![]() Moreover, during the breath-hold portion, people drop their blood oxygen saturation significantly (sometimes to half of where they started). It appears that the WHM might trigger this effect perfectly. I won’t go into the details here (and honestly, I don’t understand it enough to speak intelligently on it), but separate fields of science called “ psychoneuroendocrinology” and “ neuroimmunology” have shown that short-term stress boosts our immune system and lowers inflammation. That’s a lot of stress.Ĭounterintuitively, it turns out that intense short-term stress is actually good for you. The PNAS study we mentioned earlier found that when the participants did the breathing, their adrenaline rose higher than people bungee jumping for the first time. In fact, they are really, really stressful. How Does the WHM Work? Stress, Stress, and More StressĪs mentioned, the WHM consists of hyperventilating and holding your breath. But we next need to learn how it works, which will shed more light on how it might impact diabetes specifically. Moreover, the participants’ quality of life scores all went up. However, recent research still in pre-prints has shown that the breathing alone is really helpful for inflammation.) It looks like they spent about 45- 60 min a day doing these exercises (still a lot, but much better than hyperventilating for 3 hours).Īfter the 8 weeks, measurements showed that they reduced overall levels of several inflammatory markers. ![]() (Note that this was the full WHM, which includes cold. Participants practiced the WHM for 8 weeks. But most of us diabetics probably don’t want to hyperventilate for 3 hours a day to reduce our inflammation.įortunately, another study decided to investigate the more long-term effects of the WHM on inflammation in people with spondyloarthritis. Those results are pretty intriguing since a huge problem with diabetes is immune and autonomic dysfunction. That’s a total of 3 hours of WHM breathing (!). Then, they were injected and continued doing the breathing (they modified it slightly after 1 h) for another 2.5 h. Thirty minutes before injection, the participants started doing the WHM breathing. Lots of people have been injected with this toxin, so scientists have a pretty good idea of what happens afterward: fever, chills, nausea, headache, and so on. Then, they were brought into a lab and injected with an endotoxin. In the study, participants learned the WHM from Wim himself over a few days. PNAS is a top-notch journal, so this one put Wim on the map scientifically. The WHM is one of just a few breathing methods with scientific studies published directly on it. ![]() Validated by Science: Direct Control of the Autonomic and Immune Systems But for our purposes, we’ll focus on the breathing because that’s what gets a lot of attention (and the most common starting point before getting into the cold). In addition to the breathing, the full WHM consists of cold exposure and meditation. That is considered “one round.” Wim generally suggests 3-4 rounds every day, first thing in the morning (this turns out to be critical). When you hit your limit, inhale fully and hold for another 10-15 seconds. Hold as long as it is comfortable for you. Most people use the following steps:ģ0 big breaths (nose or mouth) at a comfortable pace.Īfter the last breath, hold with your lungs empty (after exhaling). The WHM generally consists of controlled hyperventilation and breath holds. And there might be better approach for people with diabetes. I found some fascinating things about inflammation and quality of life that make it appealing.īut, at the same time, some real dangers might be overlooked by non-diabetics who practice and teach Wim’s method. It seems to help with just about everything.Īs a type-1 diabetic, a researcher, and an intermittent WHM practitioner ( see my full story here), I recently decided to dig into the science and feasibility of the WHM for diabetes. And if you search around, you’ll find some hefty claims, along with some inspiring success stories. The Wim Hof Breathing Method (WHM) is used by millions of people worldwide.
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