The Extramilest Podcast

#30: Shut Your Mouth for Running and Health, with Patrick McKeown

Feb 27, 2020

01:03:07

Lately I have been fascinated by the breath and various breathing techniques while running and sleeping. I have been experimenting a lot, inspired by Patrick McKeown, a breathing expert from Ireland.

Having suffered with chronic asthma and nasal breathing difficulties for over 20 years, Patrick McKeown studied the Buteyko Breathing Method at the Buteyko Clinic, Moscow, Russia. As a breathing expert, Patrick has helped many people overcome similar issues to his own and has worked extensively with athletes.

His latest book, The Oxygen Advantage, aims to improve sports performance by addressing dysfunctional breathing patterns and simulating high-altitude training.

In today's conversation we take a deep dive into the effects of mouth and upper-chest breathing on the body and the benefits of nose-breathing in running and daily life.

DISCLAIMER: Never do breath-holding if you are pregnant, if you have any serious medical conditions such as high blood-pressure, cardiovascular issues, kidney disease, cancer, etc.

This episode is brought to you by PATH projects, my favorite running gear. These are the only running shorts, liners, shirts and hats that I wear. The gear ships worldwide and is only available at PATHprojects.com.

🚨Enter for a chance to win the book The Oxygen Advantage. What was your favorite quote or takeaway from this episode? I would love to hear from you in the comments on YouTube.

Watch this full interview on YouTube.

FIND PATRICK HERE:

LINKS AND TOOLS MENTIONED (includes affiliate links)

SHOW NOTES

The right way to breathe! The impact of breathing on emotions, sleep and physical exercise [4:10]
Becoming a breathing expert. Patrick’s background. [6:10]
Nasal breathing and running – starting out [8:55]
Variation in facial structure and race [11:10]
Switching from mouth to nose-breathing – an extra load, forcing the body to make adaptations [12:20]
Flo’s nasal breathing experiments – air hunger improvement over 6 weeks [15:55]
BOLT (The Body Oxygen Level Test) score [17:00]
The optimum way to breathe (nose breathing, slow breathing), water loss through mouth breathing [19:40]
Pulse oxygen meter experiment [21:45]
Optimal numbers for blood oxygen saturation, nose-breathing and increased CO2 in the blood [23:40]
Breath-holding; going harder and faster without over-doing it [25:05]
Repeated sprint ability [29:05]
How do you breathe during sleep? [31:30]
DISCLAIMER: never do breath-holding if you are pregnant, if you have any serious medical conditions such as high blood-pressure, cardiovascular issues, kidney disease, cancer, etc. [36:10]
Products and resources for children (Buteyko Clinic) [36:25]
Heart-rate and pace with nasal breathing, race breathing strategy [40:15]
George Dallam – nasal breathing, athlete performance study [41:50]
There is an energy cost associated with breathing: expired oxygen through nose breathing vs. mouth breathing [43:55]
Improving an athlete’s BOLT score, advice for the recreational and elite athletes [47:15]
Benefits of bringing breathing into your warm-up [49:45]
How long do the benefits of nasal breathing last? Everyday functional breathing and breath-holding [53:25]
Dr. John Douillard – nasal breathing and the zone state, human ancestry [55:50]
Nasal breathing, starting with your next run [58:30]
Multiple practices - don’t overdo it! [60:15]