Short Breathing Protocols (To Control Your Mental State)
To be able to control your mental state is true power, as it allows you to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.
Breathing is more than just a biological necessity; it's a tool that can be harnessed to bring balance and control to our mental state.
By understanding and practicing specific breathing patterns, we can influence our nervous system and create a sense of calm or alertness as needed.
One of the tools is short breathing pattern protocols.
Andrew Huberman's Simplified Breathing Patterns
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman suggests simplifying the practice into three key breathing patterns:
Box breathing
Keeps you in an even plane between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Helps maintain a balanced state of relaxation and alertness.
Cyclical hyperventilation
Cyclical hyperventilation is a inhaled focused breathing pattern.
You actively inhale, then you exhale passively—for an approximate 2:1 ratio.
The act of inhaling increases your heart rate.
Cyclic sigh
Also called physiological sigh, is when you do a big inhale, followed by a quick inhale to maximally fill your lungs with air—then do a slow controlled exhale (as in exhaling with pursed lips through a straw)
It's the fastest way to hit the break on nervousness and anxiety.
In a study by Huberman and Spigel showed that compared to meditation, cyclic sighing had more dramatic improvements in:
Compared to meditation, cyclic sighing had more dramatic improvements in:
- Mood
- Heart rate variability
- Improved sleep
Explore More Techniques
The breathing patterns described here are just the beginning. There are many ways to harness the power of breath for mental well-being, including Non-Sleep Deep Rest, a unique and effective method.
👉 Learn more about what NSDR is and how it can benefit you.
How long should I do these breathing patterns for?
You might wonder if you need to dedicate a significant amount of time to these exercises.
The answer is surprisingly brief.
All it takes is 15 to 30 seconds of any of these two breathing patterns to get results. It's a small investment of time for a potentially significant impact on your well-being.