Dr. Jack Feldman: Breathing for Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast #54

Emotion

Breathing plays a crucial role in regulating emotions, including depression and anxiety. Jack Feldman explains that a single deep breath can temporarily calm nerves, while consistent breathing practices can disrupt persistent emotional circuits, offering relief from depression 1. He likens this process to filling in a rut, allowing individuals to climb out of depressive states. Feldman notes, "If breathing is playing some role in thesis circuit and now instead of doing like a 1 second shock, I do 30 minutes of disruption. By doing slow breathing or other breathing practice, those circuits begin to break down a little bit and I get some relief" 1.

   

Brain Rhythms

Breathing significantly influences brain rhythms and states, impacting both emotions and cognitive functions. Andrew Huberman highlights the reciprocal relationship between breathing and brain states, noting that changes in breathing can adjust one's internal state 2. Feldman3.

   

Fear & Calmness

Specific breathing techniques can profoundly impact fear and calmness by engaging neural pathways. Feldman describes a protocol that significantly reduced fear responses in mice, equating the effect to major manipulations in the amygdala, a key brain region for fear processing 4. Additionally, managing CO2 levels through controlled breathing can alleviate anxiety, as demonstrated by Alicia Marette, who trains patients to breathe slower to restore CO2 levels and reduce anxiety 5. Feldman remarks, "CO2 levels, which are not going to affect brain function on a breath by breath level, although it does fluctuate breath by breath, but sort of as a continuous background, can change" 5.