As we have already explored, each breath we take is influenced by the
continuing press ure of carbon di oxide (and to a lesser extent by the pressure
of oxyg en) within arterial blood vessels. When there is an increase of
carbon dioxide and a decrease of oxygen, breathing is stimulated. A very simple way to experience the ef fect carbon dioxide has on our
stimulus to breathe is as follow s: Gently exhale through your nose and
pinch your nose with your fingers to hold your breath. As you hold your
breath, c arbon d ioxide accumula tes in the blood, and after a sho rt while thereceptors in the brain and nec k signal the breathing muscles to resume
breathing to get rid of the exces s. Y ou will begin to feel these si gnals in the
form of contractions of the muscles in your neck and stomach, along with
an u r ge to take in air . Let go of your nose and resume breathing through the
nose when you feel the first messages of your body telling you to take a
breath. It’ s important to bear in mind at this point that the purpose of
breathing is to get rid of the excess carbon dioxide, and not to get rid of as
much as  possibl e. Overbreathin g for a period of days and weeks, however ,
removes more carbon dioxide than is necessary , increasing the sensitivity of
the brain’ s receptors. The sensitivity of your recepto rs to carbon dioxide and oxyg en will
have im plications for the way your body copes with physical exercise. When your breathing receptors have a strong response to carbon dioxide
and reduced pressure of oxygen in the blood, your breathing will be intense
and heavy . Y our body will have to work much harder to m aintain this
increased breathing volume, b ut because overbreathing cau ses carbon
dioxide levels to drop, less oxy gen will be delivered to working muscles. The result? Overexertion, a disappointing performance, and possible injury . Conversely , hav ing a greater tolerance to carbon dioxide n ot only
reduces breathle ssness but also allows for much more ef fective delivery of
oxygen to your working muscles during exercise. When breathing receptors
are l ess sensitive to carbon diox ide levels, you will experience a reduction
in breathlessness as your body is able to work harder with far less ef fort;
breathing will be lighter during both rest and physical exercise. Ef ficient
breathing means  that fewer free  radicals are produced, reducing the risk of
inflammation, tissue damage, and injury . Free radicals (or oxidants) are formed when the oxygen we breathe is
converted into ener gy . During exercise, breathing markedly  increases,
resulting in an in creased produc tion of free radicals. Free radica ls are a part
of normal bodily function and are only of concern when there is an
imbalance betwe en these oxidants and the antioxidants that neut ralize them. Oxidative stress  occurs when there are too many free radicals in your
system; left unchecked by antioxidants, free radicals attack other cells,
causing inflammation, muscular fatigue, and overtraining. It ha s been said that one of th e main dif ferences between en durance
athletes and nonathletes is the ir response to low pressures of oxygen(hypoxia) and higher levels o f carbon dioxide (hypercapnia). In other
words, endurance athletes are able to tolerate a greater concentration of
carbon dioxide and lower con centration of oxygen in the b lood during
exercise. Intense physical exercise results in increased consumption of
oxygen and increased produc tion of carbon dioxide, so i t is vitally
important that athletes are able to cope well with changes to these gases. In o rder to attai n outstanding performance during sports, it is e ssential
that you r breathing does not rea ct too strongly to increased concentrations
of c arbon dioxide and decreased concentrations of oxygen. Over time,
intense physical training will help to condition the body to better tolerate
these changes, but a more ef fective method can be found in the pages of this
book. T he breathing exercises outlined in the Oxygen Advantage program
can easi ly be incorporated into any form of exercise, no matter what your
fitness level and even if you are laid up with an injury . Y o u can even
improve your fitness using a simple 10-minute exercise while sitting down. Incr easing V O 2  Max
A pe rformance- related term you need to know is maximal oxy gen uptake,
or VO 2  max . T his simp ly refers to the maximum capacity of your body to
transport and utilize oxygen in  1 minute during maximal or  exhaustive
exercise. VO 2  max is one factor that can determine an athlete’ s capacity to
sustain physical exercise and is considered to be the best indicator of
cardiorespiratory endurance and aerobic fitness. In sports that require
exceptional endurance, such as cycling, rowing, swimming, and running,
world-class athl etes typically have a high VO 2  max. Furthermore, the goal
of most endurance programs is to increase VO 2  max. Studies have shown that athlet ic ability to perform during in creased
carbon dioxide and reduced oxygen pressure corresponds to maximal
oxygen uptake. In other words, the ability to tolerate higher concentrations
of c arbon dioxide in the blood means a higher VO 2  max can be achieved,
culminating in better delivery and utilization of oxygen by the working
muscles.W ithout a doubt, regular physical training, correctly applied, helps to
reduce the body’ s response to carbon dioxide, enabling greater exercise
intensity and improving VO 2  m ax. During p hysical exercis e, increased
metabolic activi ty produces higher levels of carbon dioxide than normal. Over time, these raised CO 2  levels condition the breathing receptors, which
results in easier , lighter breathin g during exercise and better oxy genation of
the mus cles. Being able to del iver oxygen more ef ficiently during high-
intensity exercis e leads to a higher VO 2  ma x—somethin g most athletes
strive toward during their regular training. In chapt er 7 you will learn how to simulate high-altitude trainin g. When
the breath is held, oxygen satu ration in the blood decreases, leading to
increased production of red blood cells to of fset the drop. Since red blood
cells carry oxygen, having a gre ater quantity in your blood will also lead to
an i ncrease in aerobic capacit y and VO 2  max. Along with VO 2  max,
another performance measurement that is highly regarded by athletic
coaches is running economy . T his is defined by the amount of ener gy or
oxygen consume d while running at a speed that is less than maximum pace. T ypically , the less ener gy required to run at a given pace, the better—if your
body is able to use oxygen ef ficiently , it is indicative of a high running
economy . There is a strong association b etween running economy and distance
running performance in elite runners, where running economy  is regarded
as a better predictor of performa nce than VO 2  max. For this reason, sports
scientists, coaches, and athlete s are keen to apply techniques that can
improve running economy , such as strength training and high-altitude
training. However , a third and far more widely accessible method of
boosting running economy is to practice breath-hold techniques, which
have be en proven to improve respiratory muscle strength and endurance. Researchers investigating reduced breathing found that runnin g economy
could be  improv ed by a remark able 6 percent following a brie f course of
breath-hold training. At this point yo u might be thin king that if physical training co nditions
the bod y to tolerate higher co ncentrations of carbon dioxide and lower
oxygen, then why go to the bother of practicing this program? Goodquestion, but in our modern w orld, it is literally impossible to isolate
ourselves from the factors that negatively af fect breathing, and even many
highly conditioned athletes brea the too heavily during rest; their inhalations
and exhalations are noticeable and often from the upper chest . They may
perform brilliantly , but they could be performing even better . It wo uld be disin genuous to expect breathing to be ef ficient duri ng sport
if breath ing dur ing times of res t is inef ficient. If your breathin g is wrong
during th e norm al course of your day , how can it be right during the hour or
two spent doing exercise? It just does not work that way . T he Oxygen
Advantage prog ram focuses on retraining us in the way we bre athe during
rest and low-intensity exercis e as well as moderate to high-intensity
activity . This method helps to create good habits and brings lifelong
benefits to your breathing, no matter what your level of fitness or your
preferred sport. In th e next section you can determine your sensitivity to carbon  dioxide
using th e Body Oxygen Level T est (BOL T), which measures the  length of a
comfortable breath hold. First you will learn your current condition, then
you’ll learn how the Oxygen A dvantage can help you improve your sleep,
concentration, and ener gy levels; attain a calmer disposition; reduce
breathlessness during physical exertion; and increase that ever -coveted VO 2
max. The Body Oxygen Level T est (BOL T)
As far back as  1975, researchers noted that the length of time of a
comfortable bre ath hold served as a simple test to determ ine relative
breathing volume during rest and breathlessness during physical exercise. The Body Oxygen Level T est (B OL T) is a very useful and accurate tool for
determining this  relative breathing volume. BOL T is simple, sa fe, involves
no soph isticated equipment, and can be applied at any time. BOL T dif fers
from oth er breath-hold tests because it represents the length of time until
the f irst definite desire to breathe. Holding the breath until you feel the first
natural desire to breathe provides useful information on how so on the first
sensations of breathlessness take place and is a very useful tool for the
evaluation of breathlessness. Other breath-hold tests tend to focus on themaximum time you can hold your breath, but this measurem ent is not
objective as it can be influenced by willpower and determination. Athletes possess bucketloads of willpower and determination, so there
is no doubt that many of us will be tempted to measure our BO L T score by
holding the breath for as long as possible. But if you are se rious about
improving your breathing ef ficiency and VO 2  max using the breath-hold
exercises in this book, I ur ge you to follow the instructions carefully and
measure your BOL T correctly— by holding your breath only u ntil the first
distinct ur ge to breathe is felt. In sh ort, the lower the BOL T score, the greater the breathing volume,
and the greater your breathing volume, the more breathlessness you will
experience during exercise. T o o btain an accurate measurement, it’ s best to rest for 10 minutes
before measurin g your BOL T score. Read the instructions carefully first and
have a timer on hand. Y ou can measure your BOL T now:
1. T ake a normal b reath in through your nose and allow a normal
breath out through your nose. 2. Hold y our nose with your fing ers to prevent air from entering
your lungs. 3. T ime the number of seconds until you feel the first definite
