By Nic Zahasky

 

The equation:

 

Anxiety/Fear = Estimation of danger/Estimation of coping skills (ie. defense cascade)

 

The mechanism:

 

Thalamus > Sensory cortex > Hippocampus > Amygdala > Hypothalamus

 

The chemistry:

 

Adrenaline > corticotropic releasing hormone (HCT) > cortisol

 

The actions:

 

Arousal > freezing > flight > fight > tonic immobility > collapsed immobility > quiescent immobility

 

“The human model is also more complex because humans make subjective representations of body states and endow their experiences with meaning, and because humans use their minds to create internally generated representations of threat—images of feeling states and events from the past or images of the imagined future—which, like real external threats, have the capacity to activate the body’s defense systems in the absence of external threat. Fear states can therefore be induced by combinations of internal and external triggers, some of which will be accessible to conscious processing, and some not.” - Harvard review of Psychiatry

 

 

The above paragraph essentially states that the mechanism of fear dictates our rationale, decisions making process and reactions based on our past traumas (experiences) and as humans we all have a level of corrupted data. If you listen to any news outlet these days you will undoubtedly find some information that will scratch the itch you are looking for.  A preset algorithm geared to the [wo]man in front of the screen or in ears shot of the news “cast” with an agenda of complete neural dominance and eventually an artificial human to machine interface.

 

Imagine if you will that there is a specific area in your prefrontal cortex that directly connects you to the Creator or creation, a place harboring specified genetic code that varies slightly from human to human but also connects us all spiritually.  What if this quantum entanglement was accidentally damaged or by nefarious means, purposely corrupted?

 

There is a portion of the worlds population that is currently operating with chemical and media corrupted data files. This has triggered an impulsive reaction to act in anger when they are confronted with data that can be attacked with fictional bias and real dangers that may be omitted through plausibly deniability. Is this the new normal or is it the perpetual human response to fear? Socially engineered ideology, coding and spells have dictated humans emotional status and behaviors for millennia. The group think conditioning has become more pervasive and easier to implement on those plugged in to the matrix. 

 

What isn't a threat has been twisted or augmented by narrative and tech to become a threat, every human has fallen prey to dogma and strict adherence to their social media beliefs, this leaves little to no room for the Creator persona that dictates empathy and compassion for our fellow humans.

 

As I mentioned before each human is specifically encoded with a variation of the VMAT2 gene, the expression of this gene controls the level of connection to the Creator and perhaps many other higher-order executive functions. We have been created in the image of something bigger and more powerful than ourselves and it is beyond our comprehension. Those that are struggling to gain control over our consciousness (soul) know this and the struggle has been perpetual.

 

You may feel that your personal safety and the safety of our loved ones is consistently under attack from an invisible hand.  You may even feel that your path or journey is no longer under own control, a series of “what ifs” lead you into a tailspin of question and false answers and back into aggression or complete paralysis.

 

There is still hope! On the flip side of aggression and paralysis there is action or fleeing. Fleeing or regrouping should not be looked upon as cowardice but it should be viewed as a variation in tactics. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, Chapter Eight, page 74 highlights the character traits of a good commander. Sensibilities and understanding can make all the difference, Knowing the small minority of dark powers that come against you improves your standing and gives you solid footing. When to push forward and when to fall back, when to take the high ground or when to walk with the river bed, its all a choice.

 

Your past is the catalyst to your reaction or coping mechanism to fear. The inner child that was hurt or traumatized in some manner is reacting within and out of the past but the newly created spiritually robust and experienced commander that is here now comforts that child with the abundance of wisdom. Dr. Zach Busch said it very well, “ A mindset of fear has decided the best way to control human beings is to separate us, and ‘they’ are exactly right. In our separation, we lose the connectivity that creates joy, purpose, and our hyper intelligence.”

 

No ‘person’ (corporation or entity) can separate you from your soul or consciousness, you have an internal and eternal right to deny access and its up to you to exercise this right consistently and without hesitation against any and every internal or external threat.  Every spiritual contract that you unknowingly signed under duress can easily be redacted and become null-and-void with a simple declaration, verbal and or written.    Now that you know the equation for fear and anxiety its time to apply the solution.

 

Happiness = Love + empathy + forgiveness + trust + coping + skills + people + nature

 

All of us are conduits of energy or empaths but some of us are extremely sensitive to the slightest of energetic shifts within our universe. I’d like to say that I generally have my emotions in check and that I act out of logic like Sun Tzu when presented with a problem such as fear, that I can immediately apply the equation above and like that I’m calm and at peace and my directives are clear but often the programming keeps coming and its my goal to see through the codes of fear, to see the tactics of the enemy and adjust my army as necessary.

