B-Optimal Health

JUST BREATH...THROUGH YOUR NOSE

Recently it was brought to my attention that taping your mouth closed at night could improve your quality of sleep. My initial reaction was that of humor, thinking about how silly one would look would silver 3M masking tape stretched across their face while sleeping. When I heard it a second time in the same week, with a reference to the book Breath by James Nestor, it prompted me to explore why this practice would result in a positive impact on sleep quality.

We take 25,000 breaths in a day and in a single breath, more molecules will pass through your nose than all the grains of sand on all the worlds beaches-Trillions.

There is a stark contrast in benefits from the act of breathing through your nose, to breathing through your mouth. In fact, I have found zero positives for mouth breathing, with only mentions that our best use for our mouth’s is for eating, drinking, and talking. Nose breathing on the other hand, has an array of benefits including:

-Boosts blood circulation, blood oxygen, carbon dioxide levels, nitric oxide levels by sixfold, and improves overall lung volume.
-Decreases snoring
-Lowers your heart rate and breath rate increasing oxygen concentration in your blood which lowers your blood pressure and decreases risk of heart failure
-Reduces risk of dental decay and gum disease, allowing your saliva to wash bacteria from your teeth and gums.

Mouth breathing side effects include:
-Snoring
-Dry mouth
-Bad breath
-Hoarseness
-Waking up tired and irritable
-Chronic Fatigue
-Brain Fog
-Dark circles forming under your eyes

Maintaining higher levels of Nitric Oxide is important as keep your brain healthy and sharp. You can use an over-the-counter testing kit to check your levels and I recommend using the Berkeley Life Nitric Oxide Test. If there is not enough NO present, blood flow to the brain is inhibited and inflammation can occur which is known as oxidative stress. High levels also improve your immune system as it helps to defend against any pathogens and bacteria. Capping off this list is that lack of nitric oxide also is a possible cause for erectile dysfunction.

As a parent it is important to look for signs of mouth breathing in your children. Here are symptoms that will manifest if your child is breathing through their mouth for most of the day:

-Slower than normal growth rate
-Irritability(Tough one to discern for most of us:)
-Increased crying at night
-Large tonsils
-Dry cracked lips
-Problems concentrating at school
-Daytime sleepiness

As I mentioned in a recent social media post, I attempted to run 3 miles only breathing through my nose. I encountered challenges with the oxygen deprivation which seemed to improve with squinting/raising my nose which expanded my nasal passageway. My next successful attempt was much easier with my attention placed on the slower cadence of my breath even when exerting on uphill inclines, which didn’t require me to contort my face to get sufficient oxygen. The slower cadence kept me in better flow throughout the entire run as the quicker inhales were the culprit in my increased fear of asphyxiation.

I have been mouth-taping now for almost 45 days and the sleep metrics on my Oura ring are noticeably improved. This practice has resulted in a significant decrease in my snoring so my awakenings are minimal, and consequently less necessity to use the bathroom during the night. Somnifix has been the most effective brand which tapes around the contours of my mouth, and is the best adhesive with facial hair.

And it is worthy for me to note why expanding your lung capacity is so impactful. 20 years of research showed that the greatest indicator of life span was not genetics, diet, or daily exercise, it was lung capacity! Now aiding that is moderate exercise like walking or cycling as it has shown to boost lung size by up to 15%.
Lastly, it has been discovered that the optimum breathing rate is 5.5-second inhales and 5.5-second exhales, making the perfect breath.

So sleep better(inclusive of your sleeping partner), live longer, and have more positive dental visits, by training yourself to only breath through your nose. It will require awareness and practice, but the results will be worthwhile.

In Optimal Health,
Brad

Elevate your Human Potential

After attending the 7th Annual Biohacking Conference hosted by Dave Asprey, creator of Bulletproof coffee and leader in the Biohacking space, I was introduced to some interesting cutting-edge technologies that are currently on the market, that all help to upgrade your daily performance levels.