desire to breathe, or the first stre sses of your body ur ging you
to breath e. These sensations may include the need to swallow
or a  constriction of the airways . Y ou may also feel the first
involuntary con tractions of your breathing muscles in your
abdomen or throat as the body gives the message to resume
breathing. ( Note tha t BOL T  is not a measur ement of how longyou can hold your br eath but sim ply the time it takes for your
body to r eact to a lack of air . ) 4. R elease your nose, stop the timer , and breathe in through your
nose. Y o ur inha lation at the end  of the breath hold should be
calm. 5. Resume normal breathing. Please be aware of the following  important points when measuring your
BOL T score:
•  The breath is taken after a gentle exhalation. •   T he b reath is  held until the breathing muscles first begin to
move. Y ou are n ot measuring the maximum time that you can
hold your breath. •   If you do not feel the first involuntary movements of yo ur
breathing muscl es, then release your nose when you feel the
first definite ur ge or first distinct stress to resume breathing. •   The BOL T is not an exercise to correct your breathing. •   R emember th at measuring your BOL T involves holding yo ur
breath only until you feel the f irst involuntary movements of
your breathing muscles. If you need to take a big breath at the
end of the breath hold, then you have held your breath for too
long. How the Body Oxygen Level T est (BOL T) W orks
When you hold your breath, yo u prevent oxygen from entering your lungs
and prevent carbon dioxide from  being expelled into the atmosphere. As the
breath h old continues, carbon dioxide accumulates in the lungs and blood
while oxygen levels slightly dec rease. Since carbon dioxide is the primarystimulus for breathing, the length of your breath-hold time is influenced by
how mu ch carbon dioxide you are able to tolerate, or your ventilatory
response to carbon dioxide. A s trong ventilatory response to carbon dioxide means th at your
threshold will be reached sooner , resulting in a lower breath-hold time. Conversely , a good tolerance a nd reduced ventilatory response to carbon
dioxide results in a higher breath-hold time. When your BOL T score is lower , your breathing receptors are especially
sensitive to carbon dioxide, and your breathing volume will b e greater as
the lungs work to remove any carbon dioxide in excess of p rogrammed
levels. However , when you have a normal tolerance to carbon dioxide and a
higher B OL T sc ore, you will be  able to maintain calm breathing  during rest
and lighter breathing during physical exercise. Y ou may find that the first time you measure your BOL T score,  you are
surprised that your score is low er than expected—but rememb er that even
elite athletes can have a low BOL T score! The good news is that your
BOL T score can easily be increased with a series of simpl e breathing
exercises incorporated into your  existing way of life or exercise regimen. A
common starting BOL T score for an individual who exercises regula rly at a
moderate intensi ty will be approximately 20 seconds. If your BOL T score is
below 20 seconds, depending o n genetic predisposition, you will probably
find you  experie nce a blocked nose, coughing, wheezing, disrupted sleep,
snoring, fatigue , and excessive breathlessness during physic al exercise. Each time that your BOL T score increases by 5 seconds, you will feel
better , with more ener gy and reduced breathlessness during physical
exercise. The aim of the Oxygen Advantage program is to increase your
BOL T score to 40 seconds, and this can be realistically achieved. Improving your BOL T score is an important key to attaining greater
physical endurance. As we have already seen, having an improved tolerance
to carbo n dioxide means you are able to achieve a higher VO 2  max and
improved performance. The Oxygen Advantage program is all about
increasing your BOL T score and maximizing your potential! How Y our BOL T Scor e Relates to Br eathlessness During
SportsThe ideal BOL T score for a he althy individual is 40 seconds. In the book
entitled Exer cise Physio logy: Nutrition,  Ener gy , and Human Performance
by W illiam McArdle and colleagues, the authors observe: “If a person
breath holds after a normal exhalation, it takes approximately 40 seconds
before the ur ge to breathe increases enough to initiate inspiration.”
What is accepted  in theory is not always evident in practice. The truth is
that the vast majority of individuals, including athletes, have a comfortable
breath-hold time of about 20 seconds, often less. However , to achieve your
full potential, a BOL T score of 40 seconds should be the goal. Breath-hold mea surements have also been used to study the on set and
endurance of breathlessness (dyspnea) and asthma symptoms. The result
that com es up again and again is that the lower the breath-ho ld time, the
greater the likelihood of breathlessness, coughing, and wheezing during
both rest and exercise. Over the  past thirteen years I have worked with thousands of children
and adults with asthma. Althoug h breath-hold time is not gener ally used by
doctors to evaluate asthma severity , it is an excellent measurement to
evaluate respiratory condition and symptoms such as coughing, wheezing,
chest ti ghtness, breathlessness, and exercise-induced asthm a. If you
experience breathlessness or asthma symptoms when you exercise, you may
find tha t your athletic performance is limited and hampered by your
condition. By implementing the Oxygen Advantage program and tracking
your progress with your BOL T score, you will be able to quickly and easily
improve your performance and eliminate symptoms of exerc ise-induced
asthma. The overall goal of the Oxygen Advantage program is  to increase
your BO L T sco re to over 40 seconds, but every time you improve your
BOL T s core by 5 seconds you will find that symptoms such a s coughing,
wheezing, chest tightness, and breathlessness reduce drastically . More on
eliminating exercise-induced asthma can be found in chapter 12. BOL T Scor e and Br eathing V olume
At this point, it can be useful to perform the following experiment:
•  Sit down with a pen and paper .•   Bring your attention to your breathing and follow both the rate
and depth of each breath. •   As you observ e your breathing, draw the rate and depth across
the sheet of paper . •   D o this for a bout half a min ute or so, then check how your
drawing relates to your BOL T score and the illustrations on the
following page. The fol lowing image is an example of the relationship between
breathing volume and a BOL T score of 10 seconds. When a BOL T score is 10 seco nds, breathing is noisy , loud, i rregular ,
lar ge, heavy , erratic, and ef fortf ul, with no natural pauses betw een breaths. If y our BOL T score is 10 seconds or less, you will often experience a
hunger for air , e ven when you are just sitting down. Habitual upper -chest
breathing and mouth breathing  is also expected. The number  of breaths
during rest per minute can be anything from 15 to 30 breaths.When a BOL T score is 20 secon ds, breathing is heavy but regul ar . Both
the rate and size of each breath is less than when a BOL T score is 10
seconds. A natural pause of between 1 and 2 seconds occurs at the end of
each exhalation . The number of breaths per minute during rest will vary
from between 15 and 20 moderately sized breaths. When a BOL T score is 30 se conds, breathing is calm, gentle, soft,
ef fortless, and quiet. The rate and size of each breath continue to reduce as a
BOL T score increases. The natural pause between each breath lengthens. The num ber of breaths during rest per minute will be about 10 to 15
minimal breaths.When a BOL T s core is 40 seconds, breathing is ef fortless, calm , gentle,
quiet, soft, and minimal. At a BOL T score of 40 seconds, it is  dif ficult to
see breathing movements. Th e natural pause between each breath is
generally about 4 to 5 seconds. The number of breaths during rest per
minute varies from 6 to 10 minimal breaths. BOL T and Sports Performance
During physica l exercise, breathing volume increases, but so too does
production of carbon dioxide. When your BOL T score is higher than 30
seconds, there is a reasonable match between the production of carbon
dioxide from increased muscle  movement and the elimination of it by
breathing. A BOL T score of between 20 and 30 seconds indicates that there
is room for improvement. However , a problem arises when a BOL T score is
less than  20 seconds, as exces sive breathing will eliminate more carbon
dioxide than the amount that is produced through exercise, lead ing to a net
loss of CO 2 , r educed oxygen delivery , and c onstriction of blood vessels and
airways. The result is poor sports performance and a variety of negative
implications for your overall health. A gener al rule for the relationsh ip between BOL T scores and breathing
volume is as fo llows: The lower the BOL T score, the poorer the match
between breathin g volume and metabolic activity , hence the need to control
breathing during rest and physical exercise. The closer the BOL T score is to
40 s econds, the better the matc h between breathing volume and metabolic
requirements. W hen your breathing volume matches the amount of carbondioxide produce d, it will be much easier to exercise at a high er intensity
while still retaining a calm and even breathing pattern. As it can be dif ficult for children and teenagers to correctly apply the
BOL T , progress can be measured by counting how many paces that they are
able to hold their breath while walking. This is explained in m ore detail in
the Oxygen Advantage program for children and teenagers on page 286. At the beginni ng of this cha pter I made the claim that Oxygen
Advantage breathing exercises—even those that are practiced while sitting
down—are guar anteed to increase your BOL T score. People with a BOL T
score of  less than 15 seconds are often put of f from doing physical exercise
due to excessive breathlessness . However , by starting with gentle reduced
breathing exerci ses that can be performed while sitting down or walking
slowly , even those with low BO L T scores can significantly improve their
endurance and breathing ef ficiency in the space of just a few weeks. Once
your BO L T scor e is greater than 20 seconds, you will be able to partake in
physical exercise and continue to improve your score with more advanced
breathing exercises. Any athlete can learn the tools to tap into the body’ s own natural
resources in order to train faster , exercise more intensively , and enjoy better
improvements to his or her hea lth. And if you are a coach, k nowing the
BOL T score of each of your pla yers will help you to provide feedback on
their ability to p erform. As they say , knowledge is power; un derstanding
your bod y’ s athletic capabilities will enable you to push harder and compete
to the best of your abilities. Thr ee Steps to Incr easing Y our BOL T Scor e
The exercises in this book will guide you through each stage of your
journey to improved breathing , fitness, and endurance. Below is a brief
