯化神经系统，将白天的散在压力浓缩到短时间内释放（"blow a fuse"），从而让余下的一整天重归平静。 许多呼吸课教练常宣称“呼吸越快，大脑摄氧量越高，所以你才感到兴奋迷醉”，内斯特指出这完全违背生理学事实：过度呼吸实际上会剧烈抑制大脑血流量，最高可使大脑供血量骤降40%。随着二氧化碳（CO2）被大量呼出，血液血管收缩，体内的离子化钙（ionized calcium）与白蛋白（albumin）结合，导致外周血液游离钙浓度骤降，引发四肢发麻和手部肌肉强制痉挛。内斯特调侃道，有些呼吸导师玄学地宣称“手缩成爪状是因为你在倒流回古老时光、正在蜕变成一只鸟”，但实际上这纯粹是呼吸性碱中毒引起的典型生理痉挛（tetany）。巴特利特深有共鸣地证实，自己在呼吸训练时完全无意识地把双手悬在空中，十指蜷缩得宛如“龙虾爪”（crab/lobster claws），直到事后看抓拍照片才察觉。内斯特表示，只要身体做好了准备，这种在指导下进入的极端应激状态是非常自然的生理反馈，一旦转为屏气或放慢呼吸，身体便会迅速恢复平衡。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 高强度过度呼吸引起的生理反应链 accDescr: 展示剧烈过度呼吸如何导致低碳酸血症、血管收缩以及手部肌肉痉挛的生理机制 A["快速过度呼吸<br>(全息/昆达里尼呼吸)"] --> B["CO2大量呼出<br>(急性低碳酸血症)"] B --> C["脑血管收缩<br>(脑血流量减少高达40%)"] B --> D["血液pH值升高<br>(呼吸性碱中毒)"] D --> E["离子化钙结合白蛋白<br>(游离钙急剧下降)"] E --> F["神经肌肉兴奋性激增<br>(双手蜷缩痉挛/'龙虾爪')"] C --> G["意识状态改变 / 头晕飘忽"] ``` - **脑供血骤降**：剧烈过度呼吸会引起血管收缩，使大脑血流量减少多达40%，而非教练口中的“给大脑增氧”。 - **手部痉挛机制**：过度呼出二氧化碳引发呼吸性碱中毒，游离离子钙与白蛋白紧密结合，导致肌肉痉挛收缩形成“龙虾爪”。 - **可逆性**：痉挛与麻木感并非永久损伤，只要及时进行屏气或恢复深长缓慢的呼吸，机体就能迅速回归正常。 --- ### [01:48:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6494s) 呼吸对抗心理创伤：重置神经系统对压力的认知阈值 面对巴特利特关于“剧烈呼吸究竟如何排解深层压力”的追问，内斯特将其类比为冷水浸泡、去健身房撸铁或上一节高强度瑜伽课——通过主动向身体施加高负荷的物理与生理压力，大脑被重新校准了何为真正的“生存威胁”。现代人往往处于长期神经过敏状态，收到一封语气不善的电子邮件就容易暴跳如雷；而经历过剧烈呼吸诱发的极端生理压力洗礼后，神经系统的反应阈值被拉高，面对日常琐碎挫折时便能处变不惊，重塑宽容待人的从容心态。 内斯特指出，心理学和灵性层面的体验因人而异、难以量化，但高强度呼吸法的疗愈力量是确凿无疑的。无数人通过这种完全内源性（endogenous）、不借助任何外部药物的方法，放下了沉重的“心理包袱”（psychological luggage）。内斯特分享了自己在旧金山最古老的低氧实验室（Hypoxia Lab）参与研究的亲身轶事：当时研究人员监测到他因剧烈呼吸导致手部痉挛、体内二氧化碳水平断崖式下跌，吓得几乎要叫救护车将他送进急诊室（ER）。传统医学研究习惯于将指标骤降视为重病表征，却忽视了当这种生理状态是由个体自主诱导并可自控掌控时，它能转化为强大的心理自愈工具。近年来越来越多的临床研究也证实，这类呼吸法对抑郁症、焦虑症乃至自身免疫性疾病都有着显著的辅助疗效。 - **压力阈值重置**：主动诱发身体极端应激，使大脑重新锚定危险尺度，从而消除面对生活微小摩擦时的应激过激反应。 - **全天然无外力依赖**：无需摄入外源性药物或化学物质，仅凭机体自主控制的神经通路即可实现身心净化。 - **旧金山低氧实验室轶事**：内斯特实验时体内CO2极度耗竭、手部痉挛，令不知情的科研人员一度恐慌到打算送医急救。 --- ### [01:51:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6660s) 呼吸是一门免费的疗愈艺术：日常修习与未来项目 在总结全场对话的核心要点时，内斯特强调大众不需要为了追求健康去斥巨资购买昂贵的课程或设备，也不必啃透成百上千篇晦涩的科研论文。呼吸是造物主赋予人类最公平的礼物，全天候免费可用。最关键的是从最基础的日常呼吸模式做起——纠正口呼吸、习惯鼻呼吸、维持平稳缓慢的节奏；唯有把基础打扎实，日后进阶体验更震撼的大型呼吸工坊（Breathwork sessions）时，才能收获蜕变式的心灵洗礼。他再次严肃呼吁，呼吸功能失调是一个普遍但未被正视的危机，尤其是对儿童的生长发育和成人的身心平衡具有深远危害，必须尽早干预矫正。 对话尾声，巴特利特询问了内斯特正在筹备的 BBC Maestro 系列大师课。内斯特透露自己刚要动笔撰写讲义，该系列课程将成为一套清晰实用的日常工具箱，手把手指导大众在不同情境下如何正确呼吸。他还分享了一个出版幕后花絮：当初撰写《呼吸：一门迷失艺术的新科学》（*Breath*）时，为了将篇幅控制在适读范围内，不得不删减了多达90%的初稿素材；这套 BBC 课程将成为绝佳载体，把那些被忍痛割爱的大量精彩历史轶事、隐秘科学实证以及部分带有神秘学色彩的呼吸秘闻重新呈现给受众。 - **健康无需昂贵代价**：呼吸是完全免费、随时随地可调用的身心滋养手段，无需迷信高昂商业产品。 - **BBC Maestro 大师课**：内斯特即将推出的系列教程，融合实操指南、科学研究，并收录图书删减的90%未公开珍贵档案。 --- ### [01:53:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6793s) 上期嘉宾的终极提问：好奇心是唯一的原动力 巴特利特打趣地看着录播室内的二氧化碳监测仪数值不断攀升，坦言自己已经被内斯特彻底说服，准备立刻自掏腰包购买一台CO2监测设备。随后，节目进入了标志性的收尾保留环节——由上一位匿名嘉宾给内斯特留下的盲盒问题：“究竟是什么在驱动你，让你不断成为最好的自己？”（What is it that drives you to be the best version of you?） 面对这个深刻的终极发问，内斯特给出了毫不犹豫且干净利落的回答：“好奇心”（Curiosity）。他坦承，好奇心是驱使自己每天清晨醒来并满怀激情投入一天的最核心支柱。内斯特感慨自己拥有极大的幸运，能够拥有一份允许他肆无忌惮探索世界、满足好奇心的职业；而在人生的过往岁月中，他也曾经历过许多机械麻木、彻底扼杀个人好奇心的枯燥工作，因此如今能够以探索真相为生，这份好奇心便成为了他生命中最珍贵的前行动力。 - **录播室插曲**：演播室内的二氧化碳浓度随两人交谈持续攀升，主持人巴特利特当场决定购入CO2监测仪。 - **终极驱动力**：推动内斯特不断精进自我的核心力量是纯粹的“好奇心”，正是对未知世界的探索欲赋予了他无限的生活热情。 ### [01:54:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6846s) 《呼吸》一书的深远影响与以证据为先的科普力量 在访谈尾声，斯蒂芬·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）动情地向詹姆斯·内斯特（James Nestor）表达了由衷的敬佩与感谢。斯蒂芬透露，内斯特的著作《呼吸：一门失传艺术的新科学》（*Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art*）自从大约一年前他和女友搬入新家起，就一直摆放在他们床头柜上。斯蒂芬盛赞内斯特能够将极为复杂的科学研究精炼成平实易懂、引人入胜的叙述，让每一位普通读者都能轻松理解。阅读这本书的过程就像“在脑海中不断被点亮灯泡”，让读者深刻意识到日常生活中的种种细微习惯如何影响着身心健康，而改善呼吸并不需要去购买昂贵的课程或苦练繁琐的技能，微小而简单的改变就能在生命中掀起根本性的转变。 斯蒂芬指出，这本书的狂热销量几乎全靠口口相传——一个人传给另一个人，像一张不断蔓延的网。在他自己的团队里，这本书就在杰米玛（Jemima）、梅林（Merlin）、索菲（Sophie）等人之间接力传阅。这种风靡虽然令人欣喜，但在斯蒂芬看来，这也折射出一种时代悲哀：这本理应成为现代人“必读指南”的书，恰恰说明了人类现代生活方式与原始生理结构之间的严重脱节，人们已经彻底遗忘了正确的呼吸习惯，并为此付出了巨大的健康代价。谈及内斯特即将推出的 BBC Maestro 系列课程，斯蒂芬表示充满期待，认为该系列为大众提供了一套切实可行的实操工具箱。 最让斯蒂芬深感共鸣的，是内斯特客观严谨的治学与写作态度。很多人因为畏惧科学证据打破既有认知而选择回避甚至视而不见，但内斯特始终坚持“以证据为先”（lead with the evidence first），竭力将个人主观臆断置于客观数据之后。斯蒂芬还分享了一个生动的现实注脚：正是在内斯特著作的启发下，斯蒂芬的女友在楼上创办了一家名为“Bali Breathwork”的呼吸工作室，彻底投身于用呼吸疗愈他人的事业。斯蒂芬代表成千上万可能永远无法与内斯特谋面、却因其文字而重获健康的人们致以谢意，并迫不及待期待着内斯特筹备中的下一部新作。 - **床头必读书**：斯蒂芬坦言《呼吸》是过去一年来自己与女友床头常备的书籍，阅读体验如同不断在脑海中开启“顿悟之灯”。 - **口碑裂变**：书籍的火爆几乎完全由读者的口口相传驱动，在斯蒂芬的团队成员之间如网络般迅速扩散传播。 - **严谨的求真精神**：内斯特始终恪守不偏不倚的立场，拒绝主观臆断与玄学包装，坚持让实证研究走在观点之前。 - **现实生活中的连锁反应**：受该书启发，斯蒂芬的女友在伦敦创办了名为 Bali Breathwork 的呼吸工作室，成为该书深远社会影响力的一个缩影。 --- ### [01:56:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=7012s) 播客赞助与身体数据监测：利用科技优化恢复 在节目尾声，斯蒂芬谈到了作为一名时间排期高达 90% 都在奔波的创业者，他是如何在快节奏的生活中管理健康与精力的。过去，他始终将高强度的体能训练视为雷打不动的日常底线，试图以此优化身体机能；然而，他近年来生活方式中最重要的升级，是对“休息与身体恢复”（rest and recovery）的深度重视。过去他从未真正理解恢复对维持巅峰表现的重要性，直到他开始佩戴 Whoop 智能健康手环。 斯蒂芬作为该公司的投资人与代言人介绍道，Whoop 就像一位随身佩戴的健康与体能教练，能够实时追踪并反馈睡眠质量、体能恢复程度、训练负荷以及日常压力等关键生理指标。这些直观透明的数据让他能够精准掌握自己身体的承受极限与内在需求，从而在面对漫长的工作日和高强度训练时，做到张弛有度而不至于精力崩溃。斯蒂芬坦言自己对大部分穿戴设备缺乏持久的兴趣，但 Whoop 却成了他唯一长期坚持佩戴的产品，并向听众推荐了专属试用福利。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 高负荷生活中的身体管理与恢复闭环 accDescr: 展示了从高强度日程出发，结合Whoop数据反馈以平衡训练与恢复的健康管理流程。 subgraph Inputs["日常负荷与监测"] A["90% 时间高频奔波<br/>高强度训练"] B["Whoop 智能穿戴<br/>持续监测生理数据"] end subgraph Metrics["核心追踪指标"] C["睡眠质量与时长"] D["恢复程度 (Recovery)"] E["身体负荷与压力 (Strain)"] end subgraph Outcome["长效身体优化"] F["科学平衡休息与恢复<br/>避免精力崩溃与透支"] G["维持高负荷下的<br/>长久巅峰状态"] end A --> B B --> C B --> D B --> E C --> F D --> F E --> F F --> G ``` ## Notable quotes > [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=0s) 如果呼吸方式错误，身体将永远处于亚健康甚至疾病状态。人类作为一个物种，在漫长的进化与现代生活方式的剧变中，已在很大程度上丧失了正确呼吸的能力。 — James Nestor > [02:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=128s) 我认为你的呼吸系统出了根本问题。 — 医生朋友 > [10:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=617s) 现代环境正在合谋让我们生病，这一点绝非危言耸听。 — James Nestor > [13:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=781s) 一个人即使吃最干净的食物、每晚睡足八小时、坚持刻苦锻炼，只要呼吸方式是错的，身体就永远无法获得真正的健康。 — James Nestor > [29:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=1759s) 体态决定呼吸，呼吸塑造体态 — James Nestor > [46:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2769s) 世界上根本没有所谓的 ADHD（注意力缺陷多动障碍），它本质上就是睡眠呼吸障碍，完全是由夜间呼吸紊乱引起的。 — 睡眠与呼吸领域研究人员 > [48:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=2916s) 只要把呼吸问题修复，绝大多数病例中的 ADHD 症状都会随之消失。 — James Nestor > [51:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3106s) 肺部的大小、容量与健康状态，是预测人类寿命长短的最强单一指标 — James Nestor > [01:05:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=3949s) 放慢，动作要轻到我看不出来。你太用力了。 — James Nestor > [01:14:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4456s) 你每吸入的七口空气里，就有一口是别人呼出的‘残汤剩饭’ — James Nestor > [01:21:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=4906s) 我强烈建议大家千万别买二氧化碳检测仪，否则无论走到哪你都会变成一个神经质。 — James Nestor > [01:53:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6793s) 究竟是什么在驱动你，让你不断成为最好的自己？ — 上期嘉宾 > [01:53:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw&t=6793s) 好奇心 — James Nestor ## Mentioned James Nestor, Steven Bartlett, The Diary Of A CEO, Andrew Huberman, Dr. Daniel Lieberman, Jayakar Nayak 博士, Anders Olson, Christian Guilleminault 教授, Peter Attia 博士, Patrick McEwen, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, The 33 Laws Of Business & Life, Whoop, Huel, MyoTape, Virta Health, BBC Maestro, Bali Breathwork, 斯坦福大学 (Stanford University), 哈佛大学 (Harvard University), 美国国家卫生研究院 (NIH), 弗雷明汉心脏研究 (Framingham Heart Study), 沃尔玛 (Walmart), Gerber (嘉宝) ## Video description Andrew Huberman has done extensive research on this! We recommend you watch this video With Dr Daniel Lieberman next: https://youtu.be/ujRwf1HdNjk?si=OFVzsw2NZA4YeYuV In this new episode Steven sits down with the award-winning author and science journalist James Nestor: 00:00 Intro 02:03 My Mission Will Fix People's Health 09:15 Why Breathing Is The Pillar of Our Health 14:46 Groundbreaking Experiment About Nose Breathing Benefits 21:07 What Are We Doing Wrong With Our Breathing? 31:05 Why Do We Have The Ability To Breathe Through Our Mouths If It's So Bad? 34:56 The Benefits of Breathwork for Long COVID 36:36 Children Breathing Wrong Is Causing Them To Suffer 51:46 The Surprising Greatest Indicator of Longevity 57:04 Practical Steps: Change the Way You Breathe 01:02:40 How Our Psychology and Stress Are Affecting Our Breathing 01:13:17 Ad Break 01:14:13 Are Face Masks Actually Making Us Sicker? 01:16:49 Why The Air In Your Room Is Slowly Killing You Every Day 01:28:03 Quick Morning Routine to Check Your Health Levels 01:32:45 Science-Backed Way of Reverting Asthma 01:38:07 Practical Tip To Stop Mouth Breathing 01:41:16 The Life-Changing Benefits of Breathwork 01:54:23 Last Guest's Question You can purchase James’ book, ‘Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art’, here: https://amzn.to/3FTO50Y You can get yourself a CO2 monitor here: https://amzn.to/47ud6vH Follow James: Instagram: https://bit.ly/45EuVrn Join this channel to get access to perks: https://bit.ly/3Dpmgx5 My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' pre order link: https://smarturl.it/DOACbook Follow me: Instagram: http://bit.ly/3nIkGAZ Twitter: http://bit.ly/3ztHuHm Linkedin: https://bit.ly/41Fl95Q Telegram: http://bit.ly/3nJYxST Sponsors: Huel: https://g2ul0.app.link/G4RjcdKNKsb Whoop: join.whoop.com/CEO [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLwVyJ9uXw)

[0:00] James Nestor: 如果呼吸方式错误，身体将永远处于亚健康甚至疾病状态。人类作为一个物种，在漫长的进化与现代生活方式的剧变中，已在很大程度上丧失了正确呼吸的能力。 [2:08] 医生朋友: 我认为你的呼吸系统出了根本问题。 [10:17] James Nestor: 现代环境正在合谋让我们生病，这一点绝非危言耸听。 [13:01] James Nestor: 一个人即使吃最干净的食物、每晚睡足八小时、坚持刻苦锻炼，只要呼吸方式是错的，身体就永远无法获得真正的健康。 [29:19] James Nestor: 体态决定呼吸，呼吸塑造体态 [46:09] 睡眠与呼吸领域研究人员: 世界上根本没有所谓的 ADHD（注意力缺陷多动障碍），它本质上就是睡眠呼吸障碍，完全是由夜间呼吸紊乱引起的。 [48:36] James Nestor: 只要把呼吸问题修复，绝大多数病例中的 ADHD 症状都会随之消失。 [51:46] James Nestor: 肺部的大小、容量与健康状态，是预测人类寿命长短的最强单一指标 [65:49] James Nestor: 放慢，动作要轻到我看不出来。你太用力了。 [74:16] James Nestor: 你每吸入的七口空气里，就有一口是别人呼出的‘残汤剩饭’ [81:46] James Nestor: 我强烈建议大家千万别买二氧化碳检测仪，否则无论走到哪你都会变成一个神经质。 [113:13] 上期嘉宾: 究竟是什么在驱动你，让你不断成为最好的自己？ [113:13] James Nestor: 好奇心

[7:44] James Nestor: You have these people who are at the surface of the water take a single breath of air... and dive down 120 meters on a single breath of air and come back up five minutes later... [23:40] James Nestor: The lungs are just like two balloons... they don't inflate themselves. They need the diaphragm to come down, create a vacuum, and air comes into the lungs. [31:05] James Nestor: There are 30 different functions that the nose does for breathing... Not only does it help filter air out and heat air, but it helps capture moisture—about 40 percent more moisture. [35:10] James Nestor: By breathing in and out of your nose... you will be susceptible less to certain viruses, certain bacteria. [35:10] James Nestor: The book was printed and in warehouses six months before anyone had ever heard the word COVID. [51:46] James Nestor: The healthier and larger your lungs are, the longer you will live. That is the greatest indicator of lifespan. [62:40] James Nestor: How you breathe affects how your brain works, affects your anxiety... But your anxiety also affects how you're breathing. So again, it's another one of those circles. [65:45] James Nestor: By taking control of our breathing, we can hack into our nervous system... Your breathing is the quickest way of taking control of acute stress. Pills work, other modalities work, but in that moment is when you need the most help. [83:01] James Nestor: We're not meant to be in four white walls trapped inside, are we? This is that misalignment problem... even 50 years ago, almost every building had windows you could open. But now, the standard protocol... is creating this bubble. You can control the environment much more easily, but what is it doing to people's health? [98:07] James Nestor: What the brain wants is a consistent fluid signal it gets that signal from your breathing... the Master Clock of sleep and of the brain at night is that cyclical deep easy breathing pattern. This is what the body doesn't want to have to fight and defend itself when it's sleeping.

[0:00] you can exercise all you want eat all [0:02] the right Foods sleep eight hours a [0:04] night if you are not breathing right you [0:06] will always be sick [0:08] James Nester International bestseller on [0:12] breathing as a species we've largely [0:15] lost the ability to breathe correctly [0:17] James travels the whole world trying to [0:19] figure out what went wrong and how to [0:21] fix it 99 of people are breathing [0:23] dysfunctionally they don't realize the [0:25] damage they're doing to their bodies and [0:27] brains by being this way look at the way [0:29] we sit all day long the way we sleep the [0:32] way we eat the modern world is [0:34] conspiring to make us sick diabetes [0:37] asthma metabolic and autoimmune issues [0:40] anxiety even ADHD experts said it is 100 [0:44] related to your breathing at night [0:47] especially really bad breathing habits [0:50] are a recipe for disaster which is what [0:52] has happened for so many kids today so [0:54] if you're a parent and if you can hear [0:56] them breathing when they're sleeping [0:58] this is a big red flag but I believe [1:01] that everybody can become a good breeder [1:03] and these steps are free you can do this [1:05] while we're seated here so the first [1:07] thing is to [1:10] carbon dioxide is seen as this poison [1:12] why levels over 800 into a thousand can [1:16] have serious issues with cognitive and [1:18] physical functions I've been recording [1:20] our CO2 during this interview it's going [1:22] up and if we were to continue working in [1:25] here for the next few hours you will [1:27] Jesus [1:30] I think this is fascinating I looked at [1:34] the back end of our YouTube channel and [1:35] it says that since this channel started [1:38] 69.9 percent of you that watch it [1:40] frequently haven't yet hit the Subscribe [1:42] button so I have a favor to ask you if [1:45] you've ever watched his channel and [1:46] enjoyed the content if you're enjoying [1:47] this episode right now please can I ask [1:49] a small favor please hit the Subscribe [1:51] button helps this channel more than I [1:52] can explain and I promise if you do that [1:55] to return the favor we will make the [1:57] show better and better and better and [2:00] better and better that's the promise I'm [2:01] willing to make you if you hit the [2:02] Subscribe button do we have a deal [2:04] [Music] [2:08] James [2:10] [Music] [2:12] of all the things you could have [2:15] committed your life to you could have [2:17] committed a decade of work and effort to [2:19] you decided to commit it to the subject [2:22] matter of breath and breathing [2:25] why it was a number of things that [2:28] happened and personally professionally [2:31] over a number of years I never set out [2:34] to write a book about breathing I mean [2:36] what a boring subject right until I [2:39] started having breathing problems I came [2:42] back year after year I was i surf a lot [2:44] in San Francisco so I was getting [2:46] bronchitis I was getting pneumonia mild [2:50] pneumonia it was nothing to worry about [2:52] I'd go to my doctor I'd be given a pack [2:55] of pills and sent on my way this kept [2:57] happening year after year until a doctor [3:00] friend of mine [3:01] was looking at me we were out having a [3:03] drink and she's like I think there's [3:05] something going on with your breathing [3:07] so breathing you know this is just [3:09] something we do automatically it's [3:11] nothing I considered she's like oh you [3:12] might want to go to a breath work class [3:15] and I went to a breath work class and it [3:16] completely blew me away on on a number [3:19] of levels I was able to get over the [3:23] respiratory problems I had I don't write [3:24] about this in the book because I didn't [3:26] want to make my experience be indicative [3:28] of everyone else's experience but all [3:31] the issues I had completely went away [3:33] 100 percent [3:35] and so I started looking into this more [3:37] just personally what else I could learn [3:38] about breathing and how it could benefit [3:41] me for athletic performance for sleep [3:44] and more and noticed that my health was [3:46] changing in all the right ways over and [3:49] over again when I was adopting different [3:51] habits so that was more than 10 years [3:54] ago actually that was probably 12 years [3:56] ago and then I started writing about [3:58] freedivers started freediving myself and [4:00] learning the limits of breathing and how [4:03] you can do things that are supposed to [4:05] be scientifically Impossible by [4:07] harnessing the power of your breath and [4:11] that's what really got me interested as [4:13] a science journalist so your symptoms [4:15] the symptoms you had of what were those [4:18] symptoms at the time [4:19] I was mouth breathing a lot when I was [4:22] working out I was always mouth breathing [4:23] when I was jogging I was mild to [4:25] breathing doing karate mouth about [4:26] breathing surfing and I noticed at night [4:29] I could not remember a time when I did [4:32] not go to sleep with a huge glass of [4:35] water by my bedside I would wake up [4:37] numerous times throughout the night my [4:39] mouth was very dry [4:41] very pasty in the morning I thought this [4:44] was completely normal I also noticed [4:47] that when I was working out at really [4:48] high levels I would start to wheeze a [4:51] bit like I could hear myself breathing [4:54] and I thought this was normal whenever I [4:57] talked to people about it they said oh [4:59] welcome to old age this is what happens [5:00] when you get older and I didn't think [5:02] that that was a good reason to be [5:04] breathing so dysfunctionally but it [5:06] really took someone else to point it out [5:07] for me to understand that maybe there [5:10] was a problem there maybe I should fix [5:11] it and your friend who was a doctor then [5:14] suggested this breath work class you go [5:16] to this breathwork class and is it the [5:18] one session itself that helped you or [5:21] was it the practices you took away from [5:22] that session that helped you that one [5:25] session completely blew my mind so it [5:29] had all of the Hallmarks of flakiness [5:32] and new aginess you know all the people [5:35] flowing flowing clothes uh there were [5:39] some headbands I said good God what am I [5:41] doing here there's a lot of this stuff [5:42] in San Francisco so I'm kind of used to [5:44] it dream catchers all that [5:46] and it wasn't until I sat down and [5:49] started actually got rid of all of that [5:52] all those problems in my brain that were [5:54] making me resist really giving myself to [5:58] this practice [5:59] got rid of that started breathing and I [6:03] I read about this at the beginning of [6:04] the book but I completely sweated [6:06] through my t-shirt was not a warm room [6:10] it's quite cold in there sweat through [6:11] my t-shirt there's sweat marks on my [6:13] jeans my hair was sobbing wet and this [6:15] was from sitting in a corner of a cold [6:18] room just breathing at this certain [6:20] pattern so it obviously released [6:22] something in me and when I mentioned [6:25] this to doctors I went back they said oh [6:27] you had a fever or oh you know the room [6:30] was too hot oh you were covered in [6:31] blankets all of that was false there was [6:34] something else deeper happening and they [6:37] didn't understand it from their medical [6:38] training so I tried to get answers [6:40] elsewhere and that's what I spent years [6:41] doing [6:43] you spent years doing I mean your your [6:45] book on the subject matter comes out [6:47] almost a decade later [6:48] um [6:50] so in hindsight now you have those [6:52] answers on why you sweated through your [6:54] clothes and why you had that [6:55] physiological reaction what is the [6:57] answer [6:59] I do not have opinions as a science [7:02] journalist and I am a filter so uh my [7:06] job is to talk to absolutely everybody [7:09] and especially when people doctors tell [7:12] me oh don't talk to those people they [7:13] don't know what they're talking about [7:14] those are the first people I'm going to [7:16] talk to so I talk to everybody and try [7:18] to synthesize what I've learned the [7:21] truth according to all of these [7:22] different cultures all of these [7:24] different ways of learning and put that [7:26] in a book that the general public can [7:30] understand so I have my own personal [7:33] views on it but I try to keep my [7:35] personal views out of what I write [7:37] and then the sort of next significant I [7:40] guess Catalyst event that was an [7:42] Inspiration Point for your work was in [7:44] 2011 as you say you went and covered the [7:46] freediving championship in Greece what [7:50] did that experience add to the [7:52] inspiration Cloud that would then form [7:54] the book what did you learn about the [7:55] nature of breath from that yeah it's so [7:57] funny uh you know as you go through life [8:00] there are some experiences that you have [8:02] that you have no idea that you are [8:03] opening a completely different door and [8:06] you're just gonna be walking through [8:07] that door for the next decade so that's [8:10] what happened in Greece didn't really [8:11] know anything about it go out there and [8:13] just have my mind blown I mean you have [8:15] these people who are at the surface of [8:17] the water take a single breath of air [8:19] one breath [8:22] and dive down 120 meters on a single [8:26] breath of air [8:27] and come back up five minutes later [8:30] and go [8:33] and then get out of the way for the next [8:34] competitor so you watch them the water [8:37] is very clear there right it goes down [8:39] visibility is 150 meters you watch them [8:42] just [8:43] disappear into nothing the size of an [8:45] ant and then completely disappear into [8:47] the ocean and come back and I said my [8:49] God [8:50] there's so much we don't know about [8:52] breathing and also about the limits of [8:55] the human body [8:57] I want to learn more about this I want [8:59] to experience this as well not diving [9:01] down that deep but I want to access more [9:03] of what I've been given because I think [9:05] we've been sold pretty short on what our [9:08] limits are and what we should be doing [9:10] and shouldn't be doing but I think our [9:12] bodies are much more potential than that [9:14] when I was when I was reading through [9:16] your book you describe breath as a [9:18] pillar of Health [9:19] which is a pretty big statement to make [9:21] is when we think of pillars of Health we [9:24] might think of you know exercise or [9:27] um diet but breath hasn't been [9:30] considered a pillar of Health I think to [9:32] be honest for the first 27 for the first [9:35] 29 years of my 30 year old life I purely [9:38] viewed breath as this thing that just [9:40] happens unconsciously that is [9:43] inconsequential and it's only in recent [9:45] times because your work has influenced [9:47] some people very close to me that I [9:49] started to second guess that [9:51] where do we stand as a society at the [9:54] moment when we're talking about the [9:55] majority of people in terms of our view [9:57] of what breathing is and the role it [9:58] plays and then I also want to understand [10:01] um why that's wrong because as I said I [10:03] thought of breathing as just this thing [10:04] that happens and it was it was quite um [10:08] unnerving to understand that that view [10:11] has potentially been impacted me in [10:13] profound ways without me knowing it like [10:16] you said I've been pointing at the wrong [10:17] thing I've been thinking I need some [10:18] pills or I just can't sleep or I've got [10:21] in I'm you know [10:23] someone might think they're an insomniac [10:24] or whatever [10:26] but you make the case quite profoundly [10:28] that breathing is much more than an [10:29] unconscious act that we just [10:31] do without thinking about well breathing [10:34] is something that just happens and how [10:36] wonderful that is that we've evolved to [10:39] not have to think about every breath we [10:40] take right that would be a real problem [10:44] but that doesn't mean we can't take [10:46] conscious control of our breathing and [10:49] then elicit different effects from our [10:50] body so we have adopted habits according [10:54] to our breathing from our environment [10:56] from the way we sleep from our mouth [10:59] structure and more that are not the best [11:02] habits to have for breath so the reason [11:06] why people spend so much time doing [11:08] breath work and rehearsing slower [11:11] breathing lower breathing breathing [11:13] through the nose is to reset a natural [11:16] habit so that you don't have to think [11:19] about it I mean I don't want to have to [11:21] constantly be checking in on my breath [11:23] throughout the day I want that to be [11:25] automatic but that takes a lot of time [11:28] to get back to that healthy state to [11:31] make it unconscious where do we get [11:33] these bad habits from and because I [11:34] think you know surely my body I'm the [11:37] product of you know several I don't know [11:39] thousands gazillion years of evolution [11:41] surely my body is doing it correctly by [11:44] default what is what has changed that is [11:46] causing me to do it incorrectly your [11:48] body is not doing this correctly by [11:50] default what has changed is this modern [11:52] environment is conspiring to make us [11:55] sick and I don't think that that is an [11:58] exaggeration at all if you look at the [12:01] way we sit all day long if you look at [12:04] the way we work if you look at the way [12:06] we eat if you look at the way we sleep [12:08] of all the pollution noise pollution air [12:12] pollution we're surrounded by this is [12:14] why we are so sick it is the environment [12:17] the human body is so well equipped to [12:21] live a healthy life which is why [12:23] indigenous cultures the few left they [12:26] don't need to go to a Cardiologist or a [12:28] pulmonologist or a dentist they have [12:31] straight teeth they breathe perfectly [12:33] they don't have all of these problems [12:35] that we have today so these are diseases [12:38] of civilization the vast majority of [12:41] problems we contend with we have created [12:43] in the last few 100 years and one of the [12:47] problems with breathing is that our [12:49] facial structure does not allow us to [12:52] breathe in a healthy way anymore and it [12:55] did hundreds of years ago and we know [12:57] that from the skeletal record [12:59] what are some of the um the most common [13:01] Modern Problems then that the [13:04] environment we live in [13:06] um have caused and here I'm talking [13:07] about diseases what are the everyday [13:09] diseases that you've discovered are [13:12] byproducts of [13:14] misunderstanding and our bad breathing [13:17] habits [13:19] show me a list of the top diseases and [13:21] they're all related to it even diabetes [13:23] who would have thought that the onset of [13:26] diabetes could be triggered by poor [13:28] breathing habits at night but that is [13:30] exactly what researchers have found [13:32] because if you are choking on yourself [13:34] all night as so many people do [13:37] oh [13:40] you aren't resting you aren't entering [13:43] stages of Deep Sleep which means your [13:45] body never restores and your body is [13:47] going to break down so researchers have [13:50] have known this for 50 years their [13:52] scientific studies [13:54] showing this over and over again so [13:57] that's just with with diabetes and [13:59] metabolic issues autoimmune issues for [14:01] the same reason you're constantly [14:03] breathing like this stooped over [14:07] you're causing undue inflammation to [14:10] your body you're causing nervous system [14:12] dysfunction you're in that sympathetic [14:14] state which after a while will trigger a [14:17] bunch of autoimmune issues so so many of [14:19] these things not exclusively are related [14:21] to breath they are exclusively related [14:24] to diet exercise sleep and breath you [14:28] can eat all the right foods you can [14:31] sleep eight hours a night you can [14:33] exercise all you want if you are not [14:35] breathing right you will always be sick [14:38] and I've heard that six years ago by a [14:42] researcher and believe it more now than [14:43] I ever have [14:46] at the very start of your book you [14:48] you test these things on yourself [14:51] you did an experiment [14:53] which I found really really interesting [14:55] I think that experiment has actually [14:56] stayed with me for a long time and then [14:58] it's impacted me in the gym a lot every [15:00] time I'm on that tread bloody treadmill [15:02] I'm thinking about what I read but um [15:05] why did you want to do that experiment [15:06] on yourself and what was the experiment [15:08] I didn't want to do this experiment on [15:10] myself I really did not want to do it no [15:13] one else was going to do it really there [15:14] had never been a human trial of nasal [15:17] breathing versus versus mouth breathing [15:19] for this amount of time and I was [15:22] talking to jayak or Nayak who's the [15:24] chief of rhinology research at Stanford [15:26] the top top of his field and I said we [15:29] know what happens to animals when they [15:31] breed this way we know all the [15:32] deleterious effects of mouth breathing [15:35] on kids on adults on old people on sleep [15:38] on athletic performance why can't you [15:41] test this let's get a big group of [15:43] people and test this he said it'll never [15:45] happen we're not going to find funding [15:47] and he thought ethically there would be [15:50] problems doing it because he knew what [15:52] damage could be caused by becoming a [15:54] mouth breather and so after all this I [15:58] just kind of gave up and then I had an [15:59] idea I said well what if I did it and [16:02] what if I got one other person we will [16:04] sign up we'll sign whatever waivers and [16:06] we did it doesn't you know it's just two [16:09] people but that was the maximum we were [16:11] allotted and he said okay but he had no [16:14] money for it so we had to pay for this [16:15] experiment at Stanford which was not the [16:17] cheapest thing I've ever paid for in my [16:19] life [16:20] um but I wanted to know I I'm writing [16:22] about mouth breathing writing about all [16:24] the problems I'm writing about my [16:26] subjective experience of how it [16:28] transformed my life becoming a nasal [16:30] breather I wanted to see that experience [16:34] dictated and documented in data by [16:37] machines and that's why we did it [16:40] and how did it go terribly it was awful [16:44] um so just to let let people know uh [16:46] this was an experiment in which for 10 [16:49] days we had our noses plugged up right [16:52] and then for another 10 days we had all [16:56] of that stuff released from our noses [16:58] and we were almost exclusively nasal [17:01] breathing everything else in those [17:03] 10-day periods was exactly the same we [17:06] ate the same Foods we walked the same [17:08] number of steps we exercised the same so [17:12] exactly the same and we did scientific [17:16] studies and took a bunch of data before [17:19] during and after we were collecting data [17:22] three times a day as well looking at [17:24] what was happening to our bodies Our [17:26] sleep our inflammation and more and we [17:30] knew this wasn't going to be pleasant [17:32] but I didn't know it was going to be [17:34] this bad like it was really not trying [17:36] to be over dramatic but it was awful [17:39] awful and uh I'm so happy I never have [17:42] to do that again at the same time I feel [17:44] so sorry for people who do not realize [17:47] that their noses are stuffed up who have [17:49] been living this way for years and don't [17:52] understand that this is their main [17:54] source of their issues with migraines [17:56] sleep problems and more I can I could I [17:59] could see it in you and you described it [18:01] as being awful that you're almost [18:02] teleporting yourself back to that to [18:04] that chapter I could see it in your face [18:06] a little little PTSD from that still uh [18:10] it was bad [18:11] um when you say bad what you mean [18:13] specifically is in it was the the first [18:15] few days so I did this with uh breathing [18:18] researcher and breathing therapist [18:20] Anders Olson from Sweden he was the only [18:23] person that would do this and he flew [18:26] from Sweden on his own dime to try to [18:28] understand this he had been talking [18:29] about nasal breathing for 10 years right [18:31] and so he said okay I want to put this [18:33] to the test I want to see if I'm right [18:35] or wrong so the first few days were kind [18:37] of laughing it was like how bad did you [18:39] sleep you know we're comparing we went [18:41] from zero snoring to full-on snoring and [18:43] sleep apnea within a couple of days and [18:46] so we were comparing kind of showing off [18:48] how sick we were [18:51] but then after about a week we saw three [18:53] days ago like I wasn't able to sleep at [18:55] night and I was dreading every single [18:58] night going to sleep because you're my [19:01] mouth was so dry and my sleep was so bad [19:05] I was so tired after sleeping nine ten [19:08] hours a night I was so tired and and the [19:10] data proved that as well so it got [19:13] really bad by the 10th day we were in [19:16] really bad shape and and again I want to [19:19] mention like [19:21] so many people especially during allergy [19:23] season are plugged up for months at a [19:25] time and they don't realize the damage [19:27] they're doing to their bodies and brains [19:29] by being this way [19:31] how many people [19:33] are breathing incorrectly [19:35] in your view how many people if they if [19:38] they went and did [19:40] a practice or they had the understanding [19:42] that's in your book and that you speak [19:45] about do you believe would have better [19:47] overall health and well-being [19:49] if they made a change to their breathing [19:52] by taking simple steps [19:55] I believe that everybody can become a [19:59] better what is considered a good [20:00] breather and these steps are free and [20:02] they're available for everybody if you [20:04] look at the percentage of the population [20:05] who is breathing dysfunctionally I've [20:08] heard different percentages from [20:09] different people respiratory therapists [20:12] who do this all day long to Elite [20:15] trainers of Olympians they say 95 to 99 [20:21] of the people that they see are [20:23] breathing dysfunctionally [20:25] so it's basically everybody some people [20:27] obviously there's a curve to that [20:29] there's an asthmatic with panic attacks [20:33] that is breathing very dysfunctionally [20:36] and then there's an athlete who can push [20:38] through the pain and win that [20:42] competition but is still breathing [20:44] dysfunctionally [20:46] so there's a there's an arc to that [20:49] we will sit somewhere on that spectrum [20:51] and we all do yeah and I'm not a perfect [20:54] breather you're not a perfect breather [20:55] like it's hard to find a perfect perfect [20:58] breather just like it's hard to find [20:59] someone that eats perfectly every single [21:02] meal that's probably not the person you [21:03] ever want to hang out with anyway [21:06] you referred to tribes there and um [21:09] people that are not living in our [21:11] environment and also you know you talk a [21:13] lot about breathing as a lost art I'm so [21:16] fascinated by I think I spent the last [21:18] couple of years really fascinated by how [21:20] our ancestors lived their lives and how [21:23] they did things you know I was talking [21:24] to Dr Daniel Lieberman about running and [21:27] feet and muscle strength and all those [21:29] things and spoken to so many other [21:30] people about processed food and you know [21:33] all of these modern sort of misalignment [21:35] diseases where we're not living in [21:36] alignment with ourselves have