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Essentials: Breathing for Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Dr. Jack Feldman

Nov 13, 2025 49m 45s 9 insights
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Jack Feldman, PhD, a Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a leading expert in the science of breathing. We explain the mechanics of breathing and the neural circuits that generate and regulate our breathing rhythm. We also discuss how breathing patterns profoundly influence mental states, including their role in reducing anxiety and enhancing emotional resilience. Dr. Feldman also shares practical tools, such as box breathing for daily performance and magnesium L-threonate supplementation to support cognitive health and longevity. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.
Actionable Insights

1. Practice Deliberate Slow Breathing

Engage in deliberate slow breathing practices for 30 minutes a day for four weeks to potentially reduce fear responses, disrupt negative neural circuits, and improve emotional and cognitive function, as shown in mechanistic studies.

2. Supplement with Magnesium Threonate

Consider supplementing with magnesium threonate to potentially enhance cognitive function, improve learning and memory (LTP), slow cognitive decline, and improve sleep, as it effectively crosses the gut-blood and blood-brain barriers.

3. Optimize Sleep Temperature

Use an Eight Sleep smart mattress cover to automatically regulate your bed’s temperature throughout the night, optimizing body temperature drops for falling asleep and increases for waking, thereby improving sleep quality.

4. Implement Box Breathing

Practice box breathing (5-second inhale, 5-second hold, 5-second exhale, 5-second hold) for 5-20 minutes, especially after lunch, to improve focus and combat post-lunch cognitive decline.

5. Slow Breathing for Anxiety

If prone to anxiety or hyperventilation, practice slow breathing to restore carbon dioxide levels back to normal, which can provide relief from anxiety.

6. Optimize Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing

Breathe through your nose at rest for normal air flow, and through your mouth during exercise when ventilation needs to increase significantly to move more air.

7. Allow Physiological Sighs

Recognize that your body naturally performs physiological sighs (a deep inhale) about every five minutes to pop open collapsed alveoli and maintain lung health; allow or perform these deep breaths when needed.

8. Drink Matina Yerba Mate

Drink Matina yerba mate as a caffeine source for smooth energy without jitters, and for potential benefits like blood sugar regulation, improved digestion, and mild appetite suppression.

9. Take AGZ for Sleep

Take AGZ 30-60 minutes before sleep to improve sleep quality and depth, and wake up feeling refreshed, as it contains clinically supported sleep-supporting compounds.