guide to each of the three steps to increasing your BOL T score:
1. Stop Losses of Carbon Dioxide
•  Breathe through your nose, day and night.•   Stop sighing; instead, swallo w or suppress the sigh. One sigh
taken every few minutes is enough to maintain chronic
overbreathing, so it is necessary to counteract the sigh by
swallowing or holding the breath. If you notice your sighs only
after they have taken place, then hold your breath for 10 to 15
seconds to help compensate for the loss of carbon dioxide. •   A void taking big breaths whe n yawning or talking. Individuals
with a low BOL T score are of ten tired, and yawn frequently
throughout the day . T ry not to take in a lar ge breath during a
yawn. Likewise , individuals who talk for a living need to be
aware th at their breathing should not be heard during talking. If
you find that you can hear your breathing during talking, then it
is better to slow down the speed of your talking, use shorter
sentences, and take a gentle breath through your nose between
each sentence. •   Observe your breathing thro ughout the day . Good breathing
during rest should not be seen or heard. 2. Impr ove T olerance of Carbon Dioxide
This is where yo u practice exercises designed to reduce your b reathing
volume toward normal. They wi ll bring a feeling of relaxation to your body
and encourage your breathing to slow down and become calmer . The
objective is to cr eate a tolerable need or hunger for air . A sustained need for
air over the course of 10 to 12 minutes resets the receptors in the brain to
tolerate a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. Steps 1 and 2 are necessary to  increase BOL T score from 1 0 to 20
seconds. 3. Simulate High-Altitude T raining
During physica l exertion, as d iscussed, breathing volume increases
along with metabolic activity , which generates carbon dioxide. Breathing
less than you feel you need to during physical training is an excellentmethod of conditioning the body to tolerate a higher concentration of
carbon dioxide, while at the same time subjecting the body to a reduced
concentration of oxygen. The ben efit of implementing O xygen Advantage breathing tec hniques
during p hysical exercise is that a  stronger air shortage can be created than at
rest. A strong air shortage is ne cessary to increase your BOL T score from
20 to 40 seconds. Please note the f ollowing important points about increasing you r BOL T
score:
•   Y ou will feel better  each time  you r BO L T sco re increases by 5
seconds. •   The g eneral p rogression is for a BOL T score to increase by 3 to
4 seconds during the first 2 to 3 weeks. When your BOL T score
reaches 20 seconds, it is norm al for the progression of your
BOL T increase to slow down. I t is not uncommon for a BOL T
score to remain “stuck” at 20 seconds for 8 to 10 weeks. In
order to  increas e a BOL T scor e from 20 to 40 seconds, it is
necessary to perform physical e xercise while incorporating the
techniques in this book. Be dete rmined, and don’ t lose heart if
your BOL T score is stubborn or lessens temporarily! Meanwhile, you ’ll enjoy the b enefits you’ve already gained
from getting to 20 seconds in the first place. •   The causes for slow BOL T score progress include lifestyle
factors, such as stress and excessive talking, and sickness. The
severity and duration of a health  condition will dictate the rate
of your BOL T progress, but w hatever your current state of
health, there are always exercises that can be performed to keep
you moving forward. It is worth persevering, as there are many
health b enefits related to even a slight improvement to your
BOL T score. •   The most accu rate BOL T score is taken first thing after waking. This BOL T measurement is more accurate because you cannotinfluence your breathing during sleep, and therefore an early
morning score will be based on your breathing volume as
naturally set by your respiratory center . •   Y our goal is to maintain a morning BOL T score of 40 seconds
for a period of 6 months. As modern living can negatively
af fect BO L T scores, it is necessa ry to pay attention to breathing
throughout the day , ensuring it is light and thro ugh the nose,
and to incorporate the Oxygen Advantage program into your
physical exercis e and way of life. This will help you maintain a
high BOL T score. Below are suggested exercises as based on your BOL T score (a more
detailed program is available on page 267):
BOL T scor e of 10 seconds or under:
•  Breathing Recovery Exercise to unblock the nose
•  Nose-breathe at all times
•  A voiding sighing and taking big breaths
•  Breathe Light to Breathe Right during rest
•  Breathing Recovery Exercise
BOL T scor e of 10 to 20 seconds:
•  Nose unblocking exercise
•  Nose-breathe at all times
•  A voiding sighing and taking big breaths
•   Brea the Lig ht to Breathe Right during rest and physic al
exercise
BOL T scor e of 20 to 30 seconds:
•  Nose unblocking exercise
•  Nose-breathe at all times•   Brea the Lig ht to Breathe Right during rest and physic al
exercise
•  Simulate High-Altitude T raining during a fast walk or jog
BOL T scor e of 30 seconds or gr eater:
•  Nose-breathe at all times
•   Brea the Lig ht to Breathe Right during rest and physic al
exercise
•  Simulate High-Altitude T raining during jogging or running
•  Advanced Simulation of High-Altitude T raining
T o reiterate: If you have any health problems or a BOL T score shorter
than 10 seconds , please do not attempt breath holds involving a strong need
for a ir , a s the resultant loss of control of your breathing may aggravate your
condition. Pleas e do not attempt  the nose unblocking exercise o r any of the
exercises to simulate high-altitude training unless you have a BOL T score
longer th an 10 seconds. It is als o advised to have a BOL T score of at least
20 seconds before attempting breath holding during jogging or running. Body Detoxification
When you under go the Oxygen Advantage program, you may experience a
body detoxificat ion. The extent of the detoxification will depend on your
BOL T score and state of health. In general, the higher your BOL T score and
the heal thier you are, the less likely you will experience a de toxification. On the other hand, if you have  a low BOL T result and have b een feeling
unwell f or years , you are much  more likely to experience a detoxification. Remember that changing your breathing volume toward normal improves
blood f low and oxygenation of all tissues and or gans. W ith better -
functioning or gans and systems, waste products are expelled more readily . It is  great news if you do exper ience a detoxification, as it shows your
health is  improving, and you s hould clearly feel the benefits. Generally ,
cleansing reactions are mild and last from several hours to one or two days. T ypical detoxification symptoms may include:•  Increased demand for water
•  Loss of appetite
•  Bad taste in the mouth
•  Increased moodiness
•  Short-term headache
•   Increa sed secretions of mucu s from the lungs by people wi th
asthma
•  Head cold with runny nose, especially during physical exercise
•  Diarrhea
An i ntegral part of detoxificatio n is a reduced appetite for food, so it’ s
important to only eat when hungry . T o help reduce the in tensity and
duration of any cleansing reactions, drink warm water regularly throughout
the day and continue with reduced breathing exercises. In the next section we will begin the first step to improving you r BOL T
score: nasal breathing. W e will  look at the functions of the n ose, how to
decongest it, and learn what nas al breathing of fers for health, sp orts . . . and
in the bedroom.CHAPTER 3
N o s e s  A r e  f o r  B r e a t h i n g ,
M o u t h s  A r e  f o r  E a t i n g
I n order to addre ss breathing volume and increase BOL T score , the first
step is to go back to basics and learn to breathe through the nose both day
and nigh t. As any child is aware , our nose is made for breathing, the mouth
for eating. Y ou were born breathing through your nose, and it has been our
primary conduit for breathing for hundreds of thousands of years. It was only when  our ancient ancestors were in dangerous situations that
they reverted to mouth breath ing to take in greater volume s of air in
preparation for intense physical activity . It i s for this reason that mouth breathing is synonymous with
emer gency , activating the same fight-or -flight response that our ancestors
experienced but these days usually without the accompanying physical
exercise to allow our operatin g systems to revert to normal. From the
perspective of breathing physio logy , mouth breathing activates use of the
upper chest, while nasal breathing results in abdominal breathing. Y ou can
verify the dif ference by sitting in front of a mirror and placing one hand on
your che st and one hand above your navel. Once settled, take a moderate-
size brea th in through your mouth and note the movements of your hands. Next, co mpare your breathing movements to a similar size brea th drawn in
through your nose. Upper -chest breathing is more  likely to be associated with a stress
response, while nasal breathing helps ensure regular , calm, stead y breathing
using th e diaphragm. The common misconception of taking a “deep” breath
is to puf f out the chest and raise  the shoulders, but this is neither deep nor
beneficial to oxygenating the body . T o help deal with stress, the instructionto take a deep  breath is actually correct, but a truly deep breath is
abdominal, gentle and quiet; the exact opposite of the big breaths usually
taken in an attempt to calm down. Mouth b reathing activates the upper chest, involves lar ger breaths, and
may cau se reduced oxygen uptake in the arterial blood. It is no wonder that
habitual mouth breathers ofte n suf fer from poor ener gy , a lack of
concentration, and moodiness. W e all know the stereotype of  the mouth
breather , portrayed by moviema kers from Hollywood to Bollywood as an
idiot. But in ca se you think I am being unduly critical, I w as a mouth
breather for more than twenty years, so I know all too well the ef fects. Furthermore, every time I look i n the mirror I see the results fro m my years
of mouth breathing. Dentists and orthodontists have also documented these
profound facial changes as a r esult of habitual mouth breathing: narrow
jaws, cr ooked teeth, sunken cheekbones, and smaller nasal cavities. While
orthodontic trea tment and the wearing of braces are epide mic among
modern-day teenagers, it was normal for our ancestors to have wide faces
with perfectly shaped teeth. In th e 19 30s, a dentist by the name of Dr . W eston Price investigated the
cause o f facial changes and crooked teeth in various countries and
civilizations. On e of his observations while visiting Gaelic people living on
the Heb ridean islands of f the c oast of Scotland was that children became
mouth breathers after parents switched from their natural diet of seafood
and oatm eal to the modernized  diet of “angel food cake, white bread and
many white flour commodities, marmalade, canned vegetables , sweetened
fruit juices, jams, and confections.”
