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Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

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Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#41
post #2

"When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a breath and count to four." - Daniel Tiger's mom

My favourite of these is. “If you feel jealous, talk about it, then we’ll figure something out” In which one of the children wants the other one’s cool toy so the parent’s response is to encourage them to ask for it to be shared. Except they aren’t siblings and it’s the mom from the other family teaching their own jealous kid to go ask. How about this?: Back off cat family, you fair weather commies — that’s Daniel’s…

… or as Malcolm in the Middle put it: life is unfair.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#42

Something that yoga has propounded for centuries, been mocked and now science confirms it and the ignores the history and cultural practice.

who mocked breathing techniques though ..

mindfulness and meditation have been seeing broad adoption - with apps like headspace etc also getting good traction

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#43
I've been practicing coherent breathing (6 breaths/min, equal inhalation and exhalation) to help with anxiety. I'm mostly going off a study[1] where participants who practiced coherent breathing 20 mins a day reported significantly improved outcomes weeks later.

Does anyone have advice about HRV specifically within the context of anxiety?

I've been measuring my SDNN using a Polar strap, and it hasn't really budged. However, I'm not taking that too seriously. I think my HRV is already fairly good because I bike. Anecdotally, I think the coherent breathing helps, especially if I _remember to do it in stressful moments_, not just in the morning.

[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10719279/

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#44

Slow breathing is also recommended for novices before public speaking, as it helps speakers overcome irrational physiological fear of facing people, the risk-taking shift is useful as it helps you speak more confidently, not more cautiously. Slow breathing can calm nerves quickly; bottom-up regulation: body tells brain “you’re safe”.

Professional public speakers use a beta blocker like propanolol before going on stage.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#45

Slow breathing is also recommended for novices before public speaking, as it helps speakers overcome irrational physiological fear of facing people, the risk-taking shift is useful as it helps you speak more confidently, not more cautiously. Slow breathing can calm nerves quickly; bottom-up regulation: body tells brain “you’re safe”.

Professional public speakers use a beta blocker like propanolol before going on stage.

Propanolmao, even

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#46
post #2

"When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a breath and count to four." - Daniel Tiger's mom

My favourite of these is. “If you feel jealous, talk about it, then we’ll figure something out” In which one of the children wants the other one’s cool toy so the parent’s response is to encourage them to ask for it to be shared. Except they aren’t siblings and it’s the mom from the other family teaching their own jealous kid to go ask. How about this?: Back off cat family, you fair weather commies — that’s Daniel’s…

I mean Daniel Tiger in general just makes me cringe, it's just so extremely American. Absolutely zero stakes, all problems are resolved perfectly within literal seconds. Nothing is left "unfinished", never dares to leave the conflict unresolved for any meaningful amount of time. It's just such a stark contrast to, say, Peppa Pig, where the message is basically always some form of "shit is going to happen, find ways to deal with it." In DT, it is more of a papering over. Almost gaslighting. DT is not allowed to be upset that his birthday cake gets completely smashed? What? That is a healthy and normal response.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#47

But fear is often good. Breathing slow to counter your fear should only be done when you know it is an irrational fear.

Fear is rarely good, surely? Maybe if you potentially have to literally fight for your life, yes, but that - I hope - is a rare occurrence.

Re: Slow breathing modulates brain function and risk behavior

#50

But fear is often good. Breathing slow to counter your fear should only be done when you know it is an irrational fear.

There is a great episode of Invisibilia podcast series on this subject. They talk about rare case of a person without fear and she learns how to survive without fear. https://www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/377515477/fearless
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