The Science of Sighing: Breath and Brain Health

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

Huberman Lab

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CHAPTER

The Science of Sighing: Breath and Brain Health

This chapter investigates the physiological significance of sighing in animals, particularly through a study on rats, and its implications for lung function and health. It also explores the interactions within academia, highlighting the relationship between breath regulation, neurological function, and ongoing research into their effects on health outcomes.

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This episode my guest is Dr. Jack Feldman, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a pioneering world expert in the science of respiration (breathing). We discuss how and why humans breathe the way we do, the function of the diaphragm and how it serves to increase oxygenation of the brain and body. We discuss how breathing influences mental state, fear, memory, reaction time, and more. And we discuss specific breathing protocols such as box-breathing, cyclic hyperventilation (similar to Wim Hof breathing), nasal versus mouth breathing, unilateral breathing, and how these each affect the brain and body. We discuss physiological sighs, peptides expressed by specific neurons controlling breathing, and magnesium compounds that can improve cognitive ability and how they work. This conversation serves as a sort of "Master Class" on the science of breathing and breathing-related tools for health and performance.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.