Dr . Price’ s discovery illustrate s the link between modern diet and
chronic hyperventilation. Processed foods are mucus and acid forming. Throughout evolution, our diet consisted of 95 percent alkaline-forming and
5 percent acid-forming foods. N owadays the reverse is tru e: Our diet  is 95
percent acid- and 5 percent alkaline-forming foods. Acid-forming foods—
such as process ed products, dairy , meat, bread, sugar , cof fee, and tea—
stimulate breath ing. A natural response to experiencing a greater demand to
breathe is to open the mouth to t ake in more air . Over time, the b rain adjusts
to this lar ger intake of air , and overbreathing becomes a habit. On t he other han d, alkaline-forming foods such as fruit and veg etables,
along with plain water , are easy for the body to process; they are“breathing-friendly” foods. But while these types of foods are highly
beneficial, I’m not saying you need to become a vegetarian. Protein is an
essential part of a healthy diet, and meat provides a natural, n utrient-rich
source. T he mos t important change is to get rid of processed foods in your
diet. They may take up the most space in our supermarkets, b ut they are
ef fectively suitable food for no one. The nose is one of the most imp ortant or gans in the human body . In his
nineteenth-century travels in North America, the artist Geor ge Catlin
noticed that the Native Americ an mothers paid a lot of attention to their
infants’ breathin g. If at any time the baby opened its mouth to breathe, the
mother would gently press the baby’ s lips together to ensure continued
nasal bre athing. Catlin also noted that the rate of sickness and ill ness among
the native Indian people was very low in comparison with European
settlers. In his a ptly titled 1882 book Shut Y ou r Mouth  and Save Y our  Life,
Catlin w rote, “W hen I have see n a poor Indian woman in the wilderness,
lowering her infant from the bre ast, and pressing its lips togeth er as it falls
asleep . . . I have said to myself, ‘Glorious education! Suc h a mother
deserves to be the nurse of Em perors.’” In comparison, Catli n described
how the babies of the European settlers slept with their m ouths open,
gasping for breath in stuf fy , hot, and unventilated rooms. Nasal b reathing is often an integral part of an animal’ s survival or
hunting techniques. The cheet ah, which is considered the fastest land
animal on earth, is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in
just 3 seconds. Most high-performance cars cannot accelerate so quickly ,
with the notable exception of the Bugatti V eyron, which will set you back a
million dollars to experience the natural acceleration of a cheetah. W ith
such incredible ef ficiency and speed, it doesn’ t take long for the cheetah to
catch u p with its prey , but maintaining nasal breathing is  especially
advantageous during the chase, ensuring that its victim is the first to run out
of air . The dog is pr obably the best-known example of an animal that
periodically breathes through its mouth—dogs can commonly be seen
panting on a hot  day or after a long walk to help cool themselve s down. But
at all other times a dog will breathe through its nose, only using its mouth
for e ating, drinking, and barking . Nature has ensured that the vast majority
of land mammals breathe through their noses by positioning the windpipeso that the back of the nose leads directly to the lungs. In other words, it is
not easy for most animals to breathe through their mouths. The same is tr ue for humans at birth, but after a few months the
windpipe drops down to just bel ow the back of the tongue in or der to allow
the b aby to brea the through both its mouth and nose. Charles Darwin was
puzzled by this adaptation in humans: how , unlike most animals, the
openings for carrying food to t he stomach and air to the lungs are placed
side by side. This parallel position seems fairly impractical, as it increases
the r isk of food going down the wrong way , requiring the devel opment of a
complicated swallowing mechanism. The cause for this is likely to do with
our abil ity to speak and to enable us to swim, since both act ions require
voluntary control over breathing. Had Darwin investigated the negative
impact of mouth breathing in human beings, however , I have no doubt that
he woul d have considered the ability to mouth breathe to be a far worse
flaw in the evolution of our species than the risk of choking while eating. The rest  of the animal kingdom  relies on nasal breathing for survival,
and mouth breathing usually on ly occurs as an adaptation within a species. Birds, for example, are predom inantly nose breathers, aside from diving
birds su ch as penguins, pelicans, or gannets. Generally , when an animal
breathes through its mouth it is a sign of sickness, injury , or distress. Guinea
pigs and rabbits will continue to breathe through their noses even under
heavy e xertion and will only breathe through their mouths i f they have
developed a breathing abnormality . The sam e goes for all farm an imals,
including the cow , sheep, donke y , goat, and horse. Mouth breath ing in these
animals would be a clear sign al to a farmer or pet owner t hat there is
something wrong. Experience t ells the farmer that when a cow or sheep
stands m otionless with its neck extended and mouth open, it is very sick—
time to call the vet. When it comes to the importance of breathing through the nose, there is
no distinction between prey and predator . Nasal breathing is especially
advantageous fo r horses and dee r , since it allows them to graze and breathe
at the same time, while their s ense of smell alerts them of approaching
predators. I, on the other ha nd, as a habitual mouth br eather , was
admonished as a child for che wing with my mouth open—much to the
dismay of my w ell-mannered table companions. Unlike the ho rse, I could
not eat and bre athe through my nose at the same time. And, unlike thehorse, I found m yself completely out of breath after attempting  even light
exercise—meanwhile, spend a day at the horse track and you will witness
these majestic animals running at speeds of up to thirty miles per hour while
maintaining nose breathing. T o g et a n idea of the size of the nasal cavity , run your tongue f rom the
front of the roof of your mouth right back as far as it will go. Y ou may be
surprised to learn that the roof of the mouth is in fact the floor of the nose! The nos e you see on your face  comprises approximately 30 percent of its
volume. It is the tip of the ice ber g, so to speak, with the remaining 70
percent of the n asal cavity set deep within the skull. Nature i s intelligent
and doe s not waste space; evolution has determined the impor tance of the
nose by the amount of space it occupies within the skull. As air enters th rough the nose, it is swirled through scrolled, spongy
bones called turbinates,  w hich condition and guide inha led air into a steady ,
regular pattern. The internal nose, with its cul de sacs, valves, and
turbinates, regu lates the direction and velocity of the air to  maximize
exposure to a ne twork of small arteries and veins and to the muc ous blanket
in o rder to warm, humidify , an d sterilize the air before it is d rawn to the
lungs. The late D r . Maurice Cottle, who founded the American Rhinologic
Society in 1954, stated that the n ose performs at least thirty functions, all of
which are important supplements to the roles played by the lungs, heart, and
other or gans. The lar ge amount of space in the skull devoted to the nasal
cavity provides an indication of the importance of the functions of the nose. T o a ttain a high er BOL T score and improved sports performan ce, it is
imperative that nasal breathing is practiced at all times during rest. If your
BOL T score is less than 20 seconds, the only way to avoid overbreathing
during exercise is to breathe through the nose at all times, even while
training. An exception to nasal breathing can be made for a sho rt period of
time during intensive physical exercise, but this kind of training should only
be attempted when your BOL T score is greater than 20 seconds. The Nose—A Most Important Organ
In the yoga book The Science of Br eath,  w ritten over a century ago, Y o gi
Ramacharaka said this about nostril versus mouth breathing: “One of thefirst lessons in the Y ogi Science of Breath is to learn how to breathe through
the n ostrils, and to overcome th e common practice of mouth br eathing.” It
seems th at little  has changed ov er the past hundred years—if anything, the
prevalence of mouth breathing has increased. Extolling the benefits of nasal
breathing, Y ogi Ramacharaka su rmises that “many of the diseases to which
civilized man is subject are und oubtedly caused by this common habit of
mouth breathing.” Below is a brief list of the functions of nasal breathing:
•   Nose breathing imposes approximately 50 percent more
resistance to the airstream in normal individuals than does
mouth breathing, resulting in 10 to 20 percent more O 2  uptake. •   Nasal breath ing warms and humidifies incoming air . (A ir
entering the nose at 42.8˚F/6˚C will be warmed to 86˚F/30˚C
by t he time it touches the back of the throat, and a cozy
98.6˚F/37˚C—body temperature—upon reaching its final
destination, the lungs.) •   N asal breath ing removes a significant amount of germs and
bacteria from the air you breathe in. •   Nasal breath ing during physical exercise allows for a wo rk
intensity great enough to produ ce an aerobic training ef fect as
based on heart rate and percentage of VO 2  max. •   As discussed in the next section, the nose is a reservoir f or
nitric oxide, an essential gas for the maintenance of good
health. Now compare the benefits above with the ef fects of mouth breathing:
•   Mouth-breathing children a re at greater risk of developing
forward head posture, and reduced respiratory strength. •   Breath ing thro ugh the mouth c ontributes to general dehydratio n
(mouth breathin g during sleep results in waking up with a drymouth). •   A dry mouth  also increases acidification of the mouth and
results in more dental cavities and gum disease. •   Mout h breat hing causes bad breath due to altered bacteri al
flora. •   Breat hing thr ough the mouth has been proven to significant ly
increase the number of occurrences of snoring and obstructive
sleep apnea. The Nose: A Gr eat Sour ce for Nitric Oxide
Until the  1980s the gas nitric ox ide (NO) was considered a toxi c substance,
causing smog and producing ha rmful ef fects in the environment. When the
first arti cle appeared discussing the importance of nitric oxide, the scientific
community foun d it dif ficult to conceive that a gas so toxic outside of the
body could play such a highly important role within it. And although nitric
oxide is  a relative newcomer to  the field of medicine, there are now over
one hundred thousand research  papers devoted to this gas, providing an
insight into how it has captured the attention of doctors and scientists alike. In 1992, nitric oxide was proclaimed Molecule of the Y ear by the
journal Science  and  was descr ibed as a startl ingly simple molecule that
unites neuroscie nce, physiology , and immunology and revises scientists’
understanding of how cells communicate and defend themselves. In 1998 , Robert F . Furchgott, L ouis J. Ignarro, and Ferid Murad were
awarded the Nobel Prize for the ir discovery that the gas nitric  oxide is an
important signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. W hen I first
began to  read about the benefits  of nitric oxide, I was astounded as to how
one sim ple gas could influence all major systems and or gans, help keep us
free from disease including cancer , promote a longer life, and even perform
better in bed. Strangely , despite these life-changing attributes, it seems that few
people outside of the field of  medicine are aware of this gas and its
tremendous ben efits to health. O f the hundreds of people I have spoken towith high blood pressure, poor  cardiovascular health, asthma, and other
ailments, not one of them was aware of the importance of nitric oxide. When it  comes to nasal breathin g and breath-hold exercises, nitric oxide
plays an  importa nt role. Nitric o xide is produced inside the nasa l cavity and
the lining of the thousands of miles of blood vessels throughout the body . Scientific findings have shown that this extraordinary molecule is
released in the nasal airways and  transferred to the lower airway s and lungs
through nasal breathing. In the respected medical journal Thorax,
researchers Jon Lundber g and Eddie W eitzber g from the world-famous
Karolinska Insti tute in Sweden state, “Nitric oxide (NO) is released in the
nasal air ways in humans. During inspiration through the nose, t his NO will
follow the airstream to the lower airways and the lungs.”