have [21:38] become a really important part of my [21:40] understanding of how I should be living [21:41] now breathing has a lost start [21:44] what did you learn when you looked back [21:46] through history about how people breathe [21:48] and [21:49] um what did that tell you about how [21:51] we're doing it wrong I learned that we [21:53] didn't need breath work classes hundreds [21:56] of years ago we already had [21:59] bodies that were able to breathe in [22:02] properly we were living in an [22:04] environment that supported healthy [22:07] breathing I love lieberman's work by the [22:09] way I've learned so much from them [22:11] including a lot of this stuff on skells [22:14] and and breathing [22:16] so I learned a lot a lot from him so you [22:20] know people say well how do you know [22:21] that we can't go back in time what you [22:24] can do is look at indigenous cultures [22:26] which is what Lieberman and so many [22:27] other people have done and they found [22:30] they don't have problems with their feet [22:32] they don't have problems with their [22:34] backs they don't have heart disease they [22:36] don't have asthma why is it that [22:39] Mennonites this is these are these [22:41] groups in the U.S that live this very [22:44] traditional lifestyle right so some [22:47] people say that asthma is is genetic so [22:49] Mennonites and Quakers who aren't around [22:52] any technology right [22:54] they have 0.5 percent of their [22:56] population has asthma meanwhile in the [22:59] U.S 10 of the population has asthma so [23:02] obviously the environment has so much to [23:05] do with our health and it absolutely [23:07] affects our breathing for all the things [23:09] I mentioned earlier how are you sitting [23:11] how are your stress levels how are you [23:14] sleeping how are you working out all of [23:16] these things will weigh upon how healthy [23:18] you are able to breathe and so the in [23:22] the context of the modern world so if we [23:24] didn't need breath work you know a [23:25] couple hundred years ago the [23:27] introduction of things like pollution I [23:28] understand but all their everyday things [23:30] like the chair I'm sat in right now and [23:32] the way that I work every day that have [23:34] impacted breathing and then the [23:36] modalities like asthma and these other [23:37] things absolutely yeah and we could go [23:40] through a few of these things so [23:42] when you're sitting as I said eight [23:45] hours a day I try to stand at the [23:47] standing desk as well you are inhibiting [23:50] your ability to breathe properly so I'm [23:53] sitting forward in this chair right now [23:55] even if I wanted to take a deep breath [23:58] it's really hard I have to struggle to [24:01] do that [24:02] because my diaphragm which is right [24:05] underneath the lungs is unable to [24:07] descend properly to allow for that [24:10] proper inhale give me an example of what [24:12] the diaphragm is sure the diaphragm is [24:14] this umbrella shaped muscle that sits [24:16] underneath the lungs the lungs are just [24:18] like two balloons they don't inflate [24:20] themselves they need the diaphragm to [24:22] come down it creates a vacuum and air [24:25] comes into the lungs when we exhale that [24:28] diaphragm pushes up and pushes the air [24:31] out of the lungs so that's how we [24:34] breathe it's not the lungs doing the [24:36] work the lungs are just these fleshy [24:39] bags right it's that diaphragm [24:41] descending creating a vacuum air comes [24:45] in and that diaphragm ascending lifting [24:48] back up and pushing that air out so you [24:52] need proper diaphragmatic movement in [24:56] order to breathe properly when our [24:58] bodies aren't allowing us to do that [25:00] when you're sitting on a bus or sitting [25:03] on a plane for 12 hours at a time and [25:05] you're seated like this [25:07] you aren't able to breathe properly that [25:10] means you're only breathing into your [25:13] chest you weren't accessing all of this [25:15] other area if you're just breathing into [25:18] your chest you have to breathe way more [25:21] breaths the reason is so much of that [25:24] area you're bringing that air into does [25:27] not participate in gas exchange it does [25:29] not soak up that oxygen that's in the [25:32] air so most of us spend most of our days [25:35] like this [25:37] slumped over in the chair like yeah [25:40] and breathing like that we can live this [25:43] way doesn't mean we're healthy we can [25:45] live on three pieces of pizza every day [25:48] right we have enough calories to do that [25:50] doesn't mean we're healthy so that's [25:52] that's the number one thing you can sit [25:54] in a chair properly [25:56] to breathe right but it takes some [25:59] effort if you look at indigenous [26:01] cultures again look at how they're [26:03] sitting look at their spines like it's a [26:06] beautiful thing they're sitting in a way [26:09] that is conducive to proper breathing [26:12] any statue any ancient statue look at [26:15] the posture the posture is for people [26:18] that can't see this right the poster is [26:20] straight up or it is it is it is it is [26:23] straight up but relaxed at the same time [26:25] it is having a straight spine I now once [26:29] you learn this it just it makes you [26:32] neurotic after a while but that's the [26:34] first thing is to really notice how [26:38] you're sitting when we get stressed out [26:40] when we're answering emails we're over a [26:42] laptop I spend so much of my life doing [26:45] this then we also have a stress response [26:48] which further reduces our ability to [26:50] breathe properly we start to breathe too [26:53] much we start holding our breath and we [26:55] breathe too much our posture is like [26:57] this so everything is conspiring to make [26:59] us really poor breathers and this isn't [27:02] some far-flung hypothesis I have it's [27:04] it's basic biomechanics of how the body [27:07] works [27:08] the diaphragm part's really interesting [27:10] to me because the [27:12] you refer to and many people refer to [27:14] the diaphragm as the second heart [27:15] because it kind of it's a muscle that is [27:19] uh autonomous to some degree like the [27:22] heart I don't control my heart I can [27:25] control my diaphragm but when I don't [27:27] think about it it kind of controls [27:28] itself is that accurate yeah absolutely [27:30] it's it's an autonomic function but by [27:33] taking conscious control of that [27:35] diaphragm you can't control your heart [27:37] you can control your blood flow and that [27:39] the diaphragm also does an incredible [27:42] amount of work pumping blood into the [27:44] heart and pumping lymph fluid throughout [27:46] the body so when you see people only [27:49] using five ten percent of their [27:51] diaphragmatic movement which is [27:52] considered normal now just moving the [27:54] diaphragm this much they their hearts [27:58] have to work so much harder to just pump [28:00] blood and their bodies have to work so [28:02] much harder to pump lymph fluid which [28:03] you need to get rid of all that waste [28:05] right the body likes movement the fluids [28:08] need to be moving so just by taking a [28:11] slightly deeper breath and exhaling a [28:13] little more you were able to help your [28:16] heart rate out and which is why your [28:18] heart rate will start to go down after a [28:20] while you're able to help your blood [28:22] pressure in some cases you're able to [28:24] pump lymph fluid in more just by taking [28:26] a slower deeper breath and you know just [28:30] look to the Animal Kingdom for your [28:32] guidance on this we don't need any fancy [28:35] animation to show us what proper [28:37] breathing is look at a healthy dog [28:39] sleeping look at a healthy infant [28:41] sleeping and breathing look at [28:43] indigenous cultures how they sleep how [28:46] they breathe you can't tell they're [28:48] breathing [28:49] and that's what healthy breathing is it [28:51] should not be perceptible so when a lot [28:53] of people hear about healthy breathing [28:56] they want to overdo it right they want [28:59] oh yeah I feel great [29:02] if you look at a monk or someone who's a [29:04] master breather you cannot tell their [29:06] breathing it's so soft and so subtle [29:10] that it just comes in and comes out that [29:13] is someone who is balanced their nervous [29:15] system is balanced their breathing is [29:17] balanced [29:19] are these habits we can learn you talk [29:21] there about posture and about the [29:23] diaphragmatic [29:24] um movement and at what percentage of [29:26] the diaphragm we're we're kind of using [29:29] and how much that's filling our lungs [29:30] are these habits we can learn absolutely [29:33] because even posture feels like it's [29:36] like it's quite hard to sit like that if [29:38] you start paying attention to your [29:39] breathing your posture is going to get [29:42] better it is hard to be leaning over [29:44] like this and take take a huge breath [29:49] look what happens to your posture so [29:51] form dictates your breathing your [29:53] breathing dictates your form that was [29:55] written in the Dow like 1200 years ago [29:58] so once you learn how this proper slow [30:02] deep breathing Works your posture by [30:05] virtue of that will get better would you [30:07] recommend because a lot of people do [30:08] work in offices I'm one of them I spend [30:10] a lot of my days sat down 10 hours [30:13] looking down at a screen what would you [30:15] recommend for for us well I think the [30:17] science is pretty clear on standing [30:18] desks uh convertible standing desks are [30:21] really helpful to sit for part of that [30:24] time to stand for part of that time [30:26] whenever I'm on the phone which is often [30:28] I'm standing so I just press a little [30:31] button and I go back to standing when [30:32] you're standing you're opening up your [30:35] chest these intercostals you're opening [30:38] up to allow yourself to naturally [30:40] breathe deeper breaths so you can do [30:43] that sitting but you just look kind of [30:45] corny like sitting like this all the [30:47] time so I think that that's a good hack [30:51] I think that the science is very clear [30:52] that every couple hours I'm not very [30:54] good at this I'm trying to get better go [30:56] for a walk for 10 minutes take your call [30:59] while you're walking around to reset [31:01] things but that's just one of many [31:05] different components looking at the [31:07] posture and its relationship to healthy [31:09] breathing [31:10] the um when I was reading through your [31:12] work and I was thinking about having [31:13] this conversation with you this is [31:14] really [31:15] I guess slightly obvious but I also can [31:17] understand how it's a stupid question [31:19] um which is if nose breathing is so [31:21] beneficial for our health and well-being [31:23] then why do we have the capability of [31:25] breathing through our mouths [31:27] do you see what I'm saying great [31:29] question how wonderful that we have a [31:31] backup system in case anything happens [31:34] to our noses that we don't suddenly die [31:36] right so you can drink through your nose [31:40] right it's really hard to do that but [31:42] you can and it goes down to your stomach [31:45] but that doesn't mean it's the right [31:46] thing to do just like with breathing [31:49] again look at the Animal Kingdom look at [31:51] a cheetah running at 100 kilometers per [31:54] hour how is it breathing [31:56] and then out through its nose the only [31:58] time that a horse starts breathing [32:00] through its mouth is when it's sick so [32:03] that is a sign that it's sick a horse [32:05] running at a Sprint is breathing through [32:07] its nose this is what we this is the [32:10] organ we are designed to breathe through [32:12] and no one who has studied rhinology [32:16] would argue otherwise there are 30 [32:19] different functions that the nose does [32:21] for breathing so not only does it help [32:24] filter air out and heat air but it helps [32:27] capture moisture about 40 percent more [32:30] moisture so you don't have to constantly [32:32] be drinking water when I see people [32:34] jogging and they're breathing through [32:36] their mouth and they're carrying like [32:38] four different water bottles they [32:40] wouldn't need those water bottles if [32:42] they just learned to breathe through [32:43] their noses because the body is designed [32:46] to capture that moisture that's what the [32:48] nose does and all those hairs do and [32:51] then there's nitric oxide which is this [32:54] miraculous molecule that plays in a [32:56] central role in vasodilation circulation [32:59] and more and it kills viruses and [33:01] bacteria this all happens in the nose [33:03] this does not happen in the mouth [33:05] nitrous oxide is is only happens in the [33:08] nose nitric oxide yeah we get six six [33:11] times more nitric oxide just breathing [33:14] through the nose six times more wow and [33:17] if you because of all of these different [33:19] tissues they they release nitric oxide [33:23] and there is some science showing that [33:26] this boost of nitric oxide can [33:29] significantly help us defend more from [33:32] viruses and bacteria including colds so [33:36] breathing in and out through the nose [33:38] there's a lot of work in nitric oxide [33:40] and covid Rehabilitation who knew we can [33:43] produce so much of it in our noses and [33:45] if you hum you can increase that to 15 [33:48] fold [33:49] so humming you're gonna annoy everyone [33:53] if you do this increases that nitric [33:55] oxide 15 fold and there was one study [33:57] that showed this guy completely got rid [34:00] of his rhinitis just by humming for [34:03] about 10 minutes four times a day [34:06] so these are simple tricks you can do [34:08] they're free available for everyone the [34:11] humming also helps to calm the body down [34:13] because we have the vagal nerve right [34:16] vagus nerve Bagel tone is right along [34:19] here so when you hum [34:21] you're sending signals to the vagus [34:24] nerve and you're calming your body down [34:27] what what is humming doing humming is [34:30] stimulating more nitric oxide and [34:32] allowing it to break free from all of [34:34] those tissues so you hum in your nose [34:37] yeah and you can feel the vibration [34:39] there so somebody sent me this device [34:41] like three months ago that they now have [34:43] a device for people who don't want to [34:45] hum that goes on your nose and hums for [34:48] you if that's going to help you hum you [34:51] can do that but I've found it's just [34:52] kind of easier to pick a song you like [34:55] and hum that when you talk about the [34:57] common colds and you know flu and [34:59] infection did you see a clear [35:01] correlation between people that had good [35:03] breathing habits and the common cold and [35:06] bad breathing habits and there have [35:08] never been like a huge study done done [35:10] on that on humming and nasal breathing [35:12] and the common and there never will be [35:14] right no one's No One's Gonna fund that [35:16] I can say anecdotally absolutely and if [35:20] you look at the biochemistry if you look [35:22] at the physiology if you look at all the [35:25] functions of the nose you can deduce [35:27] it seems very clear to me that you will [35:30] be susceptible less to certain viruses [35:33] certain bacteria by breathing in and out [35:36] of of your nose [35:37] you mentioned covid there your book came [35:41] out right as covid hit which is [35:44] unbelievable timing yeah yeah [35:47] some people thought I'd plan that [35:48] somehow it was interesting um the first [35:52] week the book came out somebody [35:54] criticized it for taking advantage of [35:56] this pandemic without bothering to [35:59] notice the book was printed and in [36:00] warehouses six months before anyone had [36:03] ever heard the word covid you know and I [36:06] worked on this book for years and years [36:07] and years so yeah lockdown in the U.S [36:11] was in March this book came out in June [36:14] right on the heels of it which was [36:17] absolutely [36:19] bizarre to me and all of the research [36:22] looking into breathing patterns looking [36:24] into nasal breathing how that can help [36:27] rehabilitate people with long covid and [36:30] with acute cases of covid is very solid [36:33] and I still don't see anybody talking [36:35] about this [36:36] one of the most important things that [36:38] we're not talking about as it relates to [36:39] things like covid from from your [36:41] research and your book I think the most [36:43] important well it depends on on Whose [36:45] stock people in breath work communities [36:46] have been talking yogis have been [36:48] talking about Buddhists have been [36:49] talking about it so I think in Western [36:51] medicine [36:52] you come in and your doctor assesses [36:55] your health listens to your heart maybe [36:57] looks at your cholesterol they're not [36:59] looking at your breathing and this is [37:01] especially important for kids I cannot [37:04] tell you how many hundred thousands by [37:06] now of parents have written me their [37:09] kids are on all these different pills [37:11] none of them are doing anything they [37:12] have ADHD they're flunking out of school [37:15] and I am astounded that more [37:18] pediatricians and more doctors aren't [37:20] looking into this because so many [37:22] millions of kids are suffering because [37:24] of their breathing is is so terrible [37:27] it's been so terrible for so long that [37:29] their their bodies are now rebelling [37:31] against them and why are kids breathing [37:34] in such a way because you think you [37:35] think of a kid you think they I think we [37:38] form these bad habits when we're adults [37:40] or later on in life but to thought the [37:42] thought that a kid [37:43] has developed such a bad habit somewhere [37:47] it's quite hard to take see all roads go [37:49] back to those skulls right and that [37:52] anthropology and those ancient cultures [37:55] right so these kids are not able to [37:58] breathe well because their facial [37:59] development is is so retro nathic which [38:04] means it has grown so far backwards that [38:07] their airways aren't able to open up [38:09] enough so whenever they put their heads [38:11] on a pillow [38:15] that's what it sounds like so it is a [38:18] problem with facial development that we [38:22] did not have hundreds of years ago and [38:24] you can see this I spent years looking [38:26] at ancient skeletons and they did not [38:29] have these problems so right out of the [38:32] gate were messed up right arts or facial [38:35] function is messed up and it's making it [38:38] harder for us to breathe add on top of [38:40] that pollution [38:42] bad sitting habits bad breathing habits [38:46] and you have a recipe for disaster which [38:48] is what has happened for so many kids [38:49] today so I have to ask why that facial [38:53] um issue started and how that is being [38:55] passed on because in my mind Evolution [38:58] or de-evolution or whatever the word [38:59] would be in this case stopped I thought [39:02] we stopped changing and evolving because [39:05] we are no longer being selected out of [39:08] the gene pool [39:10] there is no stopping Evolution Evolution [39:14] means change throughout time [39:18] it does not mean progress [39:20] so when people use the word Evolution to [39:22] mean we're evolving uh better and we [39:25] have these better capabilities that's [39:27] not what the word actually means is [39:30] change throughout time and we can change [39:33] For Better or For Worse [39:35] and for the past few hundred years we [39:37] have been changing for the worst this is [39:39] not my opinion this is a scientific fact [39:43] so it comes back to that question why [39:45] why would an animal change for the worse [39:49] and it goes back to my answer the [39:51] environment we can trace the exact point [39:54] that our facial structure started [39:57] growing in this deform way to make us [40:00] less susceptible to healthy breathing to [40:03] that changed in such a way to make us [40:06] such poor breathers and that point is [40:09] right when industrialized food came into [40:12] different cultures so that happened at [40:14] different times came in first to England [40:16] and France then it spread to Germany [40:18] then is spread to you know Scandinavia [40:21] then it spread through the rest of the [40:23] world you can see in a single generation [40:26] of eating industrialized Foods things [40:29] that were canned things that were [40:31] bottled things that were baked things [40:33] with sugar in it single generation 50 of [40:36] the population will have crooked teeth [40:39] that didn't have it before crooked teeth [40:41] are indicative of having a mouth that's [40:44] too small for your face your mouth grows [40:47] too small teeth have no or to grow in so [40:50] they grow in crooked what else is a [40:53] problem with having a mouth that's too [40:54] small for your face you have an airway [40:56] that's too small you aren't able to [40:58] breathe properly so we can see that [41:00] exact point and researchers have done [41:03] this for decades and decades and I've [41:04] seen these skulls before after [41:08] industrialization and the same story [41:10] plays out no matter where you are on the [41:13] planet so that is what is what has [41:16] ruined our faces and that's why we look [41:18] so different than we did 300 years ago [41:21] two thousand years ago 20 000 years ago [41:23] why did our mouths get smaller at that [41:25] point because of industrialized food [41:28] elicits very little chewing you don't [41:31] need to chew very much when you're [41:33] eating soft foods so every if you think [41:36] about it our ancestors chewed for like [41:38] three four hours a day [41:41] chewy raw meat bones or Roots uh yeah [41:45] think about the foods you ate today well [41:47] maybe not you because you're probably [41:49] eating [41:50] healthy food but the food that most [41:53] people are eating everything's soft [41:56] takes a few bites is gone there's no [41:58] rigorous chewing and if you don't get [42:00] that early on in life your skellicature [42:03] does not develop properly and your [42:05] musculature does not develop properly [42:07] and you grow a different kind of face [42:09] that makes you much more susceptible to [42:12] poor breathing habits does that then [42:14] mean that one way we can avoid these [42:18] breathing Related Disorders later in [42:20] life would be to have our children [42:22] eating more difficult Foods when they're [42:24] younger [42:25] absolutely and if you look at the [42:28] reasons why our ancestors all had these [42:31] pronathic really strong faces these huge [42:33] Airways it's because they were breastfed [42:36] for a minimum of two years and after [42:39] that they weren't weaned onto applesauce [42:41] or baby food they ate Adult food right [42:44] there was no such thing as Gerbers back [42:47] then a few hundred years ago they went [42:49] from being breastfed to eating Adult [42:51] food which requires a lot of chewing [42:55] that's the main driver behind how our [42:58] faces have developed and devolved in the [43:01] past [43:02] 300 years [43:04] the point there about being breastfed [43:06] for two years why is that consequential [43:08] this is where I get into a lot of [43:09] trouble here so I want to be very don't [43:12] worry I'm gonna do I get in trouble as [43:14] well you might trust me [43:18] so I want to be extremely clear here I [43:22] am a journalist and I go out and talk to [43:25] experts in the field these are not my [43:27] opinions what I'm telling you what I [43:30] have been told by dozens and dozens of [43:32] experts and I'm not shaming anyone for [43:35] feeding their children any way they want [43:38] that's none of my business okay what I [43:41] have learned from several experts is the [43:46] stress and chewing required for [43:49] breastfeeding will help pull the face [43:52] out and develop a larger Airway [43:56] again I want to be very clear I'm not [43:58] shaming modern mothers you're under an [44:00] incredible amount of stress [44:03] bottle feeding perfectly fine you want [44:06] to do that I think it's great but [44:09] that stress and and you think about it [44:12] like for two years if you're constantly [44:15] pulling that face out the face is going [44:17] to develop differently right so that [44:20] makes sense to me but even if a kid is [44:23] is bottle fed which is great if you want [44:25] to bottle feed a kid [44:27] as long as they're eating healthy food [44:30] that they actually chew after that I [44:34] believe my personal opinion is you can [44:36] develop all of that proper facial [44:39] structure and you can also use some [44:41] different orthodontic devices to help [44:43] push that along and you will be [44:44] perfectly fine what is the difference [44:47] between the bottle and the nipple like [44:50] in terms of what it does to my yeah see [44:52] when I when I mentioned we're both going [44:54] to get in trouble here uh this is what I [44:56] was talking about I will not visually [44:58] demonstrate [44:59] look it up on YouTube anybody but there [45:04] is it's much easier to feed from a [45:07] bottle it requires less less stress to [45:11] feed from a bottle when you are [45:13] breastfeeding it is much more activating [45:15] for the infant to have to glom onto the [45:19] breast and the nipple goes actually deep [45:22] into their mouth almost down their [45:24] throat and it requires more chewing [45:26] stress we know this okay which is why a [45:29] lot of kids when they're given the [45:30] choice between the two they want the [45:32] bottle because the bottle is easier they [45:34] want more food more quickly and and [45:37] again I want to be clear just because [45:39] you were bottle fed or whatever early on [45:41] does not mean you're doomed it's some of [45:44] this sounds depressing but I considered [45:46] it inspiring and empowering to know the [45:50] science behind this so you can fix what [45:52] the core issue is and I'm convinced that [45:56] kids who are bottle fat can be wonderful [45:58] perfect breathers by adopting other [46:01] habits beyond that [46:03] you mentioned hyperactivity as being [46:06] correlatory to breathing [46:09] so if you're a parent and you have kids [46:11] who are having health issues even if [46:13] they don't have health issues look at [46:15] how they're breathing at night this is [46:17] so important look at how they're [46:18] breathing in the day if they're [46:19] breathing the vast majority of their [46:21] breasts through their mouth you have to [46:22] fix that number one they will be much [46:25] more susceptible to asthma allergies and [46:28] other issues later on in life especially [46:30] at night if they are breathing through [46:32] an open mouth and if you can hear them [46:35] breathing when they're sleeping [46:40] this is a big red flag that you better [46:43] look into immediately because there will [46:45] be so many Downstream issues caused by [46:47] that breathing pattern like this is [46:51] increased risk of diabetes increased [46:53] risk of autoimmune issues increased risk [46:56] of asthma ADHD and more so some [46:59] researchers this is not my words this is [47:03] what they told me they said there is no [47:06] such thing as ADHD what that is is sleep [47:09] disordered breathing [47:11] period really they said it is 100 [47:15] related to your breathing at night [47:18] especially so again that is not my view [47:21] this is what they have said [47:23] I think that's a bit of an exaggeration [47:26] but I don't think it's too far to say [47:28] the vast majority of those issues if [47:30] your kid has sleep apnea or is snoring [47:33] are caused by that they are not sleeping [47:35] well if you are not sleeping well what [47:37] do you do all day long your body is [47:39] trying to stay awake so they're giving [47:40] Ritalin to stay awake they're given [47:42] sleeping pills to go to sleep those [47:44] sleeping pills will make their breathing [47:46] worse because they loosen all of the [47:49] muscles in here [47:51] and they cause more resistance when [47:54] they're breathing [47:55] so even if kids even if you hear a [47:59] slight resistance to it that is cause [48:02] for alarm as well I know this seems [48:04] overblown like some some crazy warning [48:07] but you can there are 500 scientific [48:09] references available for free on my [48:11] website look at the work by Christian [48:14] gimino who is at Stanford for 40 years [48:17] he was sounding the alarm in the 70s and [48:20] nobody listened to him and people still [48:23] aren't listening to this and it is a [48:25] serious problem so what's true for kids [48:27] is also true for adults but I'll just [48:29] cap that off right there [48:31] I mean please do not cap it off ever I [48:34] prefer when you talk so [48:36] um the ADHD point is fascinating to me [48:38] because it's been a huge topic of [48:39] conversation in society because of the [48:41] apparent Rise [48:43] um in the disorder but the certain rise [48:45] in the diagnosis of the disorder [48:47] these researchers and scientists that [48:50] believe that ADHD is purely a [48:52] consequence of early breathing habits [48:55] what evidence have they got for that or [48:58] what studies have they done to show the [49:00] correlation between how we breathe when [49:02] we're at little and our chance of ADHD [49:04] when they fix the breathing the ADHD [49:06] goes away really for the majority of the [49:09] cases offer everybody for the majority [49:12] of the cases it disappears [49:17] you can look at the studies you know if [49:19] you I'm I'm happy to provide those for [49:22] you [49:23] to me it makes sense it's if you're [49:25] struggling to sleep [49:28] you are never going to be fully aware [49:31] during during the daytime right [49:34] and this is one of the reasons why so [49:37] many kids get their adenoids taken out [49:39] their tonsils taken out and more but [49:42] unless you fix the breathing habit you [49:45] can do those surgeries and they can be [49:47] very helpful unless you fix the [49:49] breathing habits all of those problems [49:51] tend to come back sometimes even more so [49:53] so you're not fixing the core issue in [49:56] the core issue is breathing and [49:58] breathing retraining breathing habits [50:00] ahead of this um conversation you know [50:04] we were doing some research and we found [50:06] that study that analyzed more than 11 [50:09] 000 children over six years beginning at [50:10] six months of age and that revealed that [50:13] children sufferings from sleep [50:14] disordered breathing had a higher [50:16] incidence of Behavioral and emotional [50:18] issues such as hyperactivity [50:19] aggressiveness depression and anxiety [50:21] they have 50 to 90 percent more likely [50:23] to develop ADHD like symptoms than were [50:27] normal breathers that blew my mind there [50:30] it is right there I'm glad that you you [50:32] mentioned that and I didn't yeah and [50:34] there's there's dozens of studies [50:35] showing the same thing over and over and [50:38] over [50:39] the question then becomes I guess is if [50:42] I have ADHD and I'm 30 years old uh yeah [50:45] I I think it depends on who you are I [50:47] don't think that there's a blanket [50:48] prescription or a blanket guarantee on [50:50] any of this stuff I think it depends on [50:52] what's the root cause of that ADHD we [50:55] know in kids it's treated as a [50:57] neurological problem right if that were [51:00] true then the drugs should work and they [51:01] don't right and I believe it's a [51:05] physiological problem it's a breathing [51:07] problem and that that study is just one [51:09] of many that that has espoused that if [51:12] you're talking about an adult with ADHD [51:14] what I know about adopting healthy [51:16] breathing habits you will only benefit [51:20] that benefit might be this big or might [51:23] completely transform your life right you [51:25] will only know once you do it so I don't [51:28] feel comfortable guaranteeing anyone of [51:30] anything there might be some respiratory [51:32] therapists or breathing coaches who will [51:34] say absolutely I can cure your ADHD with [51:37] these breathing practices that's fine [51:39] but I don't think it's the same [51:42] prescription for for everybody I know [51:45] it'll help though um going further back [51:46] at this train of thought then we're [51:47] talking about [51:49] um exercise and nose breathing at the [51:51] very start of this thread of thought and [51:54] I have sat here with a few people now I [51:56] think it was Peter attia who was talking [51:59] to him about VO2 max a subject matter I [52:02] don't still fully don't understand but [52:04] from what I understood it was the amount [52:05] of oxygen we're able to take from each [52:07] breath yeah yeah so that's that's a [52:10] general measurement of the amount of ox [52:12] how efficient you are at taking up [52:14] oxygen which is related to breathing but [52:16] it's also related to the respiratory [52:18] system and how you're able to extract [52:20] that oxygen from your lungs into your [52:22] bloodstream and it's a good gauge of [52:25] General athletic performance it's not [52:27] everything and there's been some [52:29] pushback against using that as a as a [52:31] measurement but but it's a general [52:34] General gauge a good tool for that is [52:37] there a correlation between our health [52:40] outcomes how long we'll live and our [52:43] lung capacity or VO2 max and all of that [52:46] stuff is there a correlation there so I [52:48] had the same question years ago and I [52:50] started looking into it and it turns out [52:52] that numerous Studies have found found [52:54] that the healthier and larger your lungs [52:57] are the longer you will live that is the [53:01] greatest indicator of lifespan was lung [53:04] size and lung Health the greatest [53:07] indicator the greatest indicator [53:08] according to these studies the [53:10] Framingham study looked at 5200 people [53:13] over the course of 70 years and they [53:15] found that the people who lived the [53:17] longest have the largest and healthiest [53:19] lung function they even did studies in [53:22] which they were looking at people who [53:24] had lung transplants so surgically [53:28] implanted lungs those who were given [53:30] larger lungs lived way longer than those [53:33] given normal size or smaller lungs so no [53:36] matter how you get these larger lungs [53:39] it's better and luckily we don't need to [53:42] get a transplant to do this we can [53:44] practice healthy breathing we can [53:46] practice stretches we can exercise and [53:49] this naturally can keep our lung size up [53:52] it's very sad when you start looking at [53:54] these charts of what happened after [53:56] you're 30 you're almost there so get [53:58] ready it's a real bummer but your lung [54:00] function starts dropping off [54:03] very quickly and especially for women [54:06] around 50 and 60 your lung function and [54:09] your lung size starts shrinking [54:11] shrinking shrinking up which means at [54:14] the time you need more oxygen more [54:16] easily it's much harder to get that and [54:19] that's where People's Health really [54:21] starts disintegrating and they start [54:23] having problems the good news is you can [54:26] Stave off this deterioration this [54:29] shrinking of your lungs by doing all the [54:32] stuff we're talking about by doing [54:34] breath work exercise by exercise what is [54:37] yoga but