Functional breathing techniques, such as nasal breathing and slow breathing, enhance vagal stimulation and optimize heart rate variability (HRV).
Establishing a strong foundation through exercise, nutrition, relationships, gratitude, and mindfulness is crucial before incorporating biohacks to further enhance HRV and overall performance.
Using heart rate variability (HRV) as a tool to guide exercise intensity and recovery can prevent injuries and ensure optimal balance between training and recovery.
Deep dives
The Importance of Functional Breathing
Dr. J emphasizes the significance of functional breathing and its impact on stress resilience. He highlights the basics of biochemistry, biomechanics, and cadence of breathing, and how they contribute to optimizing heart rate variability (HRV). He recommends starting with proper breathing techniques, such as nasal breathing and quiet, low, and slow breathing, to enhance vagal stimulation and utilize oxygen effectively.
Integrating Biohacks as an Addition
Dr. J emphasizes the importance of establishing a strong foundation before incorporating biohacks. He recommends focusing on exercise, nutrition, relationships, gratitude, and mindfulness as the foundational aspects of health and well-being. Once the basics are in place, biohacks can be added as an enhancement to further optimize HRV and overall performance.
Using HRV to Inform Training
Dr. J discusses using HRV as a tool to guide exercise intensity and recovery. He recommends the 4020 rule, where a 20% drop in HRV indicates a lighter workout, a 40% drop calls for a rest day, and above-normal HRV levels indicate an opportunity for high-intensity training. HRV can be used to monitor progress and prevent injuries, ensuring the optimal balance between training and recovery.
Newcom as a Promising Biohack
Dr. J introduces Newcom, a biohacking device that combines bioresonance and neuroacoustic software to induce relaxation and enhance HRV response. He shares his personal experience and the observed increase in HRV during and after using Newcom. While emphasizing the importance of skepticism, he acknowledges the potential benefits of certain biohacking tools in the context of a solid foundation of functional breathing and lifestyle practices.
Building Resilience with a Holistic Approach
Dr. J emphasizes the importance of taking a holistic approach to build resilience and optimize health. He highlights the significance of exercise, nutrition, stress management, relationships, gratitude, and mindfulness as key aspects of overall well-being. By addressing the foundations and integrating biohacks as a supplementary tool, individuals can enhance their stress resilience and improve their HRV.
In This Episode:
The way you perform under stress is closely connected to the breath. Dysregulated breathing limits your ability to perform mentally, physically, and emotionally. However, by training your body to use oxygen more effectively you will optimize performance while growing resilient to stress. In this episode, we're diving into the biochemistry of breathing with Dr. Jay Wiles, a clinical health psychologist, and board-certified biofeedback practitioner. You'll learn how to use oxygen more effectively by creating a state of "air hunger," why this practice improves self-regulation, and just for fun, the most surprising biohack he's discovered in the last year to reduce stress and boost HRV.
Episode Guest: Dr. Jay T. Wiles, BCB, BCB-HRV
Dr. Wiles is a clinical health psychologist who is board-certified in biofeedback, HRV biofeedback, and Tai Chi for rehabilitation. He has a passion for helping others reach their full potential from an integrative and holistic perspective and has worked closely with elite athletes and executives on enhancing peak performance through training and regulating psychophysiology. He is the cohost of the Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast and host of Mindhacker’s Radio w/ Dr. Jay Wiles. His experience in integrative techniques differs from other psychologists, as he focuses on how we can utilize sunlight, water, exercise, and food to mitigate the damaging effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. Dr. Wiles owns Thrive Wellness and Performance in Greenville, SC, and loves spending time outdoors with his wife and two boys.
Website(s): www.thrive-wellness.com
www.drjaywiles.com
IG: @drjaywiles
Show Notes:
00:45 - Intro to Dr. Jay
03:55 - What have been some of the most effective interventions for improving HRV?
07:55 - Unpacking the biochemistry of breathing and Patrick McKeown's "the Oxygen Advantage"
11:00 - Optimize your nervous system by creating a state of "Air Hunger": becoming less sensitive to the effects of CO2 through lite breathing
15:20 - How quickly should people expect to feel progress after they start practicing lite breathing?
22:05 - Who do you recommend this practice for?
25:25 - How does this protocol fit in with HRV biofeedback?
36:30 - Basics before Biohacking
39:20 - What are some other interventions you use? Basics and/or Biohacks
50:25 - Where to find Jay and what he's doing
Full transcript at https://elitehrv.com/train-yourself-to-use-oxygen-effectively]0[
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