Recognizing the  importance of t he role of nitric oxide in oxygenation of
the b ody , Dr . Mehmet Oz recom mends inhaling from the diaphragm as it
“brings nitric oxide from the back of your nose and your sinus es into your
lungs. This short-lived gas dilates the air passages in your lungs and does
the same to the blood vessels.”
Nasal breathing is imperative for harnessing the benefits of nitric oxide,
working hand in hand with abd ominal breathing and helping to maximize
body oxygenation. Think of the nose as a reservoir: Each time we breathe
gently a nd slow ly through the n ose, we carry this mighty molec ule into the
lungs and blood, where it can do its work throughout the b ody . Mouth
breathing bypa sses this special gas, missing out on the important
advantages that nitric oxide provides for general well-being. Nitric oxide plays an important role in vasoregulation (the opening and
closing of blood vessels), ho meostasis (the way in which the body
maintains a state of stable physiological balance in order to stay alive),
neurotransmission (the messaging system within the brain), immune
defense, and respiration. It hel ps to prevent high blood pres sure, lower
cholesterol, keep the arteries young and flexible, and prevent the clogging
of arteri es with plaque and clots . All these benefits reduce your risk of heart
attack and stroke—two of the top three killers in America. As we age, blood vessels lose flexibility and reduce blood circulation
throughout the body . It is no coi ncidence, therefore, that as men grow older ,
conditions relate d to reduced blood flow—including erectile dy sfunction—
become more prevalent. The p otency of nitric oxide in ope ning bloodvessels becomes clear when you realize that this simple gas plays a
significant role in erection of th e penis. This discovery , in fact, led to the
production in 1998 of V iagra, a  very popular drug that received thousands
of h ours of free media time and generated sales of billions of do llars for the
manufacturer , Pfizer . There are many causes of habitu al mouth breathing, including swelling
of the tissue in the nose to form nasal polyps. In a study of a group of thirty-
three me n with nasal polyps, the authors found that erectile dysfunction was
significantly higher in this group. Furthermore, when the men underwent
sur gery to remove the polyps and allow restoration of nose breathing,
erectile dysfunction was significantly ameliorated. And women can benefit from n itric oxide in this way too, as the gas
plays a similar role in the female genitalia, helping to increase libido. Could
it be that nose breathers have more desire and better sex lives than mouth
breathers? In addit ion to improving your sex life, this unique gas also a cts as a
defense mechan ism against microor ganisms through its an tiviral and
antimicrobial activity , potentially reducing the risk of illness and  improving
overall health. Most important for athletes wishing to optimize their sports
performance, nit ric oxide plays a central role in dilating the smooth muscle
layer embedded in the airways. Open airways allow for a better transfer of
oxygen to and fr om the lungs du ring exercise, while tight airways create an
uncomfortable and inef ficient experience that ultimately af fects
performance. The production of nitric oxide in the nasal sinuses can be increased by
simply humming. In an article published in the American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Car e Medicine,  Doctors W eitzber g and Lundber g
described how humming increased nitric oxide up to fifteenfold in
comparison with quiet exhalation. They concluded that hummi ng causes a
dramatic increase in sinus ventilation and nasal nitric oxide release. W ith this knowledge, it comes as no surprise that humming  is also
practiced during  certain meditation techniques. The breathwor k technique
called B rahmari involves slow , deep breaths through the nose, humming on
each exh alation to generate a so und similar to a bee buzzing, and while the
exact science may have been a  mystery to the creators of this meditationmethod, the associated feeling o f calmness of the mind is a clea r indication
of its benefit. Nose Unblocking Exer cise
Breathing throu gh the mouth c auses blood vessels in the nose  to become
inflamed and enlar ged. This, al ong with an increased secretion of mucus,
creates the uncomfortable fee ling of nasal stuf finess. When the nose
becomes blocked it is much m ore dif ficult to breathe through it, thus
perpetuating the habit of breathing through the mouth. Continued mouth
breathing results in a more p ermanent state of nasal congestion, thus
completing the vicious circle. Nasal ob struction is one of the  main symptoms of rhinitis and af fects
many people throughout the W estern world on a daily basis . The most
common treatme nts include the avoidance of triggers (such as pollen) and
the use of decongestants, nasal steroid sprays, antihistimines, or aller gy
shots, bu t while these of fer symptomatic benefits, they are ef fective only as
long as treatment continues. A numb er of years ago, ear , nose, and throat specialist Professor John
Fenton f rom the  University of L imerick took an interest in my  work after
his patients reported a signif icant reduction in their nasal symptoms
following attendance of my course. At his behest, a study was
commissioned t o further investigate the ef fects of reduced bre athing. The
results were an amazing 70 percent reduction of symptoms su ch as nasal
stuf finess, poor sense of smell, s noring, trouble breathing through the nose,
trouble sleeping, and having to breathe through the mouth. On the followi ng page is on e of the exercises that I taught to
participants in the study . (Please  do not practice this exercise if your BOL T
score is less than 10 seconds, o r if you have high blood pressure or other
cardiovascular issues, diabetes, or pregnancy , or have any o ther serious
health concerns.) Like all breathing exercises, the Nose Unblocking
Exercise should not be practiced right after eating.Nose Unblocking Exer cise
•   T ake a small,  silent breath in  through your nose and a small,
silent breath out through your nose. •  Pinch your nose with your fingers to hold your breath. •   W alk as many  paces as possible with your breath held. T ry to
build up a medium to strong air shortage, without overdoing it. •   When  you resume breathing, do so only through your nose. T ry
to calm your breathing immediately . •   A fter resumin g your breathing, your first breath will probably
be b igger than n ormal. Make sure that you calm your breathing
as soon  as possible by suppressing your second and third
breaths. •   Y ou s hould be able to recover normal breathing within 2 or  3
breaths. If your breathing is erratic or heavier than usual, you
have held your breath for too long. •   W ait 1 or 2 minutes before repeating the breath hold.•   In order to prepare yourself fo r the longer breath holds, go easy
for the first few repetitions, increasing your paces each time. •   Repea t for a total of 6 breath h olds, creating a fairly strong nee d
for air . Generally , this exercise will unb lock the nose, even if you have a head
cold. However , as soon as the ef fects of the breath hold wear o f f, the nose
will likely feel b locked again. By gradually increasing the num ber of steps
you can  take with your breath held, you will find the results continue to
improve. When you are able to  walk a total of 80 paces with  the breath
held, your nose will remain decongested. Eighty paces is actually a very
achievable goal, and you can expect to progress by an additional ten paces
per week. Each w eek I teach this exerc ise to groups of five- to ten-year -old
children, many of whom have p retty serious breathing dif ficulti es. W ithin 2
or 3 weeks, most children are a ble to walk 60 paces with their breath held,
with som e child ren quickly achieving up to 80 paces. T ry it y ourself, and
see how you do. If yo u regularly suf fer from na sal congestion, you should soon find it
much easier to breathe through  your nose by practicing this exercise. No
longer will you require over -the-counter nasal decongestants,
antihistamines, or nasal steroids! By hold ing your breath, you sha rply increase the concentration of nitric
oxide in  your nasal cavity , resulting in dilation of the nasal p assages and
smooth, easy nasal breathing once more. As you move on to the breath ing exercises in the next chapt er , your
ability to hold your breath will improve, resulting in even greater nasal
freedom. Nasal Br eathing at Night
The idea l amoun t of sleep requir ed each night varies from perso n to person. The late British prime minister M ar garet Thatcher was said to ge t by on just
four hours sleep, but most of us  need seven or eight hours of good-qualitysleep to set us right for the day . If we struggle to get to sleep, or if sleep is
interrupted by snoring or sleep apnea, it can be particularly ha rd to get up
the foll owing morning, and a lack of sleep can severely af fect
concentration, mood, and even the most basic of activities. Even if we seem
to s leep soundly the whole night through, the quality of sleep can be
reduced by mouth breathing and  heavy breathing, meaning we still wake up
with a dry mouth and a feeling of lethar gy . Fifty-year -old A nnette described to me how she rarely slept eig ht hours
