Fun Fact and Health Hack with Stefan and Zack
● Fun Fact: Electromagnetic fields created by nerves: As an electrical current passes through the nerve, the sudden change in electrical energy along the nerve (depolarization) creates an electromagnetic field around the length of the nerve. This field itself has a capacity to draw or repel charged particles such as ions, proteins, and free floating cells within the fluid creating a method for driving cellular interaction. It could also serve as a means for organization within the extra and intracellular fluid by maintaining proximity or distance from charged particles relative to the nerves electromagnetic field.
● Health hacks: Using breath techniques before, during and after exercise to improve performance and recovery. This study looked at hyperventilation (HV) aided recovery for extra repetitions on bench press and leg press. They looked at 11 trained males, looking at recovery on lifting repetitions and joint velocity. 30s of HV vs controlled breathing. HV aided recovery resulted in 20-55% increase in repetitions and velocity by 6 to 15 % or no reductions in these measures from the previous sets. The study believed that this was due to a hydrogen ion offload. With the understanding of the Bohr effect described in the last podcast episode, any decrease in CO2 or hydrogen ions will increase the affinity of hemoglobin to oxygen and decreased oxygenation to the tissues. There must be a balance with this as displayed in this study or the increase in repetition and joint velocity was due to an increase in sympathetic activation via hyperventilation (1).
*Whenever attempting any hyperventilation style of breathing technique be careful as there is the possibility of passing out!
Zack’s Experience with Breathing Techniques
● He started 3-4 years ago when his dad introduced him to free dive spear fishing in the Bahamas. This is a form of fishing that requires you to dive depths with no oxygen tank, only relying on your ability to hold your breath.● He then started to research ways to improve his ability to hold his breath. The first breathing technique he came across was the Wim Hof method. This technique allows an individual to hold their breath after and exhale for 1-3 minutes on the first time trying it because of the fact that you are breathing off all of your CO2 before attempting a hold. Your respiratory centers can not detect CO2 that is not there, so you can hold your breath longer than normal. He thought this was the end all be all for increasing breath hold ability but quickly released in his first experience of free diving that this technique does not do an amazing job at increasing CO2 tolerance (2).● He then started using Apnea tables. Apnea tables are sets of breath holds where you can either improve the ability to deal with high levels of CO2 or improve the ability to deal with low amounts of O2. To train CO2 tolerance you shorten the time between breath holds every set, while the hold itself remains constant every set. Training hypoxia or low oxygen tolerance, the breath hold increases every set but the rest stays constant (3).● Zack and his parents then did a f\Freediving class in Toronto called AIDA International Freediving where they learned more breathing techniques as well as the safety protocols behind them. They found out that doing hyperventilation before underwater breath holds is dangerous as it increases the risk of black outs under the water (4). This is why you should not do hyperventilation styles of breathing (like the Wim Hof method) before doing underwater breath holds.Through this training, Zack began to notice that not only was his breath hold time getting better, but his physical performance and mental health was also improving. This led him down a rabbit hole of breathing techniques which help with stress management and mental health including box breathing, alternate nostril breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, 4-8 breathing, the Wim Hof method and a host of others.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
● Is the measure of the variation of the time interval between heart beats (5).● A higher HRV is indicative of a larger parasympathetic expression and a lower HRV is an indicator of a greater sympathetic expression.● Recently used in the health and fitness fields via wearables like the Whoop and the Oura ring as a way to quantify recovery status. A more balanced HRV is indicative of a more recovered state.● Breathing practices can influence and improve recovery status via an improvement in HRV (6).
The Body Loves Rhythms
● This can be seen in the circadian rhythm, our sleep wake cycle. A post by Andrew Huberman on Instagram displaying a Harvard study found the consistency of sleep time was more beneficial in performance then volume of sleep time (7).● A Ted Talk by Dan Gartenberg showed how pink nose fluctuations in rhythm with our brain waves improves sleep quality and quantity (8).We see this in the breath as well. HRV researchers instruct participants to focus more on the rhythm of their breath rather than the depth to decrease chance of hyperventilation when practicing to improve HRV (9).● When you are in a rhythm the body feels secure and safe because there are no changes, allowing it to relax.
The Autonomic Nervous System
● Due to the fact that the inhibition happens at the postganglionic neuron, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems actually fire together. The firing is not an on and off system. They both increase their tone at the same time and then whichever the body feels is most important to express will be expressed at the tissue and the other inhibited. They both are always active but only one will be expressed (10).● When we leverage breathing techniques to influence our autonomic nervous system, we are influencing their expression not turning one off and the other on.
