The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You

by Patrick McKeown

Not only is an overactive mind less conducive to focus and productivity, it also leads to increased stress, anxiety, and depression—all of which contribute to mental health problems and a reduced quality of life.

In the film The Legend of Bagger Vance, the celebrated coach describes the perfect swing as being in harmony with “all that is, all that was, and all that will be.”

In a report published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers concluded that the marines who practiced mindfulness experienced improved quality of sleep, reduced stress, and a quicker recovery of heart rate and breathing following intensive combat training.

There is strong evidence that present-moment awareness literally changes the brain, making many regions more powerful and efficient.

scientists from the University of British Columbia and Chemnitz University of Technology pooled data from twenty studies investigating this phenomenon. Remarkably, all studies showed that mindfulness meditation resulted in an increased density of gray matter, leading to more effective processing of information.

MRI scans revealed that at least eight different regions of the brain increased in efficiency, including the orbitofrontal and hippocampal, which play a role in our ability to hold attention, cultivate positive emotions, and retain emotional stability. People who meditate are happier with themselves, are better able to resist distracti...

To get through university I continued my long hours of studying, experiencing stress, fatigue, and severe respiratory problems in the process, completely unaware that my mind was working against me.

A study investigating unexplainable aircraft accidents tested the abilities of jet fighter pilots to use coordination apparatus after a short period of breathing too much. The results showed that mental performance deteriorated by 15 to 30 percent when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood was significantly reduced. Another study found that when hyperventilation reduces arterial concentration of carbon dioxide, physiological changes occur in the brain, causing dizziness and concentration problems.

A study from the department of psychology and statistics at the University at Albany in New York found that students with high anxiety had lower levels of carbon dioxide and a faster respiration frequency than students with low anxiety.

To reduce and eventually eliminate breathing through the mouth at night, follow these guidelines: • Avoid eating within the 2 hours before sleep, as the process of digestion increases breathing.

Keep your bedroom cool and airy (but not cold). A hot and stuffy room will only serve to increase breathing. • Sleep on your front or left side; sleeping on your back is by far the worst position, as there is no restriction to your breathing. • Ensure that your mouth is closed while you try to get to sleep (you can wear 1-inch Micropore tape across the lips as described in chapter 3 to help ensure this). • A most important practice to discourage heavy breathing at night is to Breathe Light to Breathe Right for 15 to 20 minutes before going to sleep. This exercise is especially good for calming the mind and helping you to experience deep sleep during the nights leading up to competition.

For over a decade I have witnessed hundreds of people achieve a safe method of appetite suppression leading to steady, effective weight loss using breath reduction techniques. Weight loss for these individuals varied from 2 to 6 pounds within just two weeks. In addition, people often found themselves to be eating more heathfully with less desire for processed food and

more demand for water. What’s more, this weight loss and change to better eating habits occurred easily and without effort. In many cases weight loss was actually a secondary benefit, as most participants were applying the breathing exercises to remedy asthma, anxiety, or snoring. The only instruction they were given with regard to their diet was to eat when hungry and stop when satisfied.

Reducing breathing commonly leads to a reduction of blood sugar levels, and while this is a good thing, decreasing levels too quickly is not.

As Eamon’s BOLT score increased, both his diabetes and high blood pressure medications were reduced accordingly by his doctor.

Improve your BOLT score by 10 seconds and you will find your appetite changing. Improve your BOLT score to 40 seconds and your life will change.

Based on my observations, there is a clear relationship between breathing volume and food consumption. The question is whether processed and acid-forming foods lead to the development of poor breathing habits, or might it be that poor breathing habits lead to cravings for processed and acid-forming foods? In my experience there is a feedback loop between breathing and weight gain, and this cycle must be broken if change is to occur.

As we saw in the first chapter, carbon dioxide plays a crucial role in the regulation of blood pH.

Our bodies strive to maintain a state of balance known as homeostasis, which includes normal blood pressure, normal blood sugar, and normal blood pH within a narrow range of 7.35 and 7.45. This balance of chemicals is kept in check by the lungs and the kidneys. If blood pH drops below 7.35 it will become too acidic, causing breathing volume to increase as the lungs work to correct pH levels by offloading carbon dioxide (which is itself acidic). Over-acidity of the blood may occur when we eat processed and acid-forming foods, leading to heavier breathing and symptoms of bloating, lethargy, and weight gain.

Conversely, an individual who chronically overbreathes will expel too much carbon dioxide, increasing blood pH to alkaline levels above 7.45. One hypothesis for the relationship between overbreathing and weight gain is that the body craves pro...

Throughout evolution humans have adapted very well to coping with short-term stress. During short periods of stress, breathing volume temporarily increases as the fight-or-flight response is activated. Once the stress has dissipated, breathing volume will normalize once more, allowing carbon dioxide to accumulate and restore normal pH. However, when it comes to long-term

term stress, persistent overbreathing decreases carbon dioxide levels for extended periods of time, meaning blood pH is not given the opportunity to normalize.

These individuals, when shown how to address their poor breathing habits and increase their BOLT score by at least 10 seconds, automatically find their diet changing to healthy foods over processed foods. It begs the question: Might breathing be the missing link in the majority of weight-loss programs?

Since 1957, scientists have identified that animals lose weight when living at high altitude. Sherpas and others who reside permanently at high altitudes are also generally thinner than their sea-level counterparts. Based on this observation, there have been many studies that point to the benefits of living at high altitude as a way to reduce obesity. The reason for this sustained weight loss seems to coincide with the lack of appetite experienced at high altitude due to a reduced saturation of oxygen in the blood.