stretching [54:39] and breathing into this lung and [54:41] breathing into that lung so the Yogi's [54:43] newest thousands and thousands of years [54:45] ago [54:46] and he said it almost feels like that [54:48] downward spiral is kind of [54:49] self-reinforcing and self-fulfilling [54:51] because if my lung capacity deteriorates [54:54] my movement and my Exercise capacity [54:58] will deteriorate which means my lung [55:00] capacity will deteriorate which means [55:02] I'll move less which it's kind of this [55:03] downward spiral right absolutely and [55:06] it's [55:07] my belief after studying this stuff for [55:10] so long that that is the thing you want [55:12] to pay attention to more more than [55:14] anything else especially as you grow [55:16] older your lung function how much air [55:19] you can pack into your lungs how long [55:21] you can hold your breath all of this is [55:24] indicative of your general respiratory [55:26] function in your General Health so that [55:29] that little hint of using a breath hold [55:32] every morning to see where you are [55:34] physically and mentally I think it's [55:36] good they've used it for thousands and [55:38] thousands of years and now it's coming [55:39] back this is something that a lot of [55:41] these longevity experts aren't looking [55:43] into they're looking into nutrition and [55:45] exercise they're not looking into lung [55:48] capacity we get more energy from breath [55:50] than we do from food and drink right we [55:54] take 30 pounds of air in and out of our [55:57] lungs every single day and so I I find [56:00] it interesting they're focused on all [56:03] these micronutrients all that stuff's [56:04] important right I believe most of it [56:07] but from what I know a lot of them [56:08] aren't focused very much on their [56:10] breathing I want to make sure that I [56:12] have something to that I can take into [56:13] my own life there for the expansion of [56:15] my lung capacity because I'm sold on the [56:18] importance of it so [56:19] um exercise expands my lung capacity [56:22] yeah 15 20 just just by exercising by [56:25] virtue of actually if you're a good [56:26] exerciser your lung capacity will will [56:29] stay up cardiovascular exercise [56:31] cardiovascular exercise [56:33] and there's ways to access that a little [56:35] more if you're dysfunctionally breathing [56:37] when you're working out you're not doing [56:39] yourself too many favors so you have to [56:41] remember those simple basic things you [56:43] have to learn how to take a proper [56:45] breath then apply that to your workouts [56:47] you will see such an incredible [56:49] difference once you do this this is what [56:51] yoga is good for it's hard to do yoga [56:53] without breathing well right you can do [56:55] it but by virtue of all those different [56:58] poses they're meant to open up your [57:01] chest right to expand this area so yoga [57:05] cardiovascular exercise with proper [57:07] breathing through my nose breath work [57:09] practices the start of the day I think [57:12] biomechanics the first thing is [57:13] awareness to any of this stuff you can [57:15] take your hands we can do this while [57:17] we're seated here you can put it above [57:19] your sit bones here yeah and when you [57:22] breathe in breathe very very low and you [57:24] want your hands to move out laterally I [57:26] don't care what your stomach's doing [57:27] moving out laterally so as you breathe [57:29] in when you say low you mean in my belly [57:32] you want your hands to me moving [57:34] outwards okay I don't care what's [57:37] happening with your lung I with your uh [57:39] stomach I can hold my breath [57:42] and move my stomach in and out so when [57:44] people talk about a belly breath that's [57:45] not what we're doing when your hands are [57:47] moving out laterally that means your [57:49] diaphragm is descending that's how we [57:52] can see if you're taking a proper deep [57:53] breath so as you breathe in [57:57] you want your hands to be moving outward [57:59] and if you take a cloth measuring tape [58:02] you can actually measure your progress [58:04] this way the next thing you want to do [58:05] is take your hands okay take your four [58:08] fingers place them on your collarbone [58:10] and put this one's very weird place your [58:12] middle finger right there so it's only [58:14] your middle finger that's touching okay [58:16] and we're going to breathe deep then [58:18] we're going to move that breath up into [58:19] our chest okay [58:24] don't move your shoulders [58:27] you want to see those fingers naturally [58:29] separated okay so this is not a flexing [58:33] thing your shoulders stay down like this [58:37] just like this fingers on the collarbone [58:39] we're going to take a big breath into [58:41] our lower abdomen area [58:44] move it up [58:47] and you want your chest to be expanding [58:51] outward the last thing we want to do [58:54] take your hands and put them especially [58:56] you you need to do this take your hands [58:58] put them around your neck yeah I want [59:02] you to do that same breath you should [59:04] feel zero tension in your neck there's [59:06] none of this going on okay it should [59:09] feel soft and supple so let's take that [59:11] belly to the chest breath [59:15] if there's any tension do it again until [59:17] there's no tension [59:26] okay now try that again keeping your [59:29] shoulders down okay do not move your [59:32] shoulders up there's none of this going [59:34] on you're very soft very relaxed take [59:37] your hands above the hip bones when [59:39] you're breathing in very deep those [59:41] hands should be out like this [59:43] like wings yeah okay and you're going to [59:46] breathe in deep and those hands should [59:48] be moving out laterally [59:52] you will start to feel those organs [59:55] getting compressed that's good you want [59:57] that then you can move it up one more [59:59] time so we're going to start low we're [60:01] going to move that breath up to the [60:03] chest [60:06] keep your shoulders down [60:09] try it again keep the shoulders down [60:13] there you go and those fingers should be [60:15] separating so this is something that you [60:18] can check in if those hands are moving [60:21] out laterally [60:22] if those hands are separating on your [60:25] chest you're taking a proper [60:27] biomechanical breath [60:31] and that's what you need to focus on and [60:34] you'll notice once you start learning [60:36] how to access these different areas you [60:38] start applying this to working out and [60:41] your performance will tend to go up [60:43] you'll be less exhausted at the end [60:45] you'll just feel better all around [60:48] so we should expect our chest to come [60:50] kind of move outwards as we breathe in [60:52] you you want to see your chest moving [60:55] outwards because most of your lungs the [60:57] expansion is in your back but some of [61:00] that is going to be happening this is [61:02] not a pose that you want to do like this [61:05] right you should be very loose very [61:08] limber [61:10] and when you breathe in you want that [61:12] air to fill all the way up there but you [61:15] want to start low first that means the [61:17] diaphragm is descending most of the air [61:19] that is soaked up from the lungs in that [61:22] gas exchange happens at the bottom of [61:24] the lungs so you want to be able to [61:26] access the bottom of those lungs is [61:29] there a certain way that I because when [61:30] you say you want to start by breathing [61:32] at the bottom is how do I know so this [61:36] the symptom of me breathing at the [61:37] bottom is [61:39] it coming out my my sort of what do they [61:42] call this my abdomen coming outwards on [61:45] the sides that's right [61:46] because everyone calls this a belly [61:48] breath so people do this with their [61:50] belly but you can move your belly [61:52] independently of your breathing yeah [61:54] this is a way that you can't cheat so a [61:58] tape measure is good and if you get an [62:01] inch inch and a half that's pretty good [62:03] but you can work that up and if you see [62:06] really good breathers people have [62:08] practiced a lot of yoga and done it the [62:10] right way they can have this massive [62:13] expansion and this is what ties into [62:15] free divers free divers are the experts [62:18] at accessing every square inch of their [62:22] lung capacity to fill it with air that's [62:25] what they do which is why if you ever [62:27] see free divers go to one of these [62:29] competitions they're short people tall [62:31] people fat people whatever they all have [62:34] these enormous chests because they've [62:36] been able to develop this incredible [62:39] lung capacity one of the things that um [62:42] I think causes shallow breath is this [62:44] kind of constant state of fight or [62:46] flight stress anxiety screens social [62:50] media and it's funny because whenever [62:52] people would have been listening to this [62:54] podcast and started how do you talk [62:56] about breath and they would realize that [62:58] they were probably at that exact moment [63:00] doing really shallow [63:02] breaths [63:04] you talk about these free divers who are [63:06] able to extract you know 18 [63:08] use 80 90 of their diaphragm or more we [63:12] you said we used 10 roughly 10 this is [63:14] about 10 and oftentimes less than that [63:16] the average person what is the [63:18] correlation between like stress and [63:20] breathing and also I'm talking now about [63:23] like the everyday angst of life [63:27] so we've talked about the skeleton we've [63:30] talked about anthropology we've talked [63:31] about biomechanics and posture but [63:34] something else that ties into this [63:35] you're 100 right is is psychology is [63:38] your brain so how you breathe affects [63:41] how your brain works affects your [63:43] anxiety but your anxiety also affects [63:45] how you're breathing so again it's [63:47] another one of those circles what [63:49] happens so often is when we're at work [63:52] we're so sensitized to threats and to [63:56] fear that we overreact when something [64:00] happens even though it's not threatening [64:02] our life we get a nasty email from a [64:04] friend or a email from the boss that's [64:07] disappointed at the last project you did [64:10] and we get stressed out right and so [64:13] what what is the physiological response [64:16] to stress is [64:18] we clench up [64:20] we hold our breath [64:22] and then we breathe like this [64:25] and we hold our breath again and we [64:27] breathe like this [64:29] you think about [64:31] thousands of years ago when we were out [64:33] in the Wilds what would we do if there [64:36] was a threat approaching you'd hold your [64:38] breath to be silent and then you breathe [64:41] too much you get respiratory system [64:42] ready to either fight it off or to run [64:45] away [64:46] so we're having the same response in our [64:48] day-to-day lives now because we're so [64:51] over sensitized to it [64:53] so researchers have different names for [64:55] this they call it email apnea or [64:58] continuous awareness I mean there's an [65:01] academic name for it partial attention [65:03] syndrome I prefer email apnea easier to [65:07] remember no matter what you call it it's [65:10] the idea that when you're in the office [65:12] place you're breathing dysfunctionally [65:14] because of this constant stress Loop and [65:17] they've found there were some NIH [65:19] studies on this they found that [65:21] breathing this way can have long-term [65:24] damage to your health high blood [65:25] pressure issues all the things we had [65:28] talked about metabolic dysfunctions and [65:30] more which makes sense because you're [65:32] just constantly in this Loop of fear and [65:35] threat and stress so the quickest most [65:39] effective way way more than drugs to [65:42] take control of this stress is to take [65:45] control of your breathing and this has [65:47] been documented time and time again so [65:49] when you notice you're breathing this [65:51] way you stop [65:54] what I like to do is breathe two breaths [65:56] in and then an exhale looks like this [66:00] laughs [66:03] that resets your respiratory system that [66:06] resets your breathing pattern then you [66:08] can do a few rounds of that and go back [66:11] to very simple five second and five [66:13] second out so let's just pretend yeah [66:16] you're in line at the airport someone's [66:19] cut you off you ordered something at [66:21] Starbucks it gave you the wrong you know [66:23] all the things that are just drive us [66:26] crazy nowadays at that moment [66:30] want you to breathe in [66:32] pause [66:33] breathe in again [66:36] let it out [66:38] relax yourself a little bit when you're [66:40] doing these breaths okay breathe in [66:43] breathe in again [66:45] and let it out [66:48] do that one more time breathe in [66:51] a little more subtle let in it again [66:55] and let it out [66:56] so you did this in very exaggerated way [66:58] which is fine but you can do this so no [67:01] one can tell you're doing it you can do [67:03] it very subtle you probably feel a [67:05] little different now than you did before [67:06] yeah so much different you can return to [67:09] then a slow low rhythmic breathing [67:11] pattern from there or whatever makes you [67:14] comfortable I like five seconds in five [67:17] seconds out also what's beneficial for [67:20] people if it's comfortable for them is [67:21] four seconds in six out will really [67:25] mellow you out and we could try that [67:26] right now breathe in [67:28] okay first of all slow I should not be [67:32] seeing you okay [67:34] so we're going to breathe in just very [67:35] very lightly we're going to relax here [67:37] what does it matter if you see it [67:39] because you're trying too hard okay this [67:41] is not there is a time and place for the [67:45] this is not it okay [67:48] okay right so breathe in [67:50] two [67:51] three four out two three four five six [67:59] breathe in two three four out two three [68:06] four five six doesn't have to be that [68:10] exact pattern but this will trigger all [68:13] of that [68:15] parasympathetic response in your body [68:17] you can see this if you're looking at [68:19] your heart rate variability it's amazing [68:21] to see the the difference that this [68:22] happens just after a few breaths look at [68:25] looking at your HRV looking at your [68:27] heart rate looking at your stress levels [68:29] what is it doing you mentioned [68:30] parasympathetic and resetting the [68:32] respiratory system but if I you know [68:35] what is the parasympathetic and the [68:38] respiratory system for dummies what is [68:40] that so how you breathe is going to [68:43] activate your nervous system function [68:44] your nervous system function is going to [68:46] activate everything in your body so we [68:48] can take conscious control of our [68:50] breathing we can't take conscious [68:51] control of our heart rate or liver [68:53] function or any of that we can take [68:55] control of our breathing when we take [68:56] control of our breathing we can hack [68:58] into our nervous system so you can be in [69:01] a sympathetic State just like we were [69:03] you take a couple of those double [69:04] inhales and exhales what's sympathetic [69:06] that is sympathetic state is the act the [69:09] fight or flight this is the action part [69:12] of your nervous system when you're in [69:14] this state you are ready for action and [69:19] what happened which is great we want to [69:21] be ready for action we want to be ready [69:22] to fight or run away from stuff we do [69:25] not want to be in this state all day [69:27] long anxiety anxiety stress because this [69:31] is where autoimmune issues and so many [69:33] other problems come from by constantly [69:36] staying stressed we want stress we want [69:38] to be able to access stress [69:40] for short amounts of time then we want [69:43] to flip back into this parasympathetic [69:46] this relaxing state if you look at once [69:48] again animals in the wild you even look [69:50] at like a gazelle that's been attacked [69:52] you know five minutes later it's just [69:54] sleeping so it has a nervous system [69:56] that's able to Pivot from one to the [69:59] other [70:00] unfortunately we live in an environment [70:02] where we're always activating always [70:04] pushing towards that sympathetic and is [70:07] making us sick really really sick so [70:09] your breathing is the quickest way of [70:13] taking control of acute stress so pills [70:16] work okay other modalities work but in [70:19] that moment is when you need the most [70:21] help and your breathing is the thing [70:23] that can get you there [70:25] so people that have chronic stress must [70:27] have awful breathing absolutely and [70:30] they've they've documented that they've [70:31] looked at their breathing they've looked [70:33] at their carbon dioxide levels and [70:36] carbon dioxide is indicative of how slow [70:38] you're breathing if your levels are very [70:40] low that means you breathe like this [70:43] so you're just off-gassing all of this [70:45] CO2 and they're always low especially [70:48] for anxiety and panic as well they're [70:51] always low extremely low you ask someone [70:53] with acute Panic or anxiety to hold [70:56] their breath this is usually what [70:57] happens [70:58] [Music] [71:01] I'm never doing that again I've seen [71:04] this hundreds and hundreds of times so [71:06] by breathing slowly you're making them [71:09] more comfortable with more CO2 you're [71:12] making them more comfortable with their [71:13] nervous system function with themselves [71:15] which is why this assessment of a breath [71:18] hold is very useful and so important [71:20] it's not only a diagnostic it's a [71:23] therapeutic because while you're