3 Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life with Nick Heath [Podcast]

Eat well, exercise, and sleep is all we seem to hear about. But there is another important yet underrated factor for health: breathing exercises.

Yep, the way we breathe can have a tremendous impact on our health in either direction–especially the duration and quality of sleep. This is vital as we age, making midlife the perfect time to invest in your breathing.

My latest podcast guest is sharing his experience and all that he has learned about the benefits of breathing.

Nick Heath is a PhD, type 1 diabetic, and certified instructor of the Oxygen Advantage. He was astounded to discover how targeted breathing exercises not only enhanced his energy levels but his diabetes management.

This led to the development of his site The Breathing Diabetic, which showcases his three key breathing principles along with supportive research.

In episode 38 of the Healthy Family Podcast, I sit down with Nick to find all that he has learned and get the details on his principles to maximize breathing.

Show Highlights

How taping his mouth at night change everything and made him take notice of the benefits of nasal breathing.
The mechanism behind how nasal breathing affects blood sugars and the nervous system.
Why more people don’t know about the benefits of breath training and how that will change.
If you have THIS symptom, you are likely breathing through your mouth at night.
How to tape your mouth safely at night and other benefits of nasal breathing.
How to breathe during exercise to lower heart rate and promote recovery.
The benefits and timing around a slow breathing practice.
How proper breathing improves Heart Rate Variability and balances your nervous system.
The multiple roles of nitric oxide on health and how breathing influences it.
What intermittent hypoxia is and how it can boost health (and nitric oxide!).
The importance of resistance training for your breathing muscles, which includes your diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

Your paranasal sinuses are always producing nitric oxide, so when you breathe in through your nose you carry this gas down into your lungs and this relaxes the blood vessels which increases blood flow and helps to redistribute blood flow and ultimately gets more oxygen in. – Nick Heath