continuously . Si nce her children were very young, her usual s leep pattern
had involved lying awake for several hours in an ef fort to try to fall asleep,
followed by a few hours of light sleep, waking again around 3 A.M . The next
two hours were usually spent  trying to fall asleep again, resulting in
frustration and exhaustion when she finally had to get up fo r her day’ s
work. Just like Annette, for many years I too woke up tired and lethar gic,
suf fering from poor concentration throughout the day . The key to improving
the qual ity of my sleep was incredibly simple: All I had to do w as to learn
to keep my mouth closed during  sleep. Because we are unaware of how we
breathe at night, the only sure w ay to ensure nasal breathing is to wear light
paper tape across the lips to pre vent the mouth from falling ope n. And this
is ex actly what I instructed Annette to do. If you feel uncomfo rtable about
using the paper tape at night, a stop snoring strap is a good alte rnative and
helps to keep the lower jaw from dropping during sleep. Stop snoring straps
are com monly used by people with obstructive sleep apnea and can be
purchased from OxygenAdvantage.com. T aping t he mout h at night ensur es the benefits of good breathing during
sleep, allowing you to fall asl eep more quickly , stay asleep longer , and
wake feeling ener gized. The tape that I have found most suitable, as it is
simple to use, h ypoaller genic, and light, is 3M Micropore tape , which can
be bought from most drugstores . T o help make the tape easier t o remove in
the morning, gently press the tape against the back of your hand a couple of
times to  remove  some of the glue before applying the tape to your face. All
you nee d to do is tear of f about 4 inches/10 cm of tape, fold a tab over at
both end s to make removal easi er in the morning, dry your lips, close your
mouth, and gently place the tape horizontally over the lips.At first, Annette  was slightly ne rvous about using the tape, though she
was keen to try anything that might help her sleep and increase  her ener gy
levels. I nitially , she found taping her mouth to be uncomfortable, and
noticed that her breathing inc reased due to anxiety when she used it. However , over the next few days she practiced wearing the tape for short
periods of 20 m inutes while she went about her normal activities at home. This helped to acclimatize her to breathing through her nose and to
overcome any fears about wearing the tape at night. Once sh e was used to the feelin g of taping her mouth closed, Annette
was dete rmined to use the techn ique to improve her sleep qualit y . She went
to bed at her usual time and was surprised to find the tape to be a comfort. As soon as she placed the tape on her mouth, it was almost like a signal to
fall asleep—which she did. That night, Annette slept more deeply than
usual, and even though she woke up without the tape on the first two days,
she felt more re sted. On her third day , she went to bed wearing  the tape at
10 P .M. and slept like a baby until 9:53 A.M . An nette excitedly told me that it
was the first time in years that sh e’d had a proper night’ s sleep, and she was
amazed to feel so alert and ener gized when she woke up. Over the years, I have introduced this taping method to thousands of
people with incredible results. U nless you breathe calmly through your nose
at night,  you have no idea what it feels like to have a great n ight’ s sleep. T aping the mouth at night is a  simple but very ef fective tec hnique, and
while it may sound a little strange, it is well worth getting used to. Continue to wear the tape un til you have managed to change to
breathing throug h your nose at night. How long this takes will vary from
person t o person, but in genera l wearing the tape for a period of around
three months is suf ficient to rest ore nasal breathing during sleep. Breathing
through your nose will result in a naturally moist mouth when y ou wake up. If your mouth is dry upon wak ing, you know that your mout h was open
during s leep. W hen a child has  one eye with weaker vision, the treatment
often re commended is to temporarily cover the good eye with  a patch to
train the  brain to strengthen the weaker eye and restore normal vision. In
the same  way , wearing tape acr oss the lips during sleep or when alone in
your house during the day gradually trains the body to adapt to nasal
breathing both day and night. S pending a guaranteed eight hours breathingthrough your nose while you sleep is an opportune way to reeducate your
respiratory center to adjust to a more normal breathing volume.CHAPTER 4
B r e a t h e  L i g h t  t o  B r e a t h e  R i g h t
F or thousands of years, masters of the ancient arts of yoga, tai chi, and
qigong have espoused the importance of quiet, gentle, and light breathing. I
recently had the pleasure of meeting tai chi Master Jennifer Lee in London. Master L ee has reached the rank of Seventh Dan and was awar ded gold in
ten c ategories during the interna tional 2009 W ushu Champions hips held in
Hong Kong and Hainan, China. As the two of us talked, Master Lee
described the similarities between her work and mine. She explained that
during t ai chi tournaments, judges pay particular attention to whether they
can noti ce the breathing of com petitors, with points being deducted when
breathing is evident. W ithout knowin g why , other tha n the fact that it has been passe d down
from ge neration to generation, Master Lee practices a breathing exercise
that is very similar to the reduced breathing exercise we will explore further
on. It is no coincidence that Master Lee’ s breathing was textbook perfect. It
was abd ominal, ef fortless, and almost invisible to the eye. I have watched
many people breathe—thousands, in fact—and without doubt, Master Lee
displayed the most perfect breathing I have ever seen. W ell-known qigong and tai chi M aster Chris Pei explains how breathing
is at the very co re of the Chines e concept of chi  ( qi ): “Generally speaking,
there are  three levels of breathing. The first one is to breathe softly ,  s o that a
person s tanding next to you doe s not hear you breathing. The second level
is to breathe softly so that you  do not hear yourself breathing. And the third
level is to breathe softly so that you do not feel  yourself breathing.”
This philosophy  of ef fortless breathing is echoed by authentic teachers
of Indian  yoga and traditional Chinese medicine. I use the word authentic  inorder to dif ferentiate practitione rs who have a deep knowledge of breathing
and how it af fects physiology fr om those who don’ t. Unlike m any modern
W estern teacher s of yoga, who instruct students to breathe hard  in order to
remove toxins from the body , authentic teachers know that when it comes to
breathing, less is more. The traditional Chinese philosophy  of T aoism
succinctly descr ibes ideal breathing as “so smooth that the fine hairs within
the n ostrils remain motionless.”  T rue health and inner peace occurs when
breathing is quiet, ef fortless, soft, through the nose, abdominal, rhythmic,
and gently paused on the exhale. This is how human being s naturally
breathed until modern life changed everything. The comedian Lavell Crawford —who is, admittedly , quite a lar ge man
—got a laugh fr om his audience while telling the story of a young boy who
stopped him in the street to ask: “Y ou are so big—how many stomachs do
you have?” This inquiry was qu ickly followed by , “Why are you breathing
so h ard, you got asthma or something?” While the kid’ s m anners left
something to be desired—a fact  that Crawford observed in his act—he got
it right when he recognized the problematic nature of noticeable breathing. The commonly used practice of taking big breaths is based on the
misconception th at taking in mo re air will increase the oxygen levels of the
blood. H owever , since arterial blood is already almost fully saturated with
oxygen (between 95 percent and 99 percent) during normal, healthy
breathing, “big” breathing is rendered totally unnecessary . Authentic teachers are not adding anything new . Instead, they are
helping to counteract the ne gative ef fects imposed on breathing by
processed foods , stress, excessive talking, stuf fy air , and the fa lse belief of
the benefits of ta king big breaths. Authentic professional yoga p ractitioners
will hav e developed a high t olerance to carbon dioxide through their
practice—sometimes to the point of being able to sustain one calm breath
per minute for a  whole hour! This impressive breathing ef ficiency implies
quiet, ge ntle bre athing and a high BOL T score. This is exactly the goal of
the O xygen Advantage program : to bring your breathing back to basics and
to incorp orate the wisdom and time-tested principles of ancient m an that are
enshrined by authentic teachers. What Is a Deep Br eath? Unveiling the MythSometimes the same word can conjure up dif ferent meanings for dif ferent
people. T ake the word deep  a s an example : “deep” can be defined as a
measurement that “extends far from the top,” but this explanation is not
always clear -cut. The bottom of the deep end of a swimming pool is
obviously farthe r from the sur face of the water than the bottom of the
shallow end, but when the word deep  i s used in the context of taking a deep
breath, i t can be open to many dif ferent interpretations.