holding [71:25] your breath you're also in the action of [71:28] training yourself to tolerate more CO2 [71:30] which will calm your body down [71:32] and going back to this point about the [71:34] parasympathetic and the nervous system [71:35] and anxiety why [71:38] does having an extended exhale [71:42] help with anxiety so you said breathe in [71:44] for four breathe out for six why why [71:47] does extending that Exhale by two [71:48] seconds help with stress anxiety [71:50] so if you really pay attention and a lot [71:53] of people have problems doing this is [71:55] which is why it's helpful for them to [71:57] look at their whoop or or whatever you [71:59] can place your hand over your heart and [72:01] when you inhale [72:05] you can feel your heart rate increase [72:06] when you exhale [72:10] slows down this is how HRV works this is [72:13] how it's calculated is the difference in [72:15] time on that and the shortest distance [72:18] to the longest difference and this is [72:21] looking at your nervous system function [72:23] respiratory sinus arrhythmia so how you [72:26] breathe affects how how many times your [72:29] heart beats right so if you're exhaling [72:33] which slows the heart rate down more [72:35] what's going to happen to your heart [72:37] rate [72:37] it's going to start slowing down more [72:40] and that exhale that slowing down and [72:42] telling your body you're in a safe place [72:44] that it can relax is what triggers this [72:47] response by the nervous system [72:48] interesting so it's like tricking them [72:50] tricking the body into believing that's [72:51] such a simple hack [72:54] um and a lot of people they say oh this [72:55] can't be true but so many of us have [72:57] these wearables you can check it for [72:59] yourself and in real time to look at [73:02] your heart rate variability changing [73:04] your breathing pattern look at your [73:06] blood pressure too for many people they [73:08] can just switch to their breathing after [73:10] a couple of minutes you can see drops of [73:11] 15 points not for everybody but for some [73:14] people 10 to 15 points just by switching [73:16] your breathing as you may know this [73:17] podcast is sponsored by huel if you're [73:19] living under a rock you might have [73:20] missed that and he'll has such a wide [73:22] range of products now but there is a [73:25] great way to try all of them this is the [73:27] huel best seller bundle perfectly [73:30] curated so that you can try all of the [73:32] favorite products and decide which ones [73:34] are your favorites the best seller [73:35] bundle has a range of meals and bars [73:37] including the iconic heel Shaker the pot [73:41] and a free t-shirt which if you've got [73:43] the free heel t-shirt you'll understand [73:44] how well that t-shirt fits I'm not just [73:46] saying that it really really is [73:47] phenomenal if you've heard me talking [73:49] about cure but haven't tried it for some [73:51] reason then this is a great option for [73:53] you to get to know the range and find [73:55] the product that works best for you I've [73:57] tried every single heel product in the [73:59] boardroom in the development [74:00] Laboratories and in my home and there's [74:03] a couple of products which have just [74:04] revolutionized my life because they meet [74:06] the requirements that I'm looking for so [74:07] if you're looking to try heal for the [74:09] first time and to get into it and to [74:11] join the hooligan family I'd highly [74:12] recommend you try this out well we we [74:14] talked about the pandemic earlier on in [74:16] covid one of the big conversations you [74:18] must have seen playing out was that [74:19] masks are [74:22] um bad for us because it's like trapping [74:24] carbon dioxide in inside the mask which [74:26] is making us sick I even see people [74:28] having this conversation right now on [74:29] online in the wake of the pandemic [74:31] they're saying you know these masks that [74:33] we put on kids they've caused sickness [74:35] and illness in kids [74:37] um carbon dioxide is kind of seen as [74:39] this poison [74:40] what is your POV on all of this oh man [74:43] there's even more controversial than the [74:45] whole breastfeeding thing but let's go [74:46] there [74:47] Okay so [74:49] surgeons and Dennis have been wearing [74:52] masks for [74:53] 100 years they're able to function just [74:55] fine they wear good quality masks and [74:58] they wear them when they need to be [75:00] wearing them there are several studies [75:02] that support if everyone wears a mask [75:05] and if everyone is wearing that mask [75:07] properly it does seem to stem some [75:12] transmission of covid and other viruses [75:15] that's that's the truth [75:17] now let's look at the other side has [75:20] been telling we've been telling people [75:22] that social distancing at least in the [75:25] US they after six months of social [75:26] distance distancing which absolutely [75:29] worked they said no now you can go out [75:31] as long as you're wearing a mask did [75:33] that do anything to stamp the spread of [75:35] covid from what I see no so there's [75:40] there's a number of problems most the [75:42] mass that people are wearing are [75:43] terrible quality they're filled with [75:45] chemicals that you are inhaling and [75:48] they're causing a lot of health issues [75:50] okay that's that's number one second one [75:52] is most of us are wearing them [75:53] improperly we're not wearing them in the [75:55] right way the third one is people feel [75:58] this sense of comfort that they're [76:01] actually protected wearing this mask [76:04] which is not the case in many situations [76:07] and this is because I've done my own [76:09] research looking at carbon dioxide [76:11] levels in indoor environments and have [76:15] found these places that we were told [76:18] that we could go to and we would be safe [76:19] as long as we're wearing masks [76:21] completely not the case some of these [76:24] places had such high CO2 that it meant [76:27] every seventh breath you were inhaling [76:30] was someone else's breath backwash was [76:33] someone else's exhale [76:35] so I don't care how many masks you're [76:37] wearing they are not going to stop the [76:40] spread of these diseases if you are in [76:44] an environment where so much of that air [76:47] has been recycled so that's really [76:49] interesting to me I've never heard this [76:51] before the the idea that the amount of [76:53] carbon dioxide in the room you're in [76:55] which I guess is determined by how well [76:57] ventilated it is has a [77:01] relationship with how much recycled air [77:03] I take in [77:04] how absolutely and this I learned all [77:07] this after the book came out I was [77:09] talking to a pulmonologist who said you [77:11] really need to look into indoor CO2 I [77:14] said well why he said that is a good way [77:17] of determining how much of that air has [77:20] been recycled so I bought one of these [77:22] which is a carbon dioxide meter and I've [77:25] been recording our CO2 during this [77:28] interview Jesus and uh so [77:32] um if you are outside it's about [77:36] 418 depends where you are 418 19 parts [77:39] per million CO2 that's healthy right [77:42] even though CO2 is going up it's causing [77:44] climate change we all know that [77:47] but for breathing that is perfectly [77:49] healthy [77:50] once you get into 800 parts per million [77:54] some Studies have found that [77:57] sorry it's going when they are testing [77:59] people when they're testing students you [78:01] see a 20 decline in test results just [78:05] from 800 by the time you get to 1 000 [78:10] you start suffering from things like eye [78:12] irritation sore throats other issues so [78:16] we're probably breathing in every one in [78:19] every 30 breaths that I'm breathing in [78:22] is your breath or the cameraman's breath [78:24] by the time you get to 2500 you're in [78:28] really bad shape one in every 17 breaths [78:30] is is a breath you're breathing from [78:32] somebody else so we have been told by [78:36] authorities that we should only worry [78:38] about levels that are up to 5 000 parts [78:41] per million that is completely false [78:44] there are over 18 studies that show [78:47] levels over 800 into a thousand can [78:51] potentially cause problems with bone [78:54] demineralization kidney calcification [78:57] and chronic inflammation and so just [79:00] since we've been sitting in this [79:02] interview we started off at 700 and now [79:05] we're at 1100 and if we were to continue [79:07] working in here for the next few hours [79:09] this could be up to 1500 1700 which has [79:13] been shown to have serious uh issues [79:16] with with cognitive function and with [79:18] physical function [79:21] that's very scary and it it's cause for [79:24] a redesign of this studio because I mean [79:27] putting on the air conditioning would [79:29] that help because that would that would [79:30] ignore us recycling the same air unless [79:33] that air is is coming in from outside [79:36] does that air come from outside [79:38] I don't think so I think it's recycled [79:41] and uh a really scary study I read was a [79:45] lot of schools are at 1500 to 2000 [79:48] um several studies have found this they [79:50] have shown a 50 dick decrease [79:55] in test results [79:57] when students were exposed to air with [79:59] that much CO2 in it 50 decrease in test [80:03] results from fifteen hundred to two [80:05] thousand I've recorded levels up to four [80:08] thousand and five thousand in bars in [80:11] subways and more Jesus yeah this isn't [80:15] my uh hypothesis either this is [80:18] something I was told about about a year [80:20] after the book came out and I've seen a [80:23] lot of scientific studies since and I [80:26] sent some of those to your team just to [80:28] show that this isn't something I'm [80:29] making up the the ones you sent to my [80:32] team I I have um some notes Here I can [80:36] pull up [80:38] um in one study of 24 employees [80:41] cognitive scores were 50 lower and the [80:43] participants were exposed to 1 400 PPM [80:46] of CO2 compared with 550 PPM during a [80:49] working day we're nearly there so I'm 50 [80:53] Dumber because you've been breathing so [80:56] much [80:57] I start to I and I highly recommend [81:00] nobody get one of these because you go [81:03] crazy wherever you are on an airplane [81:05] I've uh seen 2700 per million and you [81:09] wonder why you feel like crap after a [81:11] long flight and sometimes it goes up and [81:14] then it comes down because they put in [81:15] more oxygen but usually when the plane [81:18] is warming up it's 25 2600 which is why [81:21] a lot of people just immediately go to [81:23] sleep you know I think maybe they're [81:24] doing it on purpose to Mellow everyone [81:26] out [81:27] but if you think about cognitive [81:28] function I mean this is a 50 decrease in [81:32] test results is insane and to think you [81:35] have kids in these schools taking tests [81:38] to go into college and all of the air is [81:41] recycled I mean it's just when I [81:44] mentioned at the beginning of our chat [81:45] here [81:46] that the modern world is conspiring to [81:49] make us unhealthy I think this is an [81:51] example and from what I've seen very few [81:54] people are paying any attention to this [81:57] and it's real you're reading the [81:58] scientific studies over there this isn't [82:01] stuff that I'm feeding to you [82:03] it almost sounds like I'm smoking it [82:06] sounds like I'm inhaling [82:08] you know because we talk about people [82:09] have got a smoke outside to keep us [82:11] healthy so we change the laws in this [82:12] country so you can't smoke indoors [82:15] well at least smoking is fun and it [82:17] gives you a buzz right CO2 is you can't [82:20] smell it [82:22] it's really hard to sense it [82:24] it's invisible and yet it's always there [82:28] any outside environment you don't have [82:30] to worry about it but indoor [82:32] environments especially in the buildings [82:34] we've created now that don't have [82:35] Windows I can't tell you how many hotels [82:38] sometimes really nice hotels I go to [82:40] open the windows like my God they've [82:42] glued the Windows shut right and [82:45] overnight I watched this just ticking up [82:48] 100 points every couple hours and you [82:52] wonder why you wake up so feeling so [82:55] much worse than you did when you first [82:57] came in there [82:58] so this is this is real stuff in in a [83:01] room like this there's nothing you can [83:02] do because the HVAC system has been [83:06] designed to just recycle the air over [83:09] and over and over again my hunch and I'm [83:11] probably wrong about this in the next [83:13] few years people are going to start [83:16] requiring bosses of companies are going [83:20] to require that there be fresh air for [83:23] their employees because I think you're [83:25] going to see big problems with [83:27] performance I mean even just sitting [83:29] here now that you know this [83:32] so some of that's a placebo effect sure [83:35] but I feel great but don't you feel a [83:38] little like warm and tired so so take my [83:42] word for it do not travel with one of [83:45] these it will make you a complete [83:47] neurotic I'm doing it because I want to [83:49] document it I'm going to be updating [83:50] future editions of the book with some of [83:53] this information because I didn't know [83:55] about this when the book came out but I [83:57] think people really need to know about [83:58] this and start asking hotels can I open [84:02] the window start out before you run an [84:04] office can I open the window like it's [84:06] that easy you just need to open it a [84:08] little bit it makes a huge difference [84:10] just opening it a little bit people [84:12] can't see this but we sit in a room here [84:14] and we like air seal it for sound [84:16] reasons yeah so we don't have any [84:18] windows in here [84:20] um [84:20] and we actually move this this is a [84:23] replica of my old kitchen which is on [84:24] the top floor of this building so the [84:26] reason which had this wonderful huge [84:28] balcony over there that you could open [84:29] the whole side of the the [84:32] um that side of the building and walk [84:34] outside into the fresh air but we moved [84:36] it down here and made this little [84:38] chamber because of sound reasons I do [84:41] sit in here for sometimes nine hours a [84:43] day there's been an occasion a few times [84:45] where I've done three podcasts in a day [84:46] and I feel that now you've said it I do [84:51] feel incredibly fatigued I'm sure it's [84:54] because I'm talking and you know having [84:55] really you know sort of challenging my [84:57] brain a little bit but [84:59] I I only I can only wonder if the [85:02] studies are correct and there's a 50 [85:03] variance in my cognitive scores what [85:06] would happen if I found a way to get [85:08] oxygen into this room [85:09] more oxygen in the carbon dioxide out [85:12] I promise you'd feel better I'm going to [85:14] figure out how much better who knows it [85:16] depends on the day depends on the person [85:18] I promise you'd feel better I promise [85:21] your brain would be operating and [85:23] functioning better than it is now we're [85:26] not meant to be in four White Walls [85:28] trapped inside are we and this is the [85:29] misalignment problem never this is that [85:32] misalignment problem even a hundred [85:34] years ago right every building had [85:36] windows that you could open even 50 [85:39] years ago every build almost every [85:41] building had had Windows you could open [85:43] but but now the standard protocol is [85:46] because it's easier to heat and easier [85:49] to cool right you're creating this this [85:51] bubble which is why if you go into like [85:53] a Walmart one of those stores there's no [85:55] windows there's no anything you just got [85:57] blue light in this bubble you can [85:59] control the the environment much more [86:02] easily but what is it doing to People's [86:04] Health you know uh so this is I'm the [86:07] guy [86:09] that asked for a hotel room does it have [86:11] a window and you get really funny looks [86:14] and until you start traveling with one [86:16] of these and start reading these studies [86:18] and you realize how important it is so [86:21] interesting one of the things that I [86:23] that I've really taken from this is when [86:24] I wrote my book um I always go to the [86:26] Jungle [86:27] to write I literally write the book in [86:29] nature I've just realized that I'm [86:32] actually increasing my cognitive [86:34] um performance by going and sitting down [86:35] by Lake every year and writing versus [86:38] doing it inside an office so when I [86:40] reflect on tasks that require real [86:42] cognitive performance honestly like [86:44] having an interview conversation or [86:46] writing a book or any sort of deep sort [86:47] of intellectual cognitive tasks it's so [86:50] important that those rooms and those [86:51] spaces are well ventilated right and the [86:54] right light [86:55] those those two things I think are very [86:58] important and I think we're going to see [87:00] so much of this changing in our culture [87:03] soon because people are going to ask for [87:04] it and they're going to feel the [87:05] difference so there's a whole bunch of [87:07] different reasons why you're thinking [87:09] more clearly it's not just the lack of [87:11] CO2 right in the environment it's the [87:14] natural light your nature itself is just [87:18] so inspiring and relaxing but this is [87:20] one component of it without a doubt [87:23] I'm shocked that nobody has ever told me [87:26] this before I've never heard about that [87:28] ignorance is bliss like if I haven't [87:30] done this but we both feel energized and [87:32] ready