Stefans Experience with Breathing Practices
● Wishes he knew the significance of it when he was still a competing athlete.Came across Patrick McKeown work in the “Oxygen Advantage” (11). He has been following the Buteyko method which is a technique that utilizes breath holds for improving CO2 tolerance.● This method allows individuals to slowly progress through longer and longer breath holds on exhalations as well as utilize light to moderate exercise to improve CO2 tolerance in the tissues.● This method also emphasizes nasal breathing which allows for a host of benefits including: increased nitric oxide release, improved co-contraction of respiratory muscles, improved hydration status (as we lose moisture when breathing out of the mouth), vasodilation in the cerebral arteries (increased blood flow to the brain), better filtration of the air, and a host of others (10,12,13,14).
Breathing Techniques for Decreasing Stress and Anxiety
● Due to the fact that we can leverage the autonomic nervous system through changes in respiration, we can impact the stress state.Breathing practices like box breathing, alternate nostril breathing, 4-8 breathing, 4-7-8 breathing and a host of others utilize rhythmic respiration to improve states of stress.● One of Wim Hof’s goals with his breathing practice and method is to improve mental health.
How to Tell if you have a low CO2 tolerance
● If you are yawning and sighing frequently throughout the day, this may indicate a low CO2 tolerance.● If you breath out of your mouth frequently during the day, during sleep or during low level exercise.● Patrick Mckeown's BOLT test can help individuals indicate their CO2 tolerance (11).
How to know which Breathing Technique is best for your intent
● This is a difficult question to answer as it will depend on your intent as well as what your body needs● It is difficult to assess on your own what deficits you may be experiencing whether it be through the autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system etc.● The best thing you can do is experiment and try them all to see which have a positive influence on the intent or goal you are hoping to achieve.● Always start with the basics and progress forward from there. Breathing is a powerful tool in making change in the body so do progress faster then what is comfortable.
Have an intent with everything you do!
● With warm ups, rest in between sets, cool downs, recovery sessions or whatever it is, have an intent and rationale behind what you would like to accomplish. This allows for more positive change and more recognition of that change.
As a Strength and conditioning coach, a manual therapist or even just with yourself, do not be afraid of using breathing practices to influence you or your clients health! It is a powerful tool that deserves utilization.

Resources
●  The Wim Hof method● Ben greenfield Fitness Podcast and his Boundless book ● Patrick Mckeown's "The oxygen advantage" book ● Andrew Huberman post on sleep

References:1. Sakamoto, Akihiro1; Naito, Hisashi1; Chow, Chin Moi2 Hyperventilation-Aided Recovery for Extra Repetitions on Bench Press and Leg Press, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: May 2020 - Volume 34 - Issue 5 - p 1274-1284 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003506
2. https://www.wimhofmethod.com/practice-the-method
3. https://visitsithonia.com/lifestyle/sport/diving/freediving-static-tables/
4. https://education.aidainternational.org/AIDAFreedivingCourses
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate_variability
6. Shah AS, Jaiswal M, Dabelea D, Divers J, Isom S, Liese AD, Lawrence JM, Kim G, Urbina EM. Cardiovascular risk and heart rate variability in young adults with type 2 diabetes and arterial stiffness: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. J Diabetes Complications. 2020 Oct;34(10):107676. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2020.107676. Epub 2020 Jul 16. PMID: 32713707; PMCID: PMC7502460.
7. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKxUVVwnNco/
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U2qMRGihGg
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nwFUKuJSE0
10. Marieb, E. and Hoehn, K., 2016. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 10th ed. Pearson Education Limited, pp.425.
11. Patrick McKeown, The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Technique That Will Revolutionise Your Health and Fitness, London: Piatkus, 2015.
12. J. Lundberg and E. Weitzberg, “Nasal Nitric Oxide in Man,” Thorax 54, no. 10 (October 1999): 947–52, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thx.54.10.947.
13. Anderson BE, Bliven KCH. The Use of Breathing Exercises in the Treatment of Chronic, Nonspecific Low Back Pain. J Sport Rehabil. 2017 Sep;26(5):452-458. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2015-0199. Epub 2016 Aug 24. PMID: 27632818
14. Goadsby PJ. Autonomic nervous system control of the cerebral circulation. Handb Clin Neurol. 2013;117:193-201. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53491-0.00016-X. PMID: 24095126.