Essentials: Breathing for Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Dr. Jack Feldman
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Podcast Summary
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, Dr. Jack Feldman, a Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at UCLA and leading expert in breathing science, explores the intricate mechanics of breathing and how neural circuits regulate our respiratory rhythm. The conversation covers how the diaphragm and pre-Bötzinger complex initiate each breath, (14:23) revealing that we naturally sigh every five minutes to maintain lung health. Dr. Feldman shares groundbreaking research showing how controlled breathing practices can reduce fear responses in mice by up to the same degree as major brain interventions, (24:11) and discusses practical breathing tools like box breathing for daily performance enhancement. The episode also delves into magnesium L-threonate supplementation and its potential cognitive benefits, with clinical trials showing significant improvements in age-related cognitive decline.
- Main themes include the neurobiology of breathing, practical breathwork applications, and the intersection of respiration with emotional and cognitive states
Speakers
Dr. Jack Feldman
Dr. Jack Feldman is a Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a world-renowned expert in the science of breathing and respiratory neurobiology. He discovered the pre-Bötzinger complex, a critical brain region that generates breathing rhythm, and has pioneered research into how breathing patterns influence mental states and emotional resilience.
Andrew Huberman
Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. He specializes in brain development, function, and neuroplasticity, with particular expertise in how the nervous system controls behavior and health.
Key Takeaways
The Pre-Bötzinger Complex Initiates Every Breath
Every single breath we take begins with neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex, a small brain region containing just a few thousand neurons located in the brainstem. (02:27) This discovery by Dr. Feldman's team revealed that this tiny region works in tandem on both sides of the brain to generate our breathing rhythm. When these neurons burst into activity, they send signals to the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, causing inspiration. When the burst stops, we naturally exhale due to the passive recoil of the lungs and rib cage. This fundamental understanding provides the foundation for how we can potentially influence our breathing patterns and, consequently, our mental states.
Physiological Sighs Occur Every 5 Minutes for Lung Health
Dr. Feldman reveals that we naturally sigh approximately every five minutes, and this isn't just a random occurrence—it's essential for maintaining lung function. (14:24) With 500 million tiny air sacs (alveoli) in our lungs, some naturally collapse over time. Normal breathing isn't sufficient to reopen these collapsed alveoli, but the deeper breath of a sigh generates enough pressure to pop them back open, maintaining our lung's surface area for optimal oxygen exchange. This mechanism was discovered when early mechanical ventilators had high mortality rates until doctors learned to include periodic "super breaths" that mimicked natural sighing patterns.
Controlled Breathing Reduces Fear Response as Effectively as Brain Surgery
In groundbreaking research, Dr. Feldman's team demonstrated that mice trained to breathe slowly for 30 minutes daily over four weeks showed dramatically reduced fear responses. (24:11) When exposed to fear conditioning tests, these mice froze for significantly less time compared to control groups—an improvement equivalent to major manipulations of the amygdala, the brain's fear center. This research provides compelling mechanistic evidence that breathing practices can create real, measurable changes in brain function, not just placebo effects, offering scientific validation for ancient breathing practices.
Box Breathing Provides Practical Daily Performance Benefits
Dr. Feldman personally uses box breathing for 5-20 minutes as a practical tool for maintaining cognitive performance throughout the day. (36:58) This simple technique involves equal durations of inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding (such as 5 seconds each phase, or 10 seconds for longer practice). He specifically uses this after lunch when performance naturally declines, finding it helps restore alertness and focus. The beauty of this approach is its accessibility—it requires no equipment, costs nothing, and can be tested by anyone to determine personal effectiveness.
Magnesium L-Threonate May Reverse Age-Related Cognitive Decline
Dr. Feldman discusses promising research on magnesium L-threonate, a form of magnesium that can effectively cross the blood-brain barrier. (44:28) In a placebo-controlled clinical trial, participants with mild cognitive decline saw their cognitive age improve by an average of 8 years after three months of supplementation, compared to only 2 years improvement in the placebo group. The compound works by enhancing neuroplasticity (long-term potentiation) in brain cells, and threonate—a vitamin C metabolite—appears to supercharge magnesium transport across cellular barriers. Dr. Feldman personally takes half the recommended dose after measuring his blood magnesium levels.
Statistics & Facts
- We naturally sigh approximately every 5 minutes to maintain lung health by reopening collapsed alveoli. (14:24) Dr. Feldman explains this occurs automatically without conscious control.
- Human lungs contain 400-500 million alveoli, creating a membrane surface area about one-third the size of a tennis court that must be expanded with each breath. (11:16) This massive surface area is essential for efficient oxygen exchange.
- In Dr. Feldman's controlled breathing study, mice showed fear response reductions equivalent to major amygdala interventions after just 30 minutes of daily slow breathing practice for 4 weeks. (24:11) This demonstrates measurable neurological changes from breathing practices.
