Do you remember the last time that you let out a big granddaddy sigh? Felt pretty good,
eh? Science says there’s a reason for all that goodness AND that you can invite it in, at
will, any time.
The Huberman Lab is a podcast hosted by Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew
Huberman, Ph.D. The focus of the podcast is providing tools that help people to reduce
stress in real time. In other words, the goal is to feel calm now amid the stress-inducing
activity.
Many of the tools I have provided in the
blog, such as meditation and breath
work, are best practiced away from the
moment of stress. Training the brain to
perform differently, they build resilience
and increase your capacity to
effectively manage difficult situations in
the future. These mindfulness methods
are generally not intended as
psychological first aid in the moment of
crisis.
Huberman, and his lab crew, on the
other hand, are interested in developing tools that help you lean into stress. Tools you
apply when you’re trying to dodge a hard tackle on the playing field of life. One of the
best tools they have discovered for this job is cyclic sighing.
Humans and other mammals sigh automatically every few moments to support proper
lung function (Li et al, 2020). You don’t think about these sighs. This form of basal
sighing is a natural part of the breathing process. These physiological sighs act as an
automatic reset. They happen spontaneously in times such as deep sleep when a build-
up of carbon dioxide gas (the waste product of respiration) occurs in the blood stream.
High levels of carbon dioxide trigger the impulse to breathe. The physiological sigh is a
unique breathing pattern that facilitates a large release of carbon dioxide.
The physiological sigh consists of a double inhale followed by an extended exhale.
Recall seeing a child, an adult or, even you, crying uncontrollably. The double inhale,
extended exhale pattern occurs spontaneously to help catch the breath and act as a
self-soothing mechanism. The reason the physiological sigh is so impactful is that it
offloads a pile of carbon dioxide.
The lungs are not just two balloons. On average, the lungs contain 480 million tiny air
sacs called alveoli. The alveoli are at the heart of gas exchange in your body, picking up
the incoming oxygen and releasing the outgoing carbon dioxide. Together, the alveoli
compose an overall surface area equivalent to the size of a tennis court which gives
them a huge capacity for gas exchange.
The build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood creates stress and that gets magnified by
any of the alveoli that are in a collapsed state. The second inhale of the physiological
sigh is particularly important in terms of the alveoli because it re-inflates those tiny little
air sacs so, when you exhale, the volume of carbon dioxide discarded is maximized.
The practice of cyclic sighing takes advantage of the natural physiological sigh for
decreasing stress. Cyclic sighing is just the voluntary execution of the physiological
sigh. Science has validated that if you’re feeling stressed in any circumstance, inhaling
twice through the nose, followed by a long exhale through the mouth (about twice as
long as the first inhale) repeated once, twice, or three times will dramatically lower your
level of stress quickly and allow you to feel calmer. Repeated as a short breathwork
practice for 5 minutes, cyclic sighing has been shown in clinical trials to improve sleep,
lower resting heart rate, and enhance mood.
So, the next time the cold, boney hand of stress grabs a hold, inhale deeply, inhale a
little more and let it out with a big, long, slow sigh 1-3 times.
Paul Larmer is a mindfulness coach, personal trainer, professional speaker, and spiritual
guide. Book a consultation today, plarmer@livunltd.com
