Mini Episode: Breathing for Women, Children, and Sleep Reflections from San Francisco

In this short, on-the-go episode, Patrick McKeown shares key insights on breathing as he reflects on a recent visit to physiotherapist Kelly Starrett in San Francisco.

Patrick explores how breathing affects athletes, children, and women, with a special focus on sleep and the stress response. He explains why exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is often driven by over-breathing, why nose breathing in childhood is essential for healthy facial and dental development, and how female breathing patterns shift across the menstrual cycle.

You’ll learn what the BOLT score (Body Oxygen Level Test) reveals about your breathing, why building CO₂ tolerance matters, and how simple practices—like nose breathing during light to moderate exercise and breathing light, slow, and deep (LSD)—can transform your health, sleep, and resilience to stress.

Recorded against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge, this mini episode invites you to step out of your head, into your body, and back into the present moment—one gentle breath at a time.

Show Notes – Bullet Points

• Patrick’s visit to Kelly Starrett in San Francisco and their shared focus on breathing and movement
• Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction:
• How over-breathing and hyperventilation during exercise narrow the airways
• Why “breathing harder” can make symptoms worse
• Children’s breathing, growth, and dental health:
• Importance of nasal breathing for craniofacial development
• How mouth breathing, low tongue posture, and dry mouth affect jaw growth and crowded teeth
• Links between oral breathing, the mouth–gut microbiome, and overall health
• Women’s breathing and the menstrual cycle:
• How progesterone post-ovulation and in the mid‑luteal phase stimulates breathing
• Potential drop in CO₂ levels (up to ~25%) and links to pain, fatigue, anxiety, and panic
• Using the BOLT score to track breathing across the cycle
• Building CO₂ tolerance:
• Nose breathing during light to moderate exercise
• “Breathing less air” exercises: gentle air hunger for 3–5 minutes
• Reducing sensitivity to CO₂ and improving biochemical breathing
• Diaphragmatic vs upper chest breathing:
• How mouth breathing reduces diaphragm recruitment
• Role of nasal breathing, tongue on the roof of the mouth, and a BOLT score above 20–25 seconds
• Sleep, upper airway resistance, and waking at night:
• Overview of Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) and low arousal threshold
• How fast, upper‑chest, mouth breathing signals stress to the brain and disrupts sleep
• Optimal (LSD) breathing vs stress breathing:
• Stress pattern: fast, hard, upper chest, mouth breathing, quick exhale, irregular rhythm
• Optimal pattern: Light, Slow, Deep through the nose with soft inhale and relaxed, gentle exhale
• Patrick’s personal journey:
• Decongesting the nose, using breathing exercises for wheezing and sleep
• Mouth taping since the late 1990s and later development of MyoTape
• Safety note: why people with obstructive sleep apnea should not tape across the mouth
• Closing reflections at the Golden Gate Bridge:
• Using the breath to come into present-moment awareness
• Experiencing beauty and awe through the body, not just analytical thought
• Call to action:
• Start by breathing through your nose, at rest and during gentle exercise
• Practice breathing light, slow, and deep to support sleep, calm, and overall health