Holding the breath during walking, jogging, or running to create a medium to strong hunger for air decreases the oxygen saturation of the blood to below 94 percent, which can lead to a suppression of appetite.

Another reason simulated high-altitude training may contribute to weight loss is that walking or jogging with nasal breathing allows the body to work with oxygen (aerobically), while incorporating breath holds every minute or so makes the body work without oxygen (anaerobically). During an anaerobic state the body is forced to burn calories from fat stores in order to produce energy. Incorporating both aerobic and anaerobic workouts into your training program will lead to increased calorie burn and weight loss.

Throughout this book I frequently discuss the importance of taking your attention from the mind and dispersing it

throughout the body, focusing on the breath or the present moment.

there is much documented evidence that intense physical exercise increases oxidative stress that may contribute to premature aging, damage to the heart, and dementia.

Free radicals are molecules generated by the breakdown of oxygen during metabolic activity. We all create a certain amount of free radicals through the very act of breathing, but normal levels do not pose a problem since the body’s defense mechanism is able to neutralize the molecules with antioxidants such as glutathione, ubiquinone, flavonoids, and vitamins A, E, and C. But when our antioxidant defenses are overwhelmed by too many free radicals, cells can be damaged and our health adversely affected. This is what is known as oxidative stress.

During physical exercise we produce more free radicals than usual due to an increase in breathing and metabolism, which can lead to an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the antioxidants required to detoxify them, resulting in muscle weakness, fatigue, and overtraining.

In an attempt to deal with this potentially detrimental imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals, athletes are often encouraged to take large regular doses of antioxidants. At first glance this might seem like sound advice, but studies exploring the use of dietary antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress and exercise-induced muscle injury have met with mixed results to date.

Breath holding after an exhalation causes a decrease in oxygen saturation, which triggers an increase in lactic acid. At the same time, carbon dioxide levels also increase, leading to a rise in the concentration of hydrogen ions, which further acidifies the blood. Repeated practice of breath-holding exercises offsets the effects of lactic acid, inducing the body to make adaptations to delay acidosis (increased acidity in the blood) and enabling the athlete to push harder without experiencing the same level of fatigue.

Research has shown that breath-holding exercises can improve an individual’s tolerance to hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in the blood) and reduce the acidity of the blood, eliminating oxidative stress and reducing lactic acid buildup.

The body is very good at adapting to consistent physical activity but cannot always react quickly

enough to protect itself from a sudden influx of free radicals produced by infrequent high-intensity exercise. Exercising several times a week at a moderate, comfortable intensity from which you can recover easily is the best way to increase your body’s natural antioxidant defenses and reduce oxidative stress. However, if you are a weekend warrior who does very little or no exercise during the week but engages in intense training on the weekend, you may be doing more harm than good.

Since the nose offers a smaller entry for breathing than the mouth, nasal breathing sets a limit to the volume of air taken into the lungs.

For the past few decades, scientists have studied the naked mole rat—a bald, blind creature that looks like a hot dog with teeth and lives for up to twenty-eight years, almost eight times longer than any other rodent. The naked mole rat lives in East Africa, where it is considered a pest by local farmers as it burrows tunnels underneath fields and eats vegetable crops. The breathing rate of the naked mole rat is very low in comparison to other rodents, and it lives in crowded colonies where there is little oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide.

and in all the

years this rather ugly animal has been studied, it has never been known to develop cancer. Even when scientists have injected the mole rat with cancer-causing agents, the disease was resisted. Exactly why the naked mole rat is immune to cancer is unknown, but some scientists are hopeful that finding an answer may provide the key to unlocking a cure for humans.

In the human body, nitroglycerine—the same material used to make explosives—converts to the gas nitric oxide to provide amazing benefits for cardiovasular health.

Sometimes referred to as the mighty molecule, nitric oxide is produced within the 100,000 miles of blood vessels throughout the human body, including the paranasal sinuses surrounding the nasal cavity.

Nitric oxide sends a signal for the blood vessels to relax and dilate. If there is too little nitric oxide, blood

vessels constrict and the heart has to raise the pressure to send bloo...

Persistent high blood pressure or hypertension damages the arterial blood vessels, causing a buildup of plaque and cholesterol and also possibly blood clotting. If the blood clots and leads to an obstruction, this may cause the heart or brain to be deprived of blood and oxygen, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.

Nitric oxide plays a monumental role in human health by reducing cholesterol, reversing the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels, and helping to prevent blood clotting, all of which significantly increase the risk for heart attack and stroke. According to Nobel laureate and distinguished professor of pharmacology Dr. Louis Ignarro: “[Nitric oxide] is the body’s natural defense to prevent all of these things from happening.”

It is well known that slow, gentle breathing from the diaphragm relaxes and dilates blood vessels, but the reasons behind this lasting drop in blood pressure is not completely understood. A plausible explanation is that the regular practice of relaxed breathing activates the body’s relaxation response, resulting in improved blood gas regulation and dilation of blood vessels.

more. I soon discovered a study conducted by the University of Exeter that investigated the effects of increased dietary intake of beet juice, which is rich in the nitrates required to generate nitric oxide.

A study group of men aged between nineteen and thirty-eight drank about two cups of beet juice every day for a week. This

resulted in a “remarkable reduction” in the amount of oxygen required to perform exercise in comparison with ...