Live data from Hacker News

5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

colorado.edu

221–230 of 244 posts

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#221
post #116
post #64

If you want to learn more about breathing I recommend checking out the book The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick Mckeown. It's got a bunch of different breathing exercises and ways to measure progress. It basically reteaches you how to breath too, which is fascinating on its own. Worth checking out for sure. https://www.amazon.com/Oxygen-Advantage-Scientifically-Breat...

Would this be helpful for someone who has chronic allergies and can’t breathe out of one nostril about 95% of the time?

I think tying allergies to this research probably takes some effort. I will say, as someone in a similar boat, that I've gotten a lot of benefit from regular ol' allergy shots, as well as from low-grade steoroids like fluticasone when things get intense.

Separately, if you haven't heard about it already, only being able to breathe clearly out of one nostril at a time is normal, and helps your nose do its job well[0]. You may be noticing it more acutely because of your congestion.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cycle

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#222

Swimming also restrict air flow to the lungs: you must inhale quickly and hold your breath during parts of the strokes. Possibly the effect shown here contributes to swimming being such a good exercise and might be useful in comparing the physiology of swimming with that of similar sports (e.g., rowing). Would this regimen improve the blood pressure of swimmers? Swimmers are already breathing under restrictive condit…

While breathing during swimming is definitely “less easy” than normally, I would point out that when swimming you are not experiencing resistive airflow. But some trainer snorkels do include pieces to increase airflow resistance and it might have similar effects to IMST. I’m not sure if these are used by serious athletes though.

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#224

So where can I buy this simple machine? Or do I need a prescription and paying US healthcare level prices?

Seems to be available on the amazons: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=POWERbreathe

I haven't read the paper yet, so not going to impule-buy a $70 device yet, but the cheaper models seem interesting (assuming they operate on the same principle).

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#225
post #207
post #5

The article mentions that the device is used during the inhale. Doesn't clarify if it's also used during the exhale or not. (I just rolled-up my fist and breathed through it. And it provided lots of resistance. So it looks like I might be able to make this work with just my fist.) If anyone knows, please hit reply and let me know.

In the video on the webpage at 0:14 the patient is using the device only for inhaling, not for exhaling. I tried breathing through my fist and it worked really well. Since I am not interested in another device that I have to clean and carry with me on travels I will try the fist method in the next weeks.

Thank you for clarifying about the "exhale" part. Saved me some time.

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#226
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Powerbreathe seems like an unnecessary uni-tasking gadget conforming to western sensibilities. This is an incredibly elitist and exclusive observation. The use of a tool that provides positive health benefits to assist those unfamiliar with zen breathing techniques should be applauded. Meditation is ‘easy’ to those who are open and have time to commit to it, and it’s not for everyone. To some it might even be outsi…

This seems an unnecessary patronizing comment; free speech and all but thanks dad for admonishing others that don’t cater to your sensibilities. You found a holy war in a disposable comment. You might consider your own knee jerk reaction over something so insignificant. “Unnecessary unitasker” is not equivalent to “all unitaskers.” Not sure how you can take the language as is an extrapolate so much drama. Two sentenc…

I won’t get drawn in to free speech / whatever argument.

The tool offers a cheap shortcut to a positive health outcome. The alternatives could be medication, or a guided practice - both of which require financial and time commitments. Why would you dismiss it on some ideological grounds?

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To go one "Why?" deeper. The reason that our bodies do this, as opposed to making all muscles strong all the time, is to avoid wasting energy on muscles you aren't using. It is basically using what muscles were used recently as a heuristic for which muscles need to be strong to ensure survival.

It would be nice, though, if our minds could control that directly, rather than going through exercise. Perhaps evolution is not there yet.

I happen to love the exercise so I’ll happily have it this way! Especially if (like me) you’ve crossed over the starting hurdle and you are building/maintaining real muscle - it’s awesome!

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To go one "Why?" deeper. The reason that our bodies do this, as opposed to making all muscles strong all the time, is to avoid wasting energy on muscles you aren't using. It is basically using what muscles were used recently as a heuristic for which muscles need to be strong to ensure survival.

It would be nice, though, if our minds could control that directly, rather than going through exercise. Perhaps evolution is not there yet.

1 - Evolution is only increased genetic contribution to the next generation. Random mutations that help with that will become more common. It's not a magical process that makes us better.

2 - It turns out that your mind does control it directly. The greatest predictor of improved muscular strength is how strongly you can intentionally contract that muscle. Unfortunately, you learn to do that through exercise :|

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did an acupuncturist stick a needle too deep?

Downvoters.. reflect on all the quackery in Western medicine for a moment. Writing so many paragraphs about all of the "stupidity in eastern wisdom" without recognizing you can make all of the same statements about Western traditions. Even in modern institutions. So unnecessary just to say you like verifiable/repeatable studies.

Just realized, even funnier is that the studies cited on the Wim Hof site are not blinded studies at all, let alone double blind, despite the claims in that tirade.

Re: 5-min breathing workout lowers blood pressure as much as exercise, drugs (2021)

#230
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No, plagiarism is important in every circle, not just academic circles. Please show me how it would be important to Patanjali , or even how it will reduce the good the techniques bring, how it will negatively impacted yoga teachers, or something other than FAANG jobs, politicians and academia that simply aren't relevant to this discussion.

I'm not sure why you keep focusing on Patanjali, who I'll concede is beyond caring about this. But the people from his culture and civilization who ARE alive today do not want to see his works (some who consider it sacred) associated with "beer" or "goats" or commercialized without proper credit and respect, and it is important to them. I'm not sure why that reason is not good enough for you? Are you the kind of pers…

I’m not the kind of person who engages in cheap ad hominem with someone they’re in discussion with, that’s what I do know.

> I'm not sure why you keep focusing on PatanjalI

He’s the one whose techniques are (allegedly) being plagiarised, it’s abundantly clear to anyone who’s not busy trying to avoid the central point and instead engaging in ad hominem.

> But the people from his culture and civilization who ARE alive today do not want to see his works (some who consider it sacred) associated with "beer" or "goats" or commercialized without proper credit and respect, and it is important to them

Why do they care more than Patanjali? Why does being Indian matter when yoga is implicitly non-national? Nationalism, a disease which India currently appears riddled with, is a specious line of reasoning. Does the average Indian get more claim over yogic techniques than those of other nationalities who actually practice them? Ridiculous. They’re an idea anyway, even if they were “invented” today they couldn’t be copyrighted.

This whole line of argument is absurd, and I might be in a better mood to entertain them if you cut out the ad hominem, but I doubt it.

Post reply on HN