Issue #249: We're Smarter When We Breathe
Good morning. It’s Saturday, October 7th.
Today’s Quick Win
From the Lab: Stress = Cognitive Decline
What We’re Reading: Brain Energy
Moment of Fun: The Evolution of Parenting
Brain Games: Non-Dominant
Question: Brain Health
“Stress, anxiety, and depression are caused when we are living to please others.”
Increased odds of lower cognitive function from elevated levels of perceived stress. (Source)
This Week
This week we explored how our metabolic health impacts brain health, and ways to match our healthspan with our lifespan.
Issue #247 - discover the connection between metabolic health and brain health, and explore Thrive25's BRAIN Health Plan.
Issue #248 - in Issue #247, we discussed proven tactics to fight against cognitive decline. This issue covers more progressive (and less proven) therapies: creatine, light therapy and the keto diet.
Click HERE to check out previous issues in the Thrive25 archive.
From the Lab
We know stress is bad for our health - but it’s not just our mental wellbeing and metabolic health.
A new study shows that perceived stress is even associated with cognitive impairment.
The key - but most likely overlooked - insight for this conclusion is the word “perceived.”
All of us live in a stressful world. But what really matters is how we respond to our world or - how we internalize and manage this stress.
So all the things we talked about this week - food, sleep, strength training - matters for our future brain health.
But there’s a free tool we have access to 24/7 that can make a massive difference in our memory and brain function - breathing.
Research now shows that deep breathing can enhance cognitive functions.
Most of us breathe too much - taking shallow breaths - and it prevents our brain from getting sufficient oxygen. Yes, the irony is that slower breathing delivers more O2.
Want to find out if this is you? Try this CO2 test from Andrew Huberman and Brian Mackenzie:
Breathe normally for 4-5 breaths, then inhale 1x deeply through your nose, until your lungs are completely full.
Then, start a timer and measure how long it takes for you to slowly exhale all of the air. Make the exhale as slow as possible.
Stop the timer when you can no longer exhale any more air and note how long the exhale was. Stop the timer when your lungs are empty; it’s not about measuring how long you can hold your breath! Then breathe normally.
We should be able to get to a 50 second exhale (I just barely made it).
So how should we breathe?
The best breath is 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out - which is then about 5.5 breaths per minute (Issue #140). This is slow - but at a minimum try to pay attention to your breath and slow it down to under 10 breaths per min - while engaging your diaphragm. **Always breathe through your nose.
If you’re looking for energy and focus - quickly take a deep inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth 25x. Then take a deep inhale and hold your breath for as long as possible - repeat for another cycle. (NOTE: This comes from a breathing session from Hannes Bend, CEO of breathing.ai. If you’d like to learn more or participate in a guided session, contact us at team@thrive25.com).
If you’re looking to calm down - try cyclic sighing (Issue #136). It’s taking a deep inhale, followed by a second small inhale (get as much air as you can) and a long exhale. Do this 2x followed by a few sets of 4-7-8 breathing (4 count inhale; 7 count hold; 8 count exhale).
The research shows that our body is more calm during exhale and so a longer exhales brings us into a state of relaxation and out of “fight or flight.”
BONUS: We mentioned how nitric oxide (NO) is essential for cognitive function. Well, humming or making a buzzing sound like a bee releases almost as much NO as Viagra. Be a kid again and hum your favorite song.
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
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And I’m still loving the L-Glutamine in my smoothies - my gut has never been better.
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What We’re Reading | Brain Energy
Amid a global mental health crisis, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer presents a groundbreaking theory in Brain Energy: mental disorders are fundamentally metabolic disorders of the brain. The book goes deep into the science at a cellular level - but provides potential treatments that we can all understand, combining innovative science with actionable strategies. You get a sense of hope in tackling mental health challenges.
Moment of Fun | The Evolution of Parenting
What’s coming next?
Brain Games | Non-Dominant
In Issue #82, we suggested using your non-dominant hand for an activity. In the spirit of this week’s topic, let’s take this a step further. The challenge:
For one day, shift all activities from your normal, dominant behavior to non-dominant.
Change your hands when you brush your teeth, use your mouse, cut your food, use your fork or chopsticks, drive the car (**WE DO NOT** advise switching your feet on your gas/clutch/brake) differently
Even adjust which fingers you use on certain tasks - e.g., Max has contacts and he can tell a difference changing digits when putting in/taking them out
Change your routine/approach to an exercise, dancing, how you greet someone on the phone - e.g., if you always lunge forward with your right leg first, switch to your left
Why: Using the opposite side of your brain will support your brain's neural connections and even develop new ones.
Weekend Q | Brain Health
What’s one (1) thing you can commit to for your brain health this week?
Product Recs
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Thanks for another great week! Inspiration for some humming this weekend to get that nitric oxide going (sorry if it gets stuck in your head):
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
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We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
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To health!
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.