to roll but I'm the type of person [87:34] that would rather be empowered by [87:36] information I like when people turn the [87:37] lights on because we go through our [87:38] lives [87:39] um misdiagnosing the problems we're [87:43] dealing with and so for me knowledge is [87:44] power because of course I've sat in this [87:46] chair for you know a long time and [87:49] to know that there's a potential to [87:51] potentially increase my cognitive [87:53] performance when I'm doing a [87:54] conversation just by finding a way to [87:56] get oxygen into this room is is profound [87:58] without a doubt I found Advantage I [88:01] ensure that that will happen [88:04] in the morning when you do this [88:05] diagnostic of holding your breath so you [88:07] get to the hotel room you do this [88:08] diagnostic you hold your breath do you [88:10] time on a stopwatch yeah no time in on [88:13] my watch so what this is is you can call [88:15] it a bolt score body oxygen level test [88:19] you can call it a control part call it [88:21] whatever you want all it is is you take [88:23] a breath in [88:25] breathing [88:34] you take a calm breath in okay and I'll [88:38] tell you what it is and then we'll maybe [88:41] do it which will make for terrible [88:43] podcast time you guys can just snip it [88:46] out but we're just going to take a calm [88:47] breath not a big breath calm breath in [88:50] to that point where it just stops when [88:52] you're exhaling you don't push the air [88:54] out it just naturally stops that neutral [88:56] point okay just take it we'll just [88:58] practice this right now take a breath in [89:01] just let the air out [89:03] there will be a point where it just [89:04] naturally stops yeah that's when you [89:06] start the timer okay on that neutral [89:10] hold so you just take a breath in [89:13] and breathe out I'm not going to tell [89:15] you when I'm going to do this so you [89:17] don't take an extra big breath and [89:18] breathe in again [89:21] breathe out to neutral [89:24] hold your breath hold it [89:31] as you're holding your breath the first [89:34] point at which you feel resistance that [89:37] means a swallow that means your [89:39] diaphragm [89:40] starts convulsing gently that means you [89:44] feel a buildup of pressure at the back [89:46] you have to be honest with yourself this [89:49] is not a maximum breath hold test [89:52] this is the very first point that you [89:55] feel [89:56] some palpable discomfort [90:01] then you go back to normal breathing so [90:03] you won't be doing yourself any favors [90:05] if you're cheating past that threshold [90:10] okay yeah so good so what you want to [90:14] get to is 40 seconds and when you return [90:17] to breathing the way that you know [90:19] you've gone too far is when you go [90:23] yeah your return should be come [90:27] you're not seeing me return okay there [90:29] is no effort so these are good gauges to [90:32] know that you pushed it too far okay so [90:34] what you want to be going for [90:37] is 40 seconds or more to be holding your [90:41] breath and you've got 40 seconds I think [90:42] you pushed a little too far but um I was [90:45] waiting for that point of just feeling a [90:47] little bit uncomfortable and then [90:49] most athletes even Elite athletes get to [90:52] 20 seconds when they first start doing [90:54] this and they've trained themselves to [90:56] push through the pain they compete and [90:59] they win but their bodies are not happy [91:01] which is why so many athletes Peak and [91:05] then they're a complete mess after they [91:07] stop competing that this happens with [91:09] football players this happens with [91:11] baseball players and more [91:14] what most people do is about 15 seconds [91:17] 15 seconds 15 seconds you would be [91:20] surprised especially older people [91:22] especially people of respiratory [91:24] problems as I mentioned before people [91:26] with asthma and panic about three to [91:29] five seconds if they have severe asthma [91:32] and panic so you just start to [91:33] understand how dysfunctionally their [91:36] breathing is their CO2 tolerance their [91:39] ability for their lungs to extract [91:41] oxygen their nervous system and more [91:44] just because you got a low score [91:48] that is just a diagnostic and it's a [91:51] starting point to improve your breathing [91:53] this is not a competition do not compete [91:56] with yourself we can get to stuff that [92:00] is very competitive if you'd like but [92:03] this test is just to tune in to how your [92:07] body is responding and another warning I [92:09] want to be very very clear about do not [92:11] take one number and think you're good to [92:13] go [92:14] this changes in the morning changes if [92:16] your sleep is bad changes if your sleep [92:18] is good changes after you eat and more [92:20] so you take these throughout the day [92:22] maybe three times a day and after a week [92:25] of recording that number you average it [92:28] that's your number that you're working [92:30] with does that make sense perfect sense [92:33] so so take it at night take in the [92:35] morning take it at noon [92:37] and just put it in your phone and then [92:39] at the end of that week you'll have your [92:41] your bolt score is what they call it [92:43] Patrick McEwen calls it that [92:45] can't stop looking at your carbon [92:47] dioxide Monitor and the more I said it [92:49] did we just tick up here yeah I wish [92:51] this was like a stock meter we'd be in [92:53] good good shape you know you mentioned [92:56] asthma there um the [92:58] I mean my my perception of asthma I [93:00] don't suffer from asthma so I don't know [93:02] a ton about it I've never no point in my [93:04] life if I've been forced to learn about [93:06] it or has my curiosity led me there so [93:08] far but when I my understanding of [93:10] asthma is that people are born with it [93:12] and then they're given medicine [93:15] that is the General accepted [93:17] understanding of asthma and it's wrong [93:20] so if some people are naturally [93:22] predisposed to have asthma but that is [93:24] not a life sentence of asthma and the [93:27] idea that a three-year-old a friend of [93:29] mine his kid has asthma is given [93:32] albuterol it's given all these different [93:34] drugs they're taken as adenoids they're [93:36] taken out as tonsils no one's looking at [93:38] his breathing I asked my friend I said [93:40] how does your kid breathe at night he's [93:42] like oh he snores all night long with an [93:44] open mouth how does he breathe in the [93:45] day his mouth is constantly open nobody [93:48] mentioned that nobody mentioned that so [93:51] I don't go for unless you've got a [93:54] genetic neurological disease right I [93:56] don't go for this argument that diseases [93:58] that come on that are diseases of [94:01] civilization that we are stuck with [94:04] these diseases our whole life we [94:06] certainly know that's true with diabetes [94:08] who thought that diabetes is actually [94:10] reversible type 2 diabetes is reversible [94:13] by adopting a different diet it is [94:16] there's a company called virta and this [94:19] is what they do they reverse diabetes [94:21] the same thing is true for asthma and [94:24] anxiety that's my belief at minimum you [94:28] can reduce the symptoms [94:30] if it really works out well you won't [94:33] have any symptoms at all and I can say [94:35] this now because I've talked to dozens [94:37] and dozens and dozens of people who [94:39] suffered through asthma for decades they [94:42] weren't able to go outside and play as a [94:44] kid they had to stay indoors they had to [94:47] stay locked up their breathing was [94:48] terrible who now have no symptoms of [94:51] asthma by taking control of their [94:53] breathing seems impossible there's a [94:56] number of different clinical trials [94:58] showing that the effects of healthy [95:01] breathing showing exactly what these [95:03] effects of healthy breathing can do for [95:06] asthmatics not three-year-olds your [95:08] friends three-year-olds yeah can you [95:10] play out that story what did what did [95:12] that what was the end of that story he [95:14] called me up he's like [95:16] you know a bit about breathing a little [95:18] bit you know what what can I do for you [95:20] he told me what was going on he's like [95:22] they're taking out their adenoids [95:23] they're taking out this kid's tonsils [95:25] he's three years old taking out the [95:27] kid's tonsils at three and adenoids uh [95:29] because they think that he you know that [95:31] is the root [95:32] cause of of his asthma this will allow [95:36] him to breathe better but what they [95:38] don't realize what they didn't mention [95:39] as I mentioned earlier if you just take [95:42] out adenoids and tonsils but don't fix [95:45] the underlying breathing dysfunction all [95:48] those problems come back this is true [95:49] with asthma this is true with sleep [95:51] apnea this is true with snoring and more [95:53] so you have to fix that core issue so I [95:56] hooked him up with a very well-known [95:59] breathing therapist who and he's now [96:01] this just happened last week I said I'm [96:04] not going to argue with your doctor and [96:06] your surgeon maybe your kid needs all [96:08] these things taken out immediately I [96:10] will argue with the comment that he's [96:12] going to be on oral steroids and [96:15] bronchodilators for the rest of his life [96:17] I I said I don't think he's starting off [96:19] on the Good Foot at three years old so [96:23] he's now and I'll let you know how it [96:25] goes but if what happens to him happens [96:27] to the hundreds and hundreds of other [96:30] people I've heard from you can reduce [96:32] the symptoms and in some cases reverse [96:34] them entirely you mentioned tonsils [96:39] it just perked my curiosity because [96:41] thinking back through my childhood every [96:43] you know so many people have their [96:44] tonsils taken out yeah and now I reflect [96:47] on that through the frame of like [96:49] misalignment and ancestors and stuff I [96:52] go why would we be cutting something out [96:54] of our body [96:55] um [96:56] that must be a misalignment problem of [96:58] sorts I the that must be a symptom of [97:02] the environment we live in not being [97:04] right for the human body that's my guess [97:07] why would a part of the human body [97:09] that's taken millions of years to evolve [97:12] to this certain function just all of a [97:14] sudden be of no use in the past 40 years [97:17] you have to start to ask that question [97:20] so what is the root cause of those [97:23] inflamed adenoids and tonsils is it the [97:26] fact that they are there and that's the [97:28] problem maybe for some people [97:30] genetically right that that could be the [97:32] issue but what's causing that [97:34] inflammation [97:35] you have to answer that question first [97:37] before you're going to fix it and just [97:39] going into a three-year-old to their [97:41] mouth and starting to rip things out I [97:44] my personal opinion is that that's a [97:46] really bad idea I would go through a [97:49] bunch of different methods to see if you [97:51] could improve the core condition first [97:54] before you revert to that surgery is [97:56] great I know people who have had their [97:58] breathing absolutely transformed by [98:00] doing nasal surgery it works wonderfully [98:03] for so many people but I would try to [98:05] see what you can do with your natural [98:07] body first [98:08] interesting I told you my partner she um [98:10] she's got I think she's got like her [98:13] deviated symptom or something which [98:15] means that breathing you can always hear [98:16] a breathing through her nose [98:18] pretty much all the time especially when [98:20] she sleeps [98:22] kind of something when she goes 50 even [98:24] you know she'll wear to be fair she [98:26] started wearing mouth tape I wanted to [98:28] talk to you about this she started [98:29] wearing this thing called Maya tape [98:30] which goes around her lips and has a [98:32] hole in the middle yep [98:34] um [98:35] but that having that myot tape around [98:37] her mouth when we looked at her whoop [98:38] scores in the morning really [98:40] interestingly her heart rate was flatter [98:42] than ever [98:44] so usually what you'd see in our heart [98:46] rate is kind of these like spikes [98:47] upwards throughout the night so [98:48] sometimes it might Spike up to 60 or 70. [98:51] but with the with the mouth tape around [98:53] her lips key which kept it kind of keeps [98:56] your mouth closed throughout the night [98:57] her heart rate super flat her wake [99:00] events down her sleep efficiency up [99:06] I hear this every day really I mean yeah [99:08] this is the the beauty of nasal [99:10] breathing what the brain wants is a [99:13] consistent fluid signal it gets that [99:16] signal from your breathing so there's a [99:19] study I'll send you guys on this that [99:21] the clock the Master Clock of sleep and [99:24] of the brain at night is that cyclical [99:27] deep easy breathing pattern this is what [99:31] the body doesn't want to have to fight [99:33] and defend itself when it's sleeping [99:35] this is it's time to rest and restore [99:37] and grow right if you're constantly [99:40] waking up what's that doing the body has [99:42] to stop what it's doing the repair [99:43] mechanisms and address the threat over [99:46] and over and over and that's what's [99:47] happening when people are struggling to [99:49] breathe [99:51] breathing like that so this doesn't [99:53] shock me at all this is exactly what [99:55] happened to me this was my same [99:57] experience and it's the experience that [99:59] hundreds of people have had and they've [100:01] sent me their sleep scores for some some [100:03] reason showing their heart rate [100:04] variability showing their uh how much [100:07] more deep sleep they're getting and [100:10] showing how rested they are in in the [100:12] morning so no matter how you get to [100:15] nasal breathing if it's by force of will [100:17] some people can just will themselves I [100:20] think that's awesome that's the greatest [100:21] way of doing it if it's a piece of tape [100:24] that's what I like using Mayo tape's [100:26] fantastic it's been around for a long [100:28] time and it takes away some of the [100:30] paranoia that people have with first [100:33] taping their mouth it's especially good [100:35] for kids you don't want to tape a kid's [100:36] mouth the smile tape just sort of it [100:39] provides a gentle reminder to keep your [100:41] mouth shut at any time you can talk you [100:44] can breathe through your mouth but it's [100:45] it's just gently reminding you to keep [100:48] your mouth shut I think it's great some [100:49] people use chin grass whatever you want [100:51] to use but breathing in and out through [100:53] your nose at night has so many benefits [100:56] your girlfriend has seen it millions of [100:59] people have experienced it now and it's [101:02] free and easy available for everybody [101:04] it's just it's profound and you know [101:06] this this whole discovery of breath and [101:08] sleep in the two-way relationship has [101:10] just been so Illuminating for me and [101:12] that's hugely part of the reason why I [101:14] wanted to have a conversation with you [101:15] to get that message out out there [101:18] um the perfect rhythm of breathing there [101:20] was this fascinating thing you talked [101:21] about that there is a perfect Rhythm to [101:24] breathing [101:26] which is it was quite spooky reading [101:28] about it what is the perfect Rhythm to [101:30] breathing in [101:31] depends on who you are I've learned a [101:33] lot more about this as well but a good [101:36] first place to start [101:39] is this five to six seconds in five to [101:42] six seconds out you can get more geeky [101:44] after you hit that I used to call this [101:47] 5.5 I write about this in the book with [101:50] 5.5 seconds in 5.5 seconds out that's [101:53] 5.5 breaths per minute that's what [101:55] researchers found to be really the most [101:58] beneficial but then I got so many [102:01] inquiries and emails and letters from [102:03] people saying you know I'm into the slow [102:06] breathing but I can't hit that half [102:09] second and it's driving me crazy and [102:11] I've been trying for two weeks I'm like [102:13] good god what have I done here so I'm [102:16] now telling people five to six seconds [102:18] is fine you don't have to worry about [102:21] that half seconds being off anything in [102:25] that range but what I've learned since [102:28] this book has come out that tall people [102:31] six foot six one and above should be [102:34] breathing even slower larger lungs [102:37] diaphragm has more time to descend so [102:40] around four and a half [102:43] breaths per minute so that's about eight [102:45] seconds and eight seconds out even [102:48] slower and for kids they naturally need [102:52] to breathe more so you want to start a [102:54] kid off at [102:56] start at three and three out just [102:58] starting there and working up to that so [103:01] this is a general guide that will work [103:04] for most people a good launching spot [103:07] but once you get there and you're [103:09] comfortable for that you can actually [103:11] view in real time your HRV to find your [103:14] perfect perfect Rhythm because it varies [103:16] a little bit for most people [103:18] so slow is better [103:20] so if you're taller yes but but not [103:24] necessarily for some people who have [103:25] Panic anxiety who don't have a very good [103:29] CO2 threshold [103:31] you have to start with two and two out [103:34] just doing that [103:37] once you get comfortable with that let's [103:39] go three and three out [103:41] four and four out right and you find [103:43] what's most comfortable