Firstly, the term Biohacking is loosely defined as a method of utilizing technology, and other alternate practices, to boost your physical and cognitive performance. It is a movement that holds that human beings can and should use technology to augment and evolve our species.

BRAINTAP

This futuristic looking headset uses light and sound to stimulate brainwave activity and is a quick and easy way to relax, reboot, and revitalize by optimizing your brain’s peak potential. Once you purchase the device, it is subscription based, with programming that guides your mind from being awake and reactionary, to an intuitive and creative state where super learning and healing can occur, heightening consciousness with crystal clear focus.

In just 10 – 20 minutes it can balance your nervous system and help you better manage the stressors as they occur. In addition to lowering your stress, it also helps with insomnia, increasing energy levels, and improving your sense of well being

CHILISLEEP

This mattress topper regulates temperature which, when set between 60 - 68 degrees, helps you to get more deep sleep. This is because environmental temperature is crucial for setting circadian cycles for all mammals and thermal influences most biochemical reactions.

During your nightly periods of deep sleep, your body drops to its lowest temperature, which can be enhanced when using a Chilipad. This period of sleep is referred to as “delta sleep” and it is when your delta brain waves slow down and allow you to experience a meditative and dream-free sleep as a result of less intense respiration, lowered heart BPM, and slower eye movement. All of this is helping you to better recover mentally and physically.

NEUVANA XEN

What happens in Vagus, is critically important for activating your relaxation response and helps to regulate tension. The Vagus nerve is the superhighway leading from your gut to your brain, with 80% of the information traveling from the gut upwards. Did you know your brain and body are designed with the ability to self soothe during or after stressful moments? This technology promotes a sense of calm and slows your heartbeat and breathing in moments of heightened tension. Your vagus nerve is the ultimate ‘chill-out’ machine, signaling the brain to release serotonin and other calming neurotransmitters by delivering micropulses through headphones directly to the vagus nerve located in your left ear.

It pairs wirelessly to an app that helps to stimulate and strengthen your vagus nerve so you are more likely to recover quickly from stressful events.

HAPBEE

Electromagnetic fields can be found everywhere around us and can interact with the body at a biophysical level, acting like activators or blockers of cell receptors. Today these fields are used for magnetic resonance imaging to accelerate bone fracture repair, increase the rate of wound healing, and to decrease pain.

Hapbee is a circular collar that goes over your head and rests on your sternum, using ultra-low radio frequency energy technology (ulRFE®) that emulates specific magnetic fields to produce desired feelings in the body (Happy, Alert, Focus, Relax, Calm and Deep Sleep). The Hapbee AC100 generates these sensations by delivering precise low-power electromagnetic signals which through the use of an app, allows you to select how you want to feel anytime, anywhere.

TRU LIGHT/TRU DARK Light Therapy Devices

The type of lighting you’re exposed to can affect how your body interprets what time of day/night it is. It can also directly impact your mental and physical health, as well as performance. We are now living in an “Indoor Era” with people now spending more time indoors as well as working from home and TruLight has lighting solutions that provide benefits for these changes in our living patterns.

Differing from natural sunlight, conventional lighting can have negative impacts on our circadian rhythm, energy, mood, and focus. This technology empowers us to maximize our time at home and helps us to live in harmony with modern technology.

TruLight uses a combination of dark red, red, yellow, and infrared light to help heal your skin topically all the way down to healing bone injury. It uses innovative pulsating or steady light options to promote rapid healing and pain relief. They also sell an affordable lightbulb for your nightstand that has a controller to simulate sunlight in the morning, and blue light for reading/winding down before bedtime. The TruDark glasses are a great option for helping your body to create natural melatonin as you are winding down from your day.

I am a strong proponent of dialing in the essentials of wellness first by always emphasizing a healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep. These devices are not a shortcut to better health if you don't have the baseline set.

I am really excited, though, to share these advancements with you of ways to elevate your health and wellness!

In Optimal Health,

Brad