Most of us think breathing is just something that happens. You do it 25,000 times a day, so you must be an expert, right?
by the time you finish reading this short article, you will have taken about 40 to 60 breaths without even realizing it. Like a computer program running in the background, your breathing stays on “autopilot” while you focus on your phone or your coffee.
We rarely stop to check the quality of those breaths. But it turns out that how you breathe might be just as important as what you eat or how you lift.
James Nestor’s book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art is full of insights and if you like this article you should get the book. Here are the big ideas that stood out to me:
1. The Belly Breath
Most adults only use a tiny bit of their diaphragm (the muscle under your lungs). When you take shallow breaths, your heart has to work twice as hard. By taking deeper breaths, focusing on expanding into your belly, you let your diaphragm do the heavy lifting, which lowers your blood pressure and gives your heart a break.
2. We Are “Over-Breathing”
Just like you can over-eat, you can over-breathe. Taking too many quick, shallow breaths keeps your body in a “stress” mode. The goal is to breathe less but better.
3. The 5.5 Second Rule
If you want the “perfect breath,” here is the math:
- Inhale for 5.5 seconds.
- Exhale for 5.5 seconds.
That’s about 5.5 breaths per minute. Nestor points out that this isn’t a new discovery; humans have been doing this for thousands of years through prayer and chanting.Whether it’s the Catholic Rosary, the Buddhist mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum,” or Native American and African spiritual chants, they all seem to land roughly on this 5.5-second rhythm.
4. Breath Through Your Nose, Not Your Mouth
Your nose is a filter and a heater; your mouth is just a backup. Breathing through your nose releases a gas called Nitric Oxide that helps your blood carry more oxygen, it also helps you sleep better. Excessive mouth breathing can lead to a lot of poor health outcomes.
5. Why Our Jaws are Shrinking
Modern food is too soft. Because we don’t chew “hard” things anymore, our jaws have become smaller over generations. This makes our airways narrower, leading to crooked teeth and snoring. Chewing—and breathing through your nose—helps keep your airway open.
6. Exhaling is Half the Battle
Many people focus on getting air in, but the real problem is often getting the “stale” air out. If you don’t exhale fully, you leave old air in your lungs, which makes it harder to get fresh oxygen on the next breath.
If you want to live longer, don’t just worry about your step count and calories, start paying attention to your breath. Breathe slow, breathe deep, and keep your mouth shut.
NotEnoughAndy.com 
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