CONTEXT

Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford.

In a recent podcast, he shared the most immediate way to lower stress levels.

It’s called the “physiological sigh.”

(You’ll notice dogs do this naturally when they’re falling asleep.)

The best part?

It only takes 10 seconds…

METHOD

Step 1:

Inhale fully through your nose.

Pause.

Inhale one more sip of air.

Step 2:

Exhale slowly through the mouth until your lungs feel empty.

Repeat 1-2 times.

(You can watch Huberman demonstrate the breathing pattern here.)

WHY IT WORKS

1) A double inhale re-inflates all the sacks of oxygen in your lungs. A long exhale discards a large amount of carbon dioxide (which is responsible for signaling the stress response).

2) When your exhales are longer than your inhales, your heart rate slows. And it activates neural circuits for calming.

So, the next time you want to calm your heart rate (before starting an interview, meeting a date, or just feeling overwhelmed…)

Inhale twice. Long exhale.

This combo is like a “natural tranquilizer” for your stress response.

Until next week,

Jade

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