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

Box Breathing

Box breathing is a simple yet effective technique that can significantly impact mental state and performance. Jack Feldman shares his personal experience with box breathing, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness for beginners. He suggests starting with short sessions, gradually increasing duration as comfort grows.

I find I get tremendous benefit by relatively short periods between five and maybe 20 minutes of doing box breathing. It's very simple to do.

--- Jack Feldman

Feldman uses an app to guide his practice, typically inhaling, holding, and exhaling for five seconds each, sometimes extending to ten seconds for variety 1 2.

   

Episodic Hypoxia

Episodic hypoxia, a technique involving alternating periods of low and normal oxygen levels, shows promise in enhancing performance and cognition. Jack Feldman discusses its potential benefits, such as improved motor function and cognitive abilities, which have been validated in both animal and human studies. This method could be particularly useful for neuromuscular performance and rehabilitation.

Your ventilation goes up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down. After the last episode, your breathing comes down and doesn't continue to come down, but rises again and stays up for hours.

--- Jack Feldman

Feldman notes that while episodic hypoxia can be beneficial, it requires careful control of oxygen levels, unlike simple breath-holding, which affects both oxygen and CO2 levels 3 4.