for you it's [103:45] wonderful being in the world of [103:47] wearables where you can actually see [103:49] where your body is responding most to [103:52] my girlfriend does a lot of um that kind [103:54] of it's almost I can almost describe it [103:56] as like a psychedelic experience [103:59] um is that what they call Inner the the [104:00] inner fire stuff or is that the [104:02] holotropic I don't really know the [104:03] difference between the two but that when [104:06] you do the breathing breathing [104:07] ceremonies that almost it was almost [104:09] like my ego dropped away the first time [104:11] I did it I felt so emotional [104:14] the first time I did it not in a not in [104:16] like a sad like a sad way I just could [104:18] see things a little bit more clearly in [104:20] my life the first time I did one of [104:22] these breath work sessions with her and [104:24] I felt the need to apologize to a bunch [104:26] of people [104:27] because I just I'd had an argument with [104:29] someone that day about something small [104:30] and I just felt it was almost like my [104:32] ego had just like dissolved or something [104:34] what's going on there what is that you [104:37] know because it's all people are [104:38] prescribing this as a cure for like [104:40] mental health and Trauma and [104:43] well I could tell you what's going on [104:44] biologically I could tell you what's [104:46] going on psychologically psychically and [104:48] more we'll start with the biology [104:51] a lot of these very vigorous breathing [104:53] techniques which I would strongly [104:55] suggest people figure out your breath [104:58] Foundation before you go on to these [105:01] don't just jump into this stuff [105:02] everything we've talked about nasal [105:05] breathing slow breathing proper [105:06] biomechanics if you figure out all that [105:09] you will get so much more out of these [105:11] more vigorous breathing exercises so a [105:14] lot of these have you breathe very fast [105:17] sometimes through the mouth and you may [105:19] be saying well I thought you just said [105:21] we shouldn't be breathing through the [105:22] mouth for these short exercises it's [105:25] perfectly fine and you breathe that way [105:27] to specifically elicit a stress response [105:31] in your body that you are creating it's [105:33] the same thing with ice baths right [105:35] those aren't relaxing they cause a [105:37] stress response so when you're breathing [105:40] pranayama Kundalini holotropic you are [105:44] stressing your body out [105:46] and then you're learning how to use your [105:48] breath to calm your body down [105:51] right because all of these breathing [105:53] techniques you [105:54] and then you hold your breath and then [105:56] you breathe slow and then you go back to [106:00] and then you hold your breath so you are [106:02] learning how to take control of your [106:04] nervous system function and stress and [106:06] so that stress you're compacting into [106:09] this exercise so you don't carry it [106:12] around with you the rest of the day like [106:14] I do and so many other people do so you [106:17] go there you blow a fuse and then you're [106:20] able to be chilled the rest of the day [106:21] so biologically what's happening to your [106:24] blood flow when you're over breathing [106:26] you are inhibiting blood flow to your [106:29] brain people I've heard this in breath [106:31] work classes people say the more you [106:33] breathe the more oxygen is getting to [106:34] your brain that's why you're getting so [106:36] high the opposite is happening you're [106:39] inhibiting blood flow right now if we [106:41] were to over breathe and [106:43] yeah you're gonna feel light-headed [106:46] you're going to feel some tingling in [106:47] your fingers that's not from an increase [106:49] of blood circulation but a decrease [106:51] so you can breathe into a state in which [106:54] you have 40 percent less blood flow to [106:57] your brain by over breathing holotropic [107:00] is classic you start feeling all kinds [107:03] start going like this that's from all [107:06] the ionized calcium being glommed on [107:08] with albuminum so all of these and lack [107:11] of CO2 so this is a classic response [107:14] something some breath work people say [107:16] it's because you're going back in time [107:19] and you're becoming a bird and all [107:22] that's beautiful if you want to believe [107:23] that but what is actually happening to [107:26] your body is that we're losing that [107:29] calcium is being sucked up and that CO2 [107:32] is being inhibited so that vasodilation [107:35] is happening and it's causing you felt [107:37] that I felt it too it's it's freaking [107:39] when it first happens but it's [107:41] completely natural and it comes back [107:42] when you hold your breath or you breathe [107:44] more slowly I only knew I was doing that [107:46] because of a photo so they took a photo [107:48] of me while I was doing the breath work [107:50] exercise and my my and we're in the air [107:53] I didn't put them there and my fingers [107:55] were curled like a crap it was like that [107:57] was like that whoever's running that [107:59] breathwork is doing the right thing yeah [108:01] because you want to get to that state if [108:03] you're ready for that state so that's [108:05] what's happening to to the brain and the [108:07] body you were denying yourself oxygen [108:09] you were stressing yourself out so that [108:12] you can live without that stress after [108:14] that class sorry so how is it getting [108:16] the stress out of me though the same way [108:19] that a cold bath is [108:21] the same way that going to a gym for a [108:24] half an hour or an hour you're working [108:26] getting the stress out the same way of [108:28] going to a yoga class for an hour like I [108:30] feel so relaxed right this is [108:33] compounding that stress it's stressing [108:36] out your physical body and your brain [108:38] it's really pushing it so that you can [108:41] be reacquainted with what a threat [108:43] actually is right you're not over sensed [108:46] so when an email comes in from a friend [108:48] and they're being kind of pissy at you [108:50] you don't completely lose your top right [108:52] so I never want to talk to you again and [108:54] I think that's one of the reasons why [108:56] after that class you just went whoa I [108:59] have a better perspective on what stress [109:01] is how I should be treating other people [109:03] around me and how my brain should be [109:06] feeling that relaxed feeling that you [109:08] have so it's harder to quantify [109:10] psychologically especially psychically [109:12] or spiritually what's happening as a [109:14] very personal experience however I will [109:17] say having done a lot of this intense [109:20] breath work you know this vigorous [109:21] breath work I've seen people absolutely [109:24] transformed by it [109:26] um [109:27] they do it one time then they come back [109:29] the second time they're a little better [109:30] at it and they get rid of a lot of [109:32] luggage psychological luggage people [109:35] have go through some real stuff when [109:37] they're doing it I think it's beautiful [109:39] because this is something that we're [109:40] doing completely naturally with our own [109:42] bodies that we have access to there's [109:44] nothing exogenous about it right you [109:47] know this is something that that we're [109:48] commanding inside our nervous systems so [109:51] that's something I think needs to be [109:52] explored a lot more I tried numerous [109:54] times to get into an MRI machine I want [109:57] to do blood work I did one study which [109:59] was not in this book in the hypoxia Lab [110:02] at San Francisco one of the oldest [110:04] hypoxia labs and have freaked out the [110:06] researchers so much that they really [110:08] didn't want to be a part of it so um [110:11] because my hands did that thing and they [110:13] were pulling blood and my CO2 was so low [110:16] that you know they wanted to put me into [110:18] the ER I said no no I feel great I said [110:20] this is what it's supposed to be doing [110:21] but they want to see everything [110:23] consistent all the time right they see [110:25] these big dips and CO2 they see this [110:29] stress they associate that with serious [110:31] illness they don't realize when you [110:33] bring it on yourself it's something that [110:36] you can help to master and and so I hope [110:40] that more research will will look into [110:43] what happens to the brain during these [110:45] vigorous breathing exercises because not [110:47] a lot has been done but I know it's very [110:50] beneficial for people and there's been [110:52] several studies showing just how [110:53] beneficial it is for depression for [110:56] anxiety even autoimmune issues and more [110:59] of all the things we've discussed what [111:01] is the most important thing that we've [111:03] missed that is pertinent to breathing [111:06] Health well-being and you know daily [111:09] practices what is the most important [111:11] subject matter that that we've missed in [111:12] this conversation [111:13] I don't think it's necessarily that [111:16] we've missed anything I think it's the [111:19] importance of sort of doubling down on a [111:21] point of trying to make a few times is [111:23] you don't need to pay for this stuff you [111:28] don't need to read a bunch of different [111:32] scientific articles to know that breath [111:35] is a healing and very nourishing [111:39] modality this is something that's [111:41] available to us all day long all night [111:43] long so you can just focus on these [111:47] simple things get good at those simple [111:49] things and work up from there ultimately [111:51] I would love if people finally were able [111:54] to work up to go to these big breath [111:57] work powerful sessions because I don't [111:59] know anyone that's gone to one of these [112:01] and hasn't really gotten something out [112:04] of it I think you're oh yeah I went to [112:06] your your living proof of that right now [112:08] I'm an ultimate skeptic as well as as am [112:12] I that's the nature of of my job so just [112:15] adopt these these simple things and I [112:18] will say a final word breathing [112:20] dysfunction is a serious problem [112:22] especially with kids especially for [112:25] adults as well so take this seriously [112:28] fix it and I think you'll really see the [112:31] benefits from that you'll hear in part [112:34] because you're doing a BBC Meister [112:35] series aren't you my team told me yes [112:37] which is very exciting so that Maestro [112:39] series have you written it yet do you [112:41] know what it's I am in the midst right [112:43] after this okay okay write it up yep and [112:45] I'm presuming it's going to be on some [112:47] some of the subject matter we've [112:48] discussed it it will be it it's a basic [112:51] guide and toolbox of exactly what to do [112:54] and when and how to improve these [112:56] conditions but it also contains 90 of [112:59] this book was thrown out right because I [113:01] didn't want to have a 600 page book so [113:03] I'm able to slip in all this other stuff [113:06] that was thrown out and some of this [113:07] more mystical some history but a lot of [113:09] science as well James I I'm I could talk [113:13] to you forever about this I really [113:15] really could such a that your way of [113:16] articulating the points and the research [113:18] you've done is so captivating but I can [113:22] see our carbon dioxide is ticking up [113:24] [Music] [113:27] it's so funny I feel like I'm like you [113:30] know a little bit like all of a sudden I [113:32] am going to buy one of those things [113:33] though we have a closing tradition okay [113:35] which is the last guest leaves a [113:37] question for the next guest not knowing [113:39] who they're going to leave be leaving it [113:40] for [113:42] the question left for you very simple [113:45] what is it that drives you to be the [113:47] best version of you [113:49] curiosity [113:51] that's all that's the only thing that [113:54] not the only thing but the main thing [113:56] that I wake up in the morning I'm [113:58] excited to take on the day because I [114:00] have the luxury of having a job that [114:02] allows me to be curious I've had a lot [114:04] of jobs that did not allow me to be [114:06] curious but I'm able to ask questions [114:09] and have conversations and it's every [114:11] day is uh is a privilege because of that [114:14] well I think from reading this book as I [114:16] said this is the book that has sat on my [114:18] bedside on my girlfriend's side for the [114:20] last I think a year roughly since we [114:22] moved into that new place you've done a [114:23] phenomenally great job of condensing the [114:26] information to make it accessible [114:28] um and relatable to every type of reader [114:30] out there but it's so [114:33] it's like a light every other page [114:35] there's almost like a light bulb that's [114:37] being switched on in my head about the [114:38] way that I'm living my life and how [114:40] small simple things that as you say [114:42] aren't complex I don't need to buy some [114:44] huge course or I don't need to become a [114:47] master in anything can have a [114:48] fundamental change in my life and that's [114:49] why this book is so unbelievably [114:50] important but I mean the book speaks for [114:52] itself because this book is sold like [114:54] absolutely crazy and it's one of those [114:55] books that is being driven by Word of [114:58] Mouth one person is passing it to [115:00] another you know I can talk through the [115:03] people in my team in the web of how the [115:04] book traveled and Jemima and then Merlin [115:07] and Sophie and so on and I think that [115:10] speaks to this book I think it's fun [115:11] it's a shame it's a real shame that I [115:15] actually believe that this book is now [115:16] required reading but it speaks to the [115:20] misalignment problem and how far we've [115:24] gotten from good habits as it relates to [115:25] breathing and the consequences that that [115:27] it's had on our health I'm very excited [115:29] to see the BBC Maestro series as well [115:31] I'll be checking out looking out for [115:32] that because I love the series and they [115:34] provide as you say an actionable toolkit [115:37] for a lot of the things we're talking [115:39] about today I love the way you approach [115:40] subject matters I love the impartiality [115:43] of it I love the fact that you lead with [115:44] the evidence first [115:46] um and as you've done throughout this [115:47] conversation you try and keep your [115:49] opinion secondary to what the evidence [115:51] is saying um which I think is really [115:53] important and a lot of people actually [115:54] they get quite scared of what the [115:56] evidence is saying so they either avoid [115:58] it or um they don't mention it at all [116:01] but you you hold that line really really [116:03] well your work is going to help so many [116:05] people I cannot I can't imagine millions [116:07] and millions of people that you'll never [116:08] get to meet so on behalf of all of those [116:10] people including my girlfriend as I said [116:12] she started Studio upstairs called Bali [116:13] breath work because in part because of [116:15] what you wrote so afterwards I'd just [116:18] love to show you it but um just so you [116:19] can see it because you it's it's an [116:21] example for you of all the lives that [116:23] you'll never meet that your work is [116:24] touching you'll never you'll never get [116:27] to meet you know you'd probably if we [116:28] hadn't met today you wouldn't even know [116:29] there was a studio that had launched in [116:31] London because of your work or there was [116:34] someone that's dedicated their life now [116:36] to helping people with breath because of [116:37] your work so [116:39] um on behalf of all those people you'll [116:40] never meet thank you James your work is [116:42] very necessary and I can't wait to see [116:44] what you write about next I'm very [116:45] intrigued I heard there's a book on the [116:46] way very excited by that [116:49] thank you very much for having me [116:52] as you guys may know we are a sponsor of [116:55] this podcast and I'm a shareholder in [116:56] the company as someone that is on the go [116:58] pretty much 90 of the time I always [116:59] prioritize getting my workout in and for [117:01] me it's a non-negotiable working out [117:03] staying healthy and trying to optimize [117:05] my body so I can achieve the results [117:06] that I want but a new addition to my [117:08] lifestyle which complements my busy work [117:10] schedule and my tough workout schedule [117:11] is my prioritization of my rest and my [117:15] recovery I never quite knew how [117:17] important it was until I started my woop [117:18] journey to understand exactly what's [117:20] going on in my body and how to look [117:21] after my body moop is a wearable health [117:23] and wellness coach that provides you [117:25] with the feedback and actionable [117:26] insights you need on your sleep your [117:28] recovery your training your stress and [117:30] your overall health and seeing this data [117:32] that we provides has made it 10 times [117:34] easier to understand what my body needs [117:36] for it to reach its optimal State [117:37] helping me to conquer those long days [117:39] and tough workouts without breaking down [117:41] see for yourself by searching [117:44] join.woop.com [117:45] CEO to get a free month free week [117:48] membership on me and I have a suspicion [117:50] you'll stick with it because I certainly [117:51] have and I don't stick with much as it [117:53] relates to wearable tech enjoy it and [117:55] let me know how you get on [117:56] [Music] [118:12] foreign [118:16] [Music]