30 pounds of Air Every Day

According to James Nestor, the author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, “We get most of our energy from our breath, not from food or drink. Our bodies process about 30 pounds of air every day, compared to only a few pounds of food and water. There’s a reason why you can survive weeks without food, days without water, and only minutes without air.”

It isn’t easy to breathe properly. Proper breathing is slow – fewer inhales and exhales per minute, with the mouth closed. Breathing through the nose allows the nose to filter out mold, bacteria, and dust. It also helps the body produce, in the sinuses, nasal nitric oxide, which is antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and anti-pathogenic.

In 2007, I started doing ten minutes of breathing exercises every morning. Some mornings, I would go to my computer to check email right after doing the breathing exercises. I noticed that as soon as I sat down in front of the screen, my breathing was compromised. I was either holding my breath or breathing shallowly. The wonderful sense of peace and presence the breathing exercises created, dissolved into stressful thoughts, “There’s too much to do! I can’t get this done! I’m so behind!”

I wondered if this was just me or if it was more widespread. I observed people in offices, cafes, and on their phones. Screens tend to consume us. We stoop forward, round our shoulders, bring our eyes in closer to the screen, chest concave. Try sitting this way when you’re not in front of a screen. It’s impossible to breathe optimally. Also, when we anticipate or strongly focus on something, we inhale. That inhale is usually followed by an exhale. Except, this isn’t the case, when we’re in front of a screen. At least 80% of the people I observed, just like me, appeared to have compromised breathing when in front of a screen.

I followed this up with “dining room table science.” I’d seat someone at my dining room table, wire them up, ask them to do email, do a web search, to text, and I tracked their pulse and breathing. 80% of the people I tested had compromised breathing.

Chronically compromised breathing puts us into a state of “fight or flight.” In a state of fight or flight, our bodies dump stress hormones. Our bodies are accustomed to moments of fight or flight – we hear a noise, we inhale, listen carefully, and exhale when we determine we’re safe. We are preparing to run from a tiger. When we’re interacting with screens, we have chronically compromised breathing. Our body floods with stress hormones and then, because we’re not being chased by a tiger, our bodies bathe in those stress hormones. In a state of chronic fight or flight, we feel increased anxiety, we lose our sense of satiety and can experience compromised digestion, and compromised immune function.

After talking with neuroscientists, psychologists, researchers, and physicians, I gave this a name because I thought naming it would help raise awareness. I called this Email Apnea or Screen Apnea.

I was particularly interested in those who didn’t have screen apnea. My favorite conversation was with a music teacher. He explained that beginning music students often lean into an instrument, almost trying to merge with the instrument. The teacher works with the student on posture and breathing and helps them learn how to stay “embodied,” so they can bring their full selves, body and being, into playing the instrument. My hunch is, that if we teach kids how to play an instrument, it will teach them skills that will support them in healthier use of personal technologies.

Here’s what we can do today, to give our bodies the air they need, in a world where personal technologies are here to stay:

1. Awareness: When you look at a screen, take a minute to notice your posture and to notice your breathing before you start reading or typing.
2. Take breaks: Every hour, take a 5 minute break. Walk around. Notice your breathing. Enjoy a glass of water.
3. Box Breathing: Breathe in and out through your nose. Inhale to the count of 3. Hold to the count of 3. Exhale to the count of 3. Hold to the count of 3. Repeat.
4. Exhale for twice as long as you inhale: Breathe in through the nose to the count of 4. Exhale through the nose or mouth to the count of 8. Repeat.

Screen apnea hijacks the autonomic nervous system because it puts us in chronic fight or flight. Healthy breathing techniques help us reset the autonomic nervous system.

We love and hate our personal technologies. They set us free. They enslave us. As long as we’re spending hours every day in front of screens, we need to stay aware of our breathing.