Optimal Being

“ How to Breathe Correctly for Optimal Health, Mood, Learning & Performance ,” In this post we discuss how deliberate respiration (breathing) represents a unique and powerful bridge between the subconscious and conscious mind — and how specific breathing protocols allow us to shift the state of our brain and body in powerful ways. We explain how to  use specific breathing patterns  to influence your brain-body state and thereby  positively shift your mood, physical capacity, and focus — and improve sleep . Indeed, even brief, deliberate breathing protocols, if done correctly, can positively impact all these around the clock — not just during the breathwork practice. Why We Breathe Breathing allows the body to draw in oxygen (O 2 ) and discard carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), or more accurately to  balance  ratios of O 2 :CO 2  in our brain and body. When we inhale, oxygen fills and passes from millions of tiny sacs (“alveoli”) in our lungs, into our bloodstream....

It sounds fixed but it's not, say researchers who studied three triggers of severe physiological stress: pregnancy, COVID, surgery. In preclinical models and in humans, stress from surgery, pregnancy, and severe COVID-19 increased signs of biological age, which were reversed following recovery. “Traditionally, biological age has been thought to just go up and up, but we hypothesized that it’s actually much more dynamic,” said lead author  Jesse Poganik  of the Brigham’s  Division of Genetics . “Severe stress can trigger biological age to increase, but if that stress is short-lived, the signs of biological aging can be reversed.” For  the study , Poganik and colleagues gathered data from several situations that are likely to cause severe physiological stress. In one experiment, they examined blood samples from elderly patients undergoing emergency surgery, looking at samples collected immediately before surgery, a few days after surgery, and before discharge from the ...

  Summary:  A neuroimaging study on house sparrows reveals changes in the dopaminergic system could be a physiological mechanism underlying the negative behavioral effects of chronic stress. The findings shed light on stress and resilience in wildlife and humans. Source:  Louisiana State University A biologist at Louisiana State University conducted a pioneering research study that could help us to better understand the role of dopamine in stress resilience in humans through analyzing wild songbirds. This study could lead to increased prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that is important for learning and memory. Department of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Christine Lattin, and colleagues conducted this study of wild songbirds showing that dopamine is important in responding to chronic stressors, which can help wildlife conservation efforts in response to environmental stressors such as habitat destruction, na...