Breathe less, not more: why carbon dioxide is not the enemy
James Nestor's book and his conversation with Lewis Howes argue that many people breathe too fast and too much and make the case for slower breathing and carbon dioxide, while Andrew Huberman explains why carbon dioxide is not the enemy, describes a carbon dioxide tolerance test and links carbon dioxide sensing to being alert but calm. Treating how much we breathe as something to train, not only how we breathe in a crisis, turns slower breathing into an everyday stress tool.
What actually triggers the urge to breathe? Show answer
Rising carbon dioxide in the blood, not falling oxygen. Brainstem neurons fire the gasp reflex when carbon dioxide crosses a threshold.
How does carbon dioxide help oxygen reach the tissues? Show answer
Oxygen travels caged in hemoglobin, and carbon dioxide changes hemoglobin's shape so the oxygen is released into tissues like the brain and muscles.
How many breaths a minute does healthy resting breathing take, according to Huberman? Show answer
About 12 casual breaths or four to six deeper ones, moving about six liters of air, while many people take 15 to 30 shallow breaths.
What happened to Nestor's snoring when he breathed only through his mouth at Stanford? Show answer
It rose by 4,820 percent, and he averaged 25 episodes of obstructive sleep apnea; both stopped when he switched to nasal breathing.
What breathing rhythm does Nestor's book call ideal? Show answer
About 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out, without filling the lungs to capacity each time.
How do you take Huberman's carbon dioxide tolerance test? Show answer
Sitting down, never driving or near water, inhale fully through the nose and time a slow nasal exhale until the lungs are empty. Twenty seconds or less is low tolerance, 50 or more is high.
What box breathing count matches a moderate tolerance score? Show answer
Five to six seconds for each inhale, hold, exhale and hold, done for two to three minutes once or twice a week.
How does Huberman produce an "alert but calm" state? Show answer
With 25 to 30 deep nasal inhales and passive mouth exhales, then a full exhale and a breath hold on empty lungs, sitting or lying down and never near water.
Why do long exhales calm you down? Show answer
Exhaling compresses the heart and speeds blood flow, so the heart slows in response.
What did Alicia Meuret's study teach people with panic disorder to do? Show answer
Slow their breathing and raise their carbon dioxide levels; Nestor says roughly 96% reported being much or very much improved a year later.
Why does Huberman say more carbon dioxide is not always better? Show answer
Breathing carbon dioxide-rich air reliably triggers panic, even in people without an amygdala, so the goal is balance.
Who does Nestor say his carbon dioxide advice is not for? Show answer
People with emphysema or COVID, who do not need more carbon dioxide; he also says no one should drop prescribed treatment on his word.