The Diary of a CEOThe Breathing Expert: Mouth Breathing Linked To ADHD, Diabetes & Child Sickness!
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 14:20
Breathing As The Missing Pillar Of Health
Nestor introduces the idea that dysfunctional breathing underlies many modern diseases and that most people are unaware of how badly they breathe. He recounts his own history with chronic respiratory issues and how a single breathwork class transformed his health and curiosity as a science journalist.
- 14:20 – 26:50
From Free-Diving Feats To Questioning Human Limits
Covering a free-diving championship in Greece showed Nestor that humans can do seemingly impossible things with a single breath. These feats convinced him that mainstream views of our physiological limits—and of breathing itself—are far too conservative.
- 26:50 – 44:00
How Modern Life Broke Our Breathing
The discussion shifts to how environmental and lifestyle changes have warped our facial structure, posture and automatic breathing patterns. Nestor argues that diseases like diabetes, asthma, autoimmune disorders and anxiety are deeply intertwined with dysfunctional breathing, especially at night.
- 44:00 – 56:20
The Stanford Mouth vs Nose Breathing Experiment
Nestor describes his self-experiment at Stanford comparing 10 days of enforced mouth breathing to 10 days of nasal breathing. The rapid deterioration in sleep, cognition and inflammation during the mouth-breathing phase gave objective data to back up traditional warnings.
- 56:20 – 1:02:50
How Widespread Is Dysfunctional Breathing?
Drawing on respiratory therapists and elite athletic trainers, Nestor estimates that the vast majority of people breathe poorly. He introduces the idea of a spectrum of dysfunction, from severe asthmatics to high-performing athletes who still have suboptimal patterns.
- 1:02:50 – 1:11:40
Industrial Food, Small Jaws, And Lost Ancestral Breathing
Nestor links industrialized food to drastic changes in human skulls: smaller jaws, crooked teeth, and narrower airways. He explains how reduced chewing and altered infant feeding practices have reshaped faces in just a few generations, making efficient breathing structurally harder.
- 1:11:40 – 1:25:50
Practical Mechanics: Diaphragm, Posture, And Everyday Office Life
The discussion becomes hands-on as Nestor teaches how to feel proper diaphragmatic movement and shows how modern sitting compresses breathing. He suggests simple workplace adaptations like standing desks and walking breaks to restore natural breathing mechanics.
- 1:25:50 – 1:39:30
Nasal Breathing, Nitric Oxide, And Immune Defense
Nestor explains why the mouth is a backup breathing system and the nose is primary. He details the nose’s many functions—from moisture recapture to nitric oxide production—and introduces simple humming as a cheap immune-support tool.
- 1:39:30 – 2:06:00
Children, Sleep-Disordered Breathing, And ADHD
The conversation delves into the alarming prevalence of mouth breathing and poor sleep in children, and its strong association with behavioral diagnoses like ADHD. Nestor relays research suggesting many such cases are fundamentally breathing and sleep problems, not primary brain disorders.
- 2:06:00 – 2:22:10
Breathing, Lung Capacity, And Longevity
Nestor presents evidence that lung size and function are among the strongest predictors of lifespan. He explains how lung capacity declines with age but can be preserved or expanded through exercise and targeted breathing practices.
- 2:22:10 – 2:31:00
Stress, Anxiety, And Using Breath To Hack The Nervous System
Nestor connects everyday stress responses—like holding the breath over emails—to ancient threat responses, and shows how deliberate breathing can quickly shift us between sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ and parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’.
- 2:31:00 – 2:48:40
Transformational Breathwork: Holotropic Practices And Emotional Release
The host and Nestor discuss intense breathwork sessions (holotropic, Kundalini, pranayama) that can feel psychedelic and emotionally cathartic. Nestor differentiates their deliberate stress mechanism from foundational breathing habits and calls for more research on their brain effects.
- 2:48:40 – 3:14:00
CO₂, Indoor Air, Masks, And Hidden Cognitive Costs
The conversation turns to indoor air quality, COVID-era masking, and CO₂ as an overlooked indoor pollutant. Nestor demonstrates with a CO₂ meter how quickly levels rise in sealed rooms and cites compelling evidence that modest elevations impair cognition and health.
- 3:14:00 – 3:32:10
Diagnostic And Training Tool: The BOLT / Control Pause
Nestor teaches a specific breath-hold test (BOLT/control pause) that acts both as a diagnostic of respiratory and nervous system health and as a way to train CO₂ tolerance over time.
- 3:32:10 – 4:08:20
Asthma, Medication, And Reversing ‘Diseases Of Civilization’
Nestor challenges the assumption that asthma is an inborn, lifelong condition and shares how breathing retraining has dramatically improved or resolved asthma in many cases. He critiques purely pharmaceutical approaches that ignore underlying breathing behavior.
- 4:08:20
Closing Reflections: Simplicity, Responsibility, And Accessible Tools
Nestor ends by reiterating that the most powerful breathing interventions are simple, free and available to everyone. He hints at his upcoming BBC Maestro course as a structured toolbox and emphasizes curiosity as his driving motivation.
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