_OceanofPDF.com_The_Oxygen_Advantage_-_Patrick_McKeown.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        As we have already explored, each breath we take is influenced by the
continuing press ure of carbon di oxide (and to a lesser extent by the pressure
of oxyg en) within arterial blood vessels. When there is an increase of
carbon dioxide and a decrease of oxygen, breathing is stimulated. A very simple way to experience the ef fect carbon dioxide has on our
stimulus to breathe is as follow s: Gently exhale through your nose and
pinch your nose with your fingers to hold your breath. As you hold your
breath, c arbon d ioxide accumula tes in the blood, and after a sho rt while thereceptors in the brain and nec k signal the breathing muscles to resume
breathing to get rid of the exces s. Y ou will begin to feel these si gnals in the
form of contractions of the muscles in your neck and stomach, along with
an u r ge to take in air. Let go of your nose and resume breathing through the
nose when you feel the first messages of your body telling you to take a
breath. It’ s important to bear in mind at this point that the purpose of
breathing is to get rid of the excess carbon dioxide, and not to get rid of as
much as  possibl e. Overbreathin g for a period of days and weeks, however,
removes more carbon dioxide than is necessary, increasing the sensitivity of
the brain’ s receptors. The sensitivity of your recepto rs to carbon dioxide and oxyg en will
have im plications for the way your body copes with physical exercise. When your breathing receptors have a strong response to carbon dioxide
and reduced pressure of oxygen in the blood, your breathing will be intense
and heavy. Y our body will have to work much harder to m aintain this
increased breathing volume, b ut because overbreathing cau ses carbon
dioxide levels to drop, less oxy gen will be delivered to working muscles. The result. Overexertion, a disappointing performance, and possible injury. Conversely, hav ing a greater tolerance to carbon dioxide n ot only
reduces breathle ssness but also allows for much more ef fective delivery of
oxygen to your working muscles during exercise. When breathing receptors
are l ess sensitive to carbon diox ide levels, you will experience a reduction
in breathlessness as your body is able to work harder with far less ef fort;
breathing will be lighter during both rest and physical exercise. Ef ficient
breathing means  that fewer free  radicals are produced, reducing the risk of
inflammation, tissue damage, and injury. Free radicals (or oxidants) are formed when the oxygen we breathe is
converted into ener gy. During exercise, breathing markedly  increases,
resulting in an in creased produc tion of free radicals. Free radica ls are a part
of normal bodily function and are only of concern when there is an
imbalance betwe en these oxidants and the antioxidants that neut ralize them. Oxidative stress  occurs when there are too many free radicals in your
system; left unchecked by antioxidants, free radicals attack other cells,
causing inflammation, muscular fatigue, and overtraining. It ha s been said that one of th e main dif ferences between en durance
athletes and nonathletes is the ir response to low pressures of oxygen(hypoxia) and higher levels o f carbon dioxide (hypercapnia). In other
words, endurance athletes are able to tolerate a greater concentration of
carbon dioxide and lower con centration of oxygen in the b lood during
exercise. Intense physical exercise results in increased consumption of
oxygen and increased produc tion of carbon dioxide, so i t is vitally
important that athletes are able to cope well with changes to these gases. In o rder to attai n outstanding performance during sports, it is e ssential
that you r breathing does not rea ct too strongly to increased concentrations
of c arbon dioxide and decreased concentrations of oxygen. Over time,
intense physical training will help to condition the body to better tolerate
these changes, but a more ef fective method can be found in the pages of this
book. T he breathing exercises outlined in the Oxygen Advantage program
can easi ly be incorporated into any form of exercise, no matter what your
fitness level and even if you are laid up with an injury. Y o u can even
improve your fitness using a simple 10-minute exercise while sitting down. Incr easing V O 2  Max
A pe rformance- related term you need to know is maximal oxy gen uptake,
or VO 2  max. T his simp ly refers to the maximum capacity of your body to
transport and utilize oxygen in  1 minute during maximal or  exhaustive
exercise. VO 2  max is one factor that can determine an athlete’ s capacity to
sustain physical exercise and is considered to be the best indicator of
cardiorespiratory endurance and aerobic fitness. In sports that require
exceptional endurance, such as cycling, rowing, swimming, and running,
world-class athl etes typically have a high VO 2  max. Furthermore, the goal
of most endurance programs is to increase VO 2  max. Studies have shown that athlet ic ability to perform during in creased
carbon dioxide and reduced oxygen pressure corresponds to maximal
oxygen uptake. In other words, the ability to tolerate higher concentrations
of c arbon dioxide in the blood means a higher VO 2  max can be achieved,
culminating in better delivery and utilization of oxygen by the working
muscles. W ithout a doubt, regular physical training, correctly applied, helps to
reduce the body’ s response to carbon dioxide, enabling greater exercise
intensity and improving VO 2  m ax. During p hysical exercis e, increased
metabolic activi ty produces higher levels of carbon dioxide than normal. Over time, these raised CO 2  levels condition the breathing receptors, which
results in easier, lighter breathin g during exercise and better oxy genation of
the mus cles. Being able to del iver oxygen more ef ficiently during high-
intensity exercis e leads to a higher VO 2  ma x—somethin g most athletes
strive toward during their regular training. In chapt er 7 you will learn how to simulate high-altitude trainin g. When
the breath is held, oxygen satu ration in the blood decreases, leading to
increased production of red blood cells to of fset the drop. Since red blood
cells carry oxygen, having a gre ater quantity in your blood will also lead to
an i ncrease in aerobic capacit y and VO 2  max. Along with VO 2  max,
another performance measurement that is highly regarded by athletic
coaches is running economy. T his is defined by the amount of ener gy or
oxygen consume d while running at a speed that is less than maximum pace. T ypically, the less ener gy required to run at a given pace, the better—if your
body is able to use oxygen ef ficiently, it is indicative of a high running
economy. There is a strong association b etween running economy and distance
running performance in elite runners, where running economy  is regarded
as a better predictor of performa nce than VO 2  max. For this reason, sports
scientists, coaches, and athlete s are keen to apply techniques that can
improve running economy, such as strength training and high-altitude
training. However, a third and far more widely accessible method of
boosting running economy is to practice breath-hold techniques, which
have be en proven to improve respiratory muscle strength and endurance. Researchers investigating reduced breathing found that runnin g economy
could be  improv ed by a remark able 6 percent following a brie f course of
breath-hold training. At this point yo u might be thin king that if physical training co nditions
the bod y to tolerate higher co ncentrations of carbon dioxide and lower
oxygen, then why go to the bother of practicing this program. Goodquestion, but in our modern w orld, it is literally impossible to isolate
ourselves from the factors that negatively af fect breathing, and even many
highly conditioned athletes brea the too heavily during rest; their inhalations
and exhalations are noticeable and often from the upper chest. They may
perform brilliantly, but they could be performing even better. It wo uld be disin genuous to expect breathing to be ef ficient duri ng sport
if breath ing dur ing times of res t is inef ficient. If your breathin g is wrong
during th e norm al course of your day, how can it be right during the hour or
two spent doing exercise. It just does not work that way. T he Oxygen
Advantage prog ram focuses on retraining us in the way we bre athe during
rest and low-intensity exercis e as well as moderate to high-intensity
activity. This method helps to create good habits and brings lifelong
benefits to your breathing, no matter what your level of fitness or your
preferred sport. In th e next section you can determine your sensitivity to carbon  dioxide
using th e Body Oxygen Level T est (BOL T), which measures the  length of a
comfortable breath hold. First you will learn your current condition, then
you’ll learn how the Oxygen A dvantage can help you improve your sleep,
concentration, and ener gy levels; attain a calmer disposition; reduce
breathlessness during physical exertion; and increase that ever -coveted VO 2
max. The Body Oxygen Level T est (BOL T)
As far back as  1975, researchers noted that the length of time of a
comfortable bre ath hold served as a simple test to determ ine relative
breathing volume during rest and breathlessness during physical exercise. The Body Oxygen Level T est (B OL T) is a very useful and accurate tool for
determining this  relative breathing volume. BOL T is simple, sa fe, involves
no soph isticated equipment, and can be applied at any time. BOL T dif fers
from oth er breath-hold tests because it represents the length of time until
the f irst definite desire to breathe. Holding the breath until you feel the first
natural desire to breathe provides useful information on how so on the first
sensations of breathlessness take place and is a very useful tool for the
evaluation of breathlessness. Other breath-hold tests tend to focus on themaximum time you can hold your breath, but this measurem ent is not
objective as it can be influenced by willpower and determination. Athletes possess bucketloads of willpower and determination, so there
is no doubt that many of us will be tempted to measure our BO L T score by
holding the breath for as long as possible. But if you are se rious about
improving your breathing ef ficiency and VO 2  max using the breath-hold
exercises in this book, I ur ge you to follow the instructions carefully and
measure your BOL T correctly— by holding your breath only u ntil the first
distinct ur ge to breathe is felt. In sh ort, the lower the BOL T score, the greater the breathing volume,
and the greater your breathing volume, the more breathlessness you will
experience during exercise. T o o btain an accurate measurement, it’ s best to rest for 10 minutes
before measurin g your BOL T score. Read the instructions carefully first and
have a timer on hand. Y ou can measure your BOL T now:
1. T ake a normal b reath in through your nose and allow a normal
breath out through your nose. 2. Hold y our nose with your fing ers to prevent air from entering
your lungs. 3. T ime the number of seconds until you feel the first definite
desire to breathe, or the first stre sses of your body ur ging you
to breath e. These sensations may include the need to swallow
or a  constriction of the airways. Y ou may also feel the first
involuntary con tractions of your breathing muscles in your
abdomen or throat as the body gives the message to resume
breathing. ( Note tha t BOL T  is not a measur ement of how longyou can hold your br eath but sim ply the time it takes for your
body to r eact to a lack of air. ) 4. R elease your nose, stop the timer, and breathe in through your
nose. Y o ur inha lation at the end  of the breath hold should be
calm. 5. Resume normal breathing. Please be aware of the following  important points when measuring your
BOL T score:
•  The breath is taken after a gentle exhalation. •   T he b reath is  held until the breathing muscles first begin to
move. Y ou are n ot measuring the maximum time that you can
hold your breath. •   If you do not feel the first involuntary movements of yo ur
