Breathing Habits for a Healthier Life with Patrick McKeown

Angela is talking again with Patrick McKeown, world-renowned Buteyko expert and author of multiple best-selling books about breathing and the influence it has on other functions of the body. In this fascinating episode, they discuss how breathing can control your blood pH and circulation along with the importance of enhancing your vagus nerve activity to bring balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems and how breathing is key in achieving this. They also discuss how breathing activities are successfully used to bring asthma under control and the positive benefits for individuals who have been taught specific breathing techniques in the management of their asthma. KEY TAKEAWAYS There are a variety of influences on breathing including genetics, hormones, lifestyle, and environment. The primary regulator of blood pH is breathing People with cold hands and feet often have poor breathing patterns, blood vessels are constricting because of the lower carbon dioxide Women breathe differently from men and this because of hormones It’s important to gain some control over your breathing because you can exert control to change things Women should track their breathing using the Bolt Score. The lower the bolt score the closer women are to exhibiting symptoms If you can improve the biochemistry of breathing you can improve circulation and calm the central nervous system It’s important to change and improve our breathing patterns during rest because it’s these breathing patterns that influence breathing when we sleep Nasal breathing is so much more efficient than mouth breathing which is about a fight or flight mode. When you bring the body into relaxation you can do this through a slow prolonged exhalation Our physiology can influence whether we are in a state of relaxation or not How you breathe during the day impacts on how you sleep. For 15 minutes prior to sleeping slow down your breathing to stimulate the vagus nerve BEST MOMENTS ‘Breathwork training should be done alongside medical treatments’ ‘The pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood is determined by the carbon dioxide in the lungs and this is decided by your breathing’ ‘Humming and cold water stimulate the vagus nerve’ VALUABLE RESOURCES High Performance Health podcast series\ Transform your sleep DNA optimization High Performance website The Breathing Cure - Patrick McKeown ABOUT THE HOST Angela Foster Angela is a Nutritionist, Health and Performance Coach. She is also the Founder and CEO of My DNA Edge, an Exclusive Private Membership Site giving individuals the tools and bio hacks needed to optimise their genetic expression for optimal health and performance. After recovering from a serious illness in 2014, Angela left the world of Corporate Law with a single mission in mind: To inspire and educate others to live an energetic, healthful and limitless life. Angela believes that we can truly have it all and has spent the last 5 years researching the habits and routines of high performers, uncovering age-old secrets, time-honoured holistic practices and modern science to create a blueprint for Optimal Human Performance. CONTACT DETAILS Instagram Facebook LinkedIn High Performance Health FB Group