Good points. Is Huberman a cyclist? I think I’ve seen him mentioned before but I’ve never listened to his podcast. I don’t think I could listen to this long of a talk on breathing.
I might check out the podcast with Andy Gelpin though…
I’ll drop this in here in case anyone needs it:
I used it after COVID19-Bronchitis-Sinusitis last year to clear out my respiratory system and rebuild some diaphragm endurance/lung capacity. It worked very well for getting me from that poor state back to normal again.
However, from what I’ve heard on Fast Talk and elsewhere when I was researching it; if your lungs are already healthy, this probably isn’t going to move the needle much as an athlete.
It did get me breathing better when things heated up on group rides, though. Better for me, as in, calming down mentally, breathing deep into my belly, and loosening my upper torso up. All to a certain degree but definitely helpful.
Runners and martial artists have been straw breathing for a long time for all these reasons, apparently.
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@Dknight212 I have this podcast downloaded and que’d up. Before you recommended it! I am definitely interested. Huberman is awesome too. Talk about DEEP Dives! LOL! His hot and cold therapy pods are also really interesting. I haven’t listened to this one yet but based on my interest at least… I want to let you know that I think it was a solid recommendation.
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Not to be glib, but if you want to hang out with people who don’t overthink things you might want to find a different hobby - cyclists are nuts as a general rule
Oh, nevermind, I see we know the same people 
On this topic - I do not know the science behind it at all, but by simply applying mental focus to my breathing and patterns I can (usually) extend my time at VO2 or lower my HR in endurance. I’m not sure if its mental or physical, so 
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Briefing doc generated by Google NotebookLM based on Youtube transcript… I won’t spend over two hours listening to it, and I’m sure there are others. Interesting finding is that breathing through your nose makes you look better!
Briefing Doc: Huberman Lab Podcast - How to Breathe Correctly
Source: “How to Breathe Correctly for Optimal Health, Mood, Learning & Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast”
Main Themes:
- Breathing is not just for survival, it’s a powerful tool for regulating mental and physical states.
“The subtleties of how we breathe, the duration and intensity of our inhales and our exhales, how long we hold our breath between inhales and exhales, very critically defines our state of mind and our state of body, what we are able to do and what we are not able to do.”
- Understanding the mechanics and neurology of breathing is crucial for effective breathwork. This includes the roles of the diaphragm, intercostal muscles, phrenic nerve, pre-Botzinger complex, and parafacial nucleus.
- Different breathing patterns have specific effects on the body. These include stress reduction, heart rate modulation, hiccup elimination, and even influencing cognitive function.
Most Important Ideas/Facts:
1. The Power of Physiological Sighs:
- Involves a double inhale through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth.
- “One physiological sigh […] is known to restore the level of balance in the sympathetic-parasympathetic neural circuitry and is the fastest way to reintroduce calm.”
- Extremely effective for reducing stress, improving mood, and promoting sleep.
- Can alleviate side stitches during exercise.
2. Carbon Dioxide Tolerance and Box Breathing:
- Low CO2 tolerance is linked to overbreathing and various health issues.
- The carbon dioxide tolerance test helps determine your breathing efficiency.
- Box breathing is a powerful technique to improve CO2 tolerance and neuromechanical control of the diaphragm.
3. The Impact of Breathing on Heart Rate:
- Inhaling increases heart rate while exhaling decreases it.
- “If you want to increase your heart rate, you can simply inhale longer and more vigorously relative to your exhales. And if you want to decrease your heart rate, well, then you’re going to make your exhales longer and/or more vigorous than your inhales.”
- Understanding this relationship allows for conscious heart rate modulation.
4. Nasal Breathing Superiority:
- Provides greater resistance, leading to fuller lung inflation.
- Warms and moisturizes air, promoting lung health.
- Improves facial aesthetics and jaw structure.
5. Breathing and Cognitive Function:
- Inhaling is linked to enhanced alertness, focus, learning, and memory.
- “The more that you’re inhaling relative to exhaling in terms of duration, the more that your brain is in this focused mode and this mode of being able to access and retrieve information better.”
- Deliberately extending inhales during cognitive tasks can improve performance.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Practice physiological sighs throughout the day to manage stress.
- Assess your carbon dioxide tolerance and implement box breathing exercises.
- Utilize inhale/exhale ratios to regulate heart rate.
- Strive to be a nasal breather as much as possible.
- Optimize breathing patterns for specific activities like learning and exercise.
Overall, the Huberman Lab podcast episode emphasizes the profound impact of breathing on our overall well-being. By understanding the science behind it and applying specific techniques, we can harness the power of breathwork to improve our mental and physical health, enhance cognitive function, and optimize performance.