breathing muscl es, then release your nose when you feel the
first definite ur ge or first distinct stress to resume breathing. •   The BOL T is not an exercise to correct your breathing. •   R emember th at measuring your BOL T involves holding yo ur
breath only until you feel the f irst involuntary movements of
your breathing muscles. If you need to take a big breath at the
end of the breath hold, then you have held your breath for too
long. How the Body Oxygen Level T est (BOL T) W orks
When you hold your breath, yo u prevent oxygen from entering your lungs
and prevent carbon dioxide from  being expelled into the atmosphere. As the
breath h old continues, carbon dioxide accumulates in the lungs and blood
while oxygen levels slightly dec rease. Since carbon dioxide is the primarystimulus for breathing, the length of your breath-hold time is influenced by
how mu ch carbon dioxide you are able to tolerate, or your ventilatory
response to carbon dioxide. A s trong ventilatory response to carbon dioxide means th at your
threshold will be reached sooner, resulting in a lower breath-hold time. Conversely, a good tolerance a nd reduced ventilatory response to carbon
dioxide results in a higher breath-hold time. When your BOL T score is lower, your breathing receptors are especially
sensitive to carbon dioxide, and your breathing volume will b e greater as
the lungs work to remove any carbon dioxide in excess of p rogrammed
levels. However, when you have a normal tolerance to carbon dioxide and a
higher B OL T sc ore, you will be  able to maintain calm breathing  during rest
and lighter breathing during physical exercise. Y ou may find that the first time you measure your BOL T score,  you are
surprised that your score is low er than expected—but rememb er that even
elite athletes can have a low BOL T score. The good news is that your
BOL T score can easily be increased with a series of simpl e breathing
exercises incorporated into your  existing way of life or exercise regimen. A
common starting BOL T score for an individual who exercises regula rly at a
moderate intensi ty will be approximately 20 seconds. If your BOL T score is
below 20 seconds, depending o n genetic predisposition, you will probably
find you  experie nce a blocked nose, coughing, wheezing, disrupted sleep,
snoring, fatigue, and excessive breathlessness during physic al exercise. Each time that your BOL T score increases by 5 seconds, you will feel
better, with more ener gy and reduced breathlessness during physical
exercise. The aim of the Oxygen Advantage program is to increase your
BOL T score to 40 seconds, and this can be realistically achieved. Improving your BOL T score is an important key to attaining greater
physical endurance. As we have already seen, having an improved tolerance
to carbo n dioxide means you are able to achieve a higher VO 2  max and
improved performance. The Oxygen Advantage program is all about
increasing your BOL T score and maximizing your potential. How Y our BOL T Scor e Relates to Br eathlessness During
SportsThe ideal BOL T score for a he althy individual is 40 seconds. In the book
entitled Exer cise Physio logy: Nutrition,  Ener gy, and Human Performance
by W illiam McArdle and colleagues, the authors observe: “If a person
breath holds after a normal exhalation, it takes approximately 40 seconds
before the ur ge to breathe increases enough to initiate inspiration. ”
What is accepted  in theory is not always evident in practice. The truth is
that the vast majority of individuals, including athletes, have a comfortable
breath-hold time of about 20 seconds, often less. However, to achieve your
full potential, a BOL T score of 40 seconds should be the goal. Breath-hold mea surements have also been used to study the on set and
endurance of breathlessness (dyspnea) and asthma symptoms. The result
that com es up again and again is that the lower the breath-ho ld time, the
greater the likelihood of breathlessness, coughing, and wheezing during
both rest and exercise. Over the  past thirteen years I have worked with thousands of children
and adults with asthma. Althoug h breath-hold time is not gener ally used by
doctors to evaluate asthma severity, it is an excellent measurement to
evaluate respiratory condition and symptoms such as coughing, wheezing,
chest ti ghtness, breathlessness, and exercise-induced asthm a. If you
experience breathlessness or asthma symptoms when you exercise, you may
find tha t your athletic performance is limited and hampered by your
condition. By implementing the Oxygen Advantage program and tracking
your progress with your BOL T score, you will be able to quickly and easily
improve your performance and eliminate symptoms of exerc ise-induced
asthma. The overall goal of the Oxygen Advantage program is  to increase
your BO L T sco re to over 40 seconds, but every time you improve your
BOL T s core by 5 seconds you will find that symptoms such a s coughing,
wheezing, chest tightness, and breathlessness reduce drastically. More on
eliminating exercise-induced asthma can be found in chapter 12. BOL T Scor e and Br eathing V olume
At this point, it can be useful to perform the following experiment:
•  Sit down with a pen and paper. •   Bring your attention to your breathing and follow both the rate
and depth of each breath. •   As you observ e your breathing, draw the rate and depth across
the sheet of paper. •   D o this for a bout half a min ute or so, then check how your
drawing relates to your BOL T score and the illustrations on the
following page. The fol lowing image is an example of the relationship between
breathing volume and a BOL T score of 10 seconds. When a BOL T score is 10 seco nds, breathing is noisy, loud, i rregular,
lar ge, heavy, erratic, and ef fortf ul, with no natural pauses betw een breaths. If y our BOL T score is 10 seconds or less, you will often experience a
hunger for air, e ven when you are just sitting down. Habitual upper -chest
breathing and mouth breathing  is also expected. The number  of breaths
during rest per minute can be anything from 15 to 30 breaths. When a BOL T score is 20 secon ds, breathing is heavy but regul ar. Both
the rate and size of each breath is less than when a BOL T score is 10
seconds. A natural pause of between 1 and 2 seconds occurs at the end of
each exhalation. The number of breaths per minute during rest will vary
from between 15 and 20 moderately sized breaths. When a BOL T score is 30 se conds, breathing is calm, gentle, soft,
ef fortless, and quiet. The rate and size of each breath continue to reduce as a
BOL T score increases. The natural pause between each breath lengthens. The num ber of breaths during rest per minute will be about 10 to 15
minimal breaths. When a BOL T s core is 40 seconds, breathing is ef fortless, calm, gentle,
quiet, soft, and minimal. At a BOL T score of 40 seconds, it is  dif ficult to
see breathing movements. Th e natural pause between each breath is
generally about 4 to 5 seconds. The number of breaths during rest per
minute varies from 6 to 10 minimal breaths. BOL T and Sports Performance
During physica l exercise, breathing volume increases, but so too does
production of carbon dioxide. When your BOL T score is higher than 30
seconds, there is a reasonable match between the production of carbon
dioxide from increased muscle  movement and the elimination of it by
breathing. A BOL T score of between 20 and 30 seconds indicates that there
is room for improvement. However, a problem arises when a BOL T score is
less than  20 seconds, as exces sive breathing will eliminate more carbon
dioxide than the amount that is produced through exercise, lead ing to a net
loss of CO 2, r educed oxygen delivery, and c onstriction of blood vessels and
airways. The result is poor sports performance and a variety of negative
implications for your overall health. A gener al rule for the relationsh ip between BOL T scores and breathing
volume is as fo llows: The lower the BOL T score, the poorer the match
between breathin g volume and metabolic activity, hence the need to control
breathing during rest and physical exercise. The closer the BOL T score is to
40 s econds, the better the matc h between breathing volume and metabolic
requirements. W hen your breathing volume matches the amount of carbondioxide produce d, it will be much easier to exercise at a high er intensity
while still retaining a calm and even breathing pattern. As it can be dif ficult for children and teenagers to correctly apply the
BOL T, progress can be measured by counting how many paces that they are
able to hold their breath while walking. This is explained in m ore detail in
the Oxygen Advantage program for children and teenagers on page 286. At the beginni ng of this cha pter I made the claim that Oxygen
Advantage breathing exercises—even those that are practiced while sitting
down—are guar anteed to increase your BOL T score. People with a BOL T
score of  less than 15 seconds are often put of f from doing physical exercise
due to excessive breathlessness. However, by starting with gentle reduced
breathing exerci ses that can be performed while sitting down or walking
slowly, even those with low BO L T scores can significantly improve their
endurance and breathing ef ficiency in the space of just a few weeks. Once
your BO L T scor e is greater than 20 seconds, you will be able to partake in
physical exercise and continue to improve your score with more advanced
breathing exercises. Any athlete can learn the tools to tap into the body’ s own natural
resources in order to train faster, exercise more intensively, and enjoy better
improvements to his or her hea lth. And if you are a coach, k nowing the
BOL T score of each of your pla yers will help you to provide feedback on
their ability to p erform. As they say, knowledge is power; un derstanding
your bod y’ s athletic capabilities will enable you to push harder and compete
to the best of your abilities. Thr ee Steps to Incr easing Y our BOL T Scor e
The exercises in this book will guide you through each stage of your
journey to improved breathing, fitness, and endurance. Below is a brief
guide to each of the three steps to increasing your BOL T score:
1. Stop Losses of Carbon Dioxide
•  Breathe through your nose, day and night. •   Stop sighing; instead, swallo w or suppress the sigh. One sigh
taken every few minutes is enough to maintain chronic
overbreathing, so it is necessary to counteract the sigh by
swallowing or holding the breath. If you notice your sighs only
after they have taken place, then hold your breath for 10 to 15
seconds to help compensate for the loss of carbon dioxide. •   A void taking big breaths whe n yawning or talking. Individuals
with a low BOL T score are of ten tired, and yawn frequently
throughout the day. T ry not to take in a lar ge breath during a
yawn. Likewise, individuals who talk for a living need to be
aware th at their breathing should not be heard during talking. If
you find that you can hear your breathing during talking, then it
is better to slow down the speed of your talking, use shorter
sentences, and take a gentle breath through your nose between
each sentence. •   Observe your breathing thro ughout the day. Good breathing
during rest should not be seen or heard.
To increase the BOL T score and maximize VO2 max.
What is the primary goal of the Oxygen Advantage program?
40 seconds
What is the ideal BOL T score for a healthy individual?
Their response to low oxygen pressure and high carbon dioxide levels
What is the main difference between endurance athletes and non-athletes?
The purpose of the BOL T score is to increase the tolerance to carbon dioxide, allowing for more efficient oxygen delivery and improved performance. It can be used to track progress and adjust breathing exercises.
What is the purpose of the BOL T score, and how can it be used?
Nasal breathing is essential for proper oxygenation and nitric oxide production, whereas mouth breathing can lead to a range of negative health consequences, including increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
What is the significance of nasal breathing, and how does it differ from mouth breathing?