Breathing for Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Dr. Jack Feldman

In this episode my guest is Dr. Jack Feldman, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a pioneering world expert in the science of respiration (breathing). We discuss how and why humans breathe the way we do, the function of the diaphragm and how it serves to increase oxygenation of the brain and body. We also explore how breathing influences mental state, fear, memory, reaction time and more. Additionally, we cover specific breathing protocols such as box breathing, cyclic hyperventilation (similar to Wim Hof breathing), nasal versus mouth breathing, unilateral breathing and how each of these affects the brain and body. We examine physiological sighs, peptides expressed by specific neurons controlling breathing and magnesium compounds that can improve cognitive ability and how they work. This conversation serves as a sort of master class on the science of breathing and breathing-related tools for health and performance. For an up-to-date list of our current sponsors, please visit our website: https://www.hubermanlab.com/sponsors. Previous sponsors mentioned in this podcast episode may no longer be affiliated with us. Our Breath Collective: https://www.ourbreathcollective.com/huberman Dr. Jack Feldman Links: UCLA website - https://bioscience.ucla.edu/people/jack-feldman Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_L._Feldman Twitter - https://twitter.com/prebotzinger Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jacklfeldman Social: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introducing Dr. Jack Feldman 00:03:05 Sponsors: Thesis, Athletic Greens, Headspace, Our Breath Collective 00:10:35 Why We Breathe 00:14:35 Neural Control of Breathing: “Pre-Botzinger Complex” 00:16:20 Nose vs Mouth Breathing 00:18:18 Skeletal vs. Smooth Muscles: Diaphragm, Intracostals & Airway Muscles 00:20:11 Two Breathing Oscillators: Pre-Botzinger Complex & Parafacial Nucleus 00:26:20 How We Breathe Is Special (Compared to Non-Mammals) 00:33:40 Stomach & Chest Movements During Breathing 00:36:23 Physiological Sighs, Alveoli Re-Filling, Bombesin 00:49:39 If We Don’t Sigh, Our Lung (& General) Health Suffers 01:00:42 Breathing, Brain States & Emotions 01:05:34 Meditating Mice, Eliminating Fear 01:11:00 Brain States, Amygdala, Locked-In Syndrome, Laughing 01:16:25 Facial Expressions 01:19:00 Locus Coeruleus & Alertness 01:29:40 Breath Holds, Apnea, Episodic Hypoxia, Hypercapnia 01:35:22 Stroke, Muscle Strength, TBI 01:38:08 Cyclic Hyperventilation 01:39:50 Hyperbaric Chambers 01:40:41 Nasal Breathing, Memory, Right vs. Left Nostril 01:44:50 Breathing Coordinates Everything: Reaction Time, Fear, etc. 01:57:13 Dr. Feldman’s Breathwork Protocols, Post-Lunch 02:02:05 Deliberately Variable Breathwork: The Feldman Protocol 02:06:29 Magnesium Threonate & Cognition & Memory 02:18:27 Gratitude for Dr. Feldman’s Highly Impactful Work 02:20:53 Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Patreon, Instagram, Twitter, Thorne Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

Andrew HubermanhostDr. Jack Feldmanguest

Jan 10, 20222h 23mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: January 10, 2022
Duration: 2h 23m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode my guest is Dr. Jack Feldman, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles and a pioneering world expert in the science of respiration (breathing). We discuss how and why humans breathe the way we do, the function of the diaphragm and how it serves to increase oxygenation of the brain and body. We also explore how breathing influences mental state, fear, memory, reaction time and more. Additionally, we cover specific breathing protocols such as box breathing, cyclic hyperventilation (similar to Wim Hof breathing), nasal versus mouth breathing, unilateral breathing and how each of these affects the brain and body. We examine physiological sighs, peptides expressed by specific neurons controlling breathing and magnesium compounds that can improve cognitive ability and how they work. This conversation serves as a sort of master class on the science of breathing and breathing-related tools for health and performance. For an up-to-date list of our current sponsors, please visit our website: https://www.hubermanlab.com/sponsors. Previous sponsors mentioned in this podcast episode may no longer be affiliated with us. Our Breath Collective: https://www.ourbreathcollective.com/huberman Dr. Jack Feldman Links: UCLA website - https://bioscience.ucla.edu/people/jack-feldman Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_L._Feldman Twitter - https://twitter.com/prebotzinger Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jacklfeldman Social: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introducing Dr. Jack Feldman 00:03:05 Sponsors: Thesis, Athletic Greens, Headspace, Our Breath Collective 00:10:35 Why We Breathe 00:14:35 Neural Control of Breathing: “Pre-Botzinger Complex” 00:16:20 Nose vs Mouth Breathing 00:18:18 Skeletal vs. Smooth Muscles: Diaphragm, Intracostals & Airway Muscles 00:20:11 Two Breathing Oscillators: Pre-Botzinger Complex & Parafacial Nucleus 00:26:20 How We Breathe Is Special (Compared to Non-Mammals) 00:33:40 Stomach & Chest Movements During Breathing 00:36:23 Physiological Sighs, Alveoli Re-Filling, Bombesin 00:49:39 If We Don’t Sigh, Our Lung (& General) Health Suffers 01:00:42 Breathing, Brain States & Emotions 01:05:34 Meditating Mice, Eliminating Fear 01:11:00 Brain States, Amygdala, Locked-In Syndrome, Laughing 01:16:25 Facial Expressions 01:19:00 Locus Coeruleus & Alertness 01:29:40 Breath Holds, Apnea, Episodic Hypoxia, Hypercapnia 01:35:22 Stroke, Muscle Strength, TBI 01:38:08 Cyclic Hyperventilation 01:39:50 Hyperbaric Chambers 01:40:41 Nasal Breathing, Memory, Right vs. Left Nostril 01:44:50 Breathing Coordinates Everything: Reaction Time, Fear, etc. 01:57:13 Dr. Feldman’s Breathwork Protocols, Post-Lunch 02:02:05 Deliberately Variable Breathwork: The Feldman Protocol 02:06:29 Magnesium Threonate & Cognition & Memory 02:18:27 Gratitude for Dr. Feldman’s Highly Impactful Work 02:20:53 Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Patreon, Instagram, Twitter, Thorne Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Dr. Jack Feldman
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Dr. Jack Feldman, Breathing for Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Dr. Jack Feldman explores how Breathing Shapes Brain Function, Emotion, Health, and Performance Daily Andrew Huberman interviews Dr. Jack Feldman, a pioneering neuroscientist who discovered the brainstem circuits that generate our breathing rhythms. Feldman explains how the mechanics of breathing interface with specialized neural oscillators in the brainstem to produce inspiration, passive and active expiration, sighs, and gasps. He details how breathing patterns influence blood gases, pH, heart function, and—critically—brain state, emotion, and cognition via multiple pathways, including the preBötzinger complex, vagus nerve, and olfactory system. The discussion also covers physiological sighs, episodic hypoxia, breathwork for anxiety and fear reduction, and practical protocols Feldman personally uses, framing breathing as a powerful, zero-cost tool for mental and physical performance.

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