 

Today may you love deeper, trust the process, move with decisive action and always trust your gut! Check out our video, corona part 1 and 2. Logic can explain away fear, remember that belief is the enemy of knowing.

 

 

 

References:

 

https://journals.lww.com/hrpjournal/Fulltext/2015/07000/Fear_and_the_Defense_Cascade__Clinical.3.aspx

 

http://beforeyoutakethatpill.com/blog/2014/10/27/stress-hormones-and-the-fear-response-in-survival/

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15245638/

I don't know about you all, but I'm not real big into holidays. 

In fact, all holidays, with the exception of the made up ones like valentines day, have been bastardized by corporations to turn then into gluttonous spendfests.  In reality all holidays are based on ancient traditions that were anything but the soul sucking things they are today. We like to stick to the ancient traditions because they had real meaning and probably led to higher spiritual awareness vs mass consumerism. 

With that said, we wanted to share our favorite holiday gifts with you all because we know while you and I may feel a certain way about holidays, it's generally expected that we still give others gifts. And we do make money to keep our blog and social media going by offering critical biohacking tools at affordable prices. 

We can gift to others without taking on the soul sucking breath feeders that wait for unaware consumers to buy buy buy. 

Before we link to any potential holiday goodies, let us talk about winter. 

Winter is a time of death. 

The annual plants are now dead. 

The sun slowly dies all fall and finally, on the winter solstice, dies in the west earlier than ever and rises later than ever. 

As tree leaves flutter to the ground, now crispy and colored, sap from trees is now safely in the roots and out of the limbs and leaves. 

Winter is also the time of rebirth. 

This year, winter solstice happens on a GREAT Conjunction where multiple planets align for the first time in the last 6000 years. 

This alignment is a sign of a great reset, and we can see that language popping up everywhere from the World Economic Forum to corporate emails. Literally this word reset is appearing everywhere out of the blue. 

While every winter contains a reset, this year is something special.

Not only is winter a time of resetting, the sun dies on the solstice and is reborn the next day as it begins staying out longer and longer from that day forward. Winter reset is also a body reset. 

The human body cannot sustain perpetual summer. In summer we eat carbs, sugar, stay up late, get less sleep, and work hard. 

In winter, we reset the body and our systems by getting more sleep, eating little to no carbs and sugar and allowing the body to rebuild. 

But this year, a great reset is in order. We have heard that companies, with work forces that cannot come into work, due to State orders, are working harder to automate tasks and remove the need for human workers at all. 

The military is preparing for a rest in the coming year and while we have no idea what that means, I'm thinking about NATO/ UN troops coming onto our soil. 

In addition, as we move from Pisces to Aquarius the Yuga moves from water to air. This likely means an end to water terms of money like currency, flow and such and a change from paper currency to digital currency. 

This great conjunction and great reset is something you can tune into for spiritual upgrades rather and be fearful of.  You can learn more here and here. 

For now, back to traditions. 

Witches back in ancient times were healers. One tradition they kept was the Yule Log. The eldest male selected the biggest log they could find that could still fit in the hearth. This log was decorated with runes, glyphs, prayers, beads and more before being put into the fire. Being so big it would last a long time and it would be accompanied by the family snuggling up on this cold winter day. 

Nearly ALL of what we call christmas is completely and wholly based on saturnalia. Look it up. 

Ancient people would have celebrated the death of the current year with the birth of the new year. Likely this would have been done with a feast, eating up the stores of carbs like squash and potatoes and getting ready to subsist more off meats and fats. 

This was a time of contemplation, additional sleep, and less work. Some people believe ancient humans went through a phase of near hibernation where they slept most of the time, thus reducing need for food and water. 

Whether you celebrate one of the modern religious holidays or want to practice more ancient traditions, take this time to slow, down, sleep more, and eat less carbs. 

Get out of here and go snuggle with a family member or furry friend and meditate on 2021 and the great reset. Make it a reset for your spiritual growth. 

On to the list. 

Bluebockers

Every Primalhacker MUST have blueblockers. Not only do they mimic the ancient sky of darkness, blocking all blue light from entering the eye, but they help you get more sleep at night. 

Our favorite pair are these

 

Red Light

Ancient people had fire at night. They gathered and met by firelight. Firelight was healing from the red and infrared light. It contained nearly no damaging blue light. 

If you can't sit by a nightly fire, plan on buying a healing red and infrared light. 

Our favorite is Gembared (discount code SLEEP)

Our favorite portable red light is the flexbeam (discount code primalhacker)

If the indigogo campaign is still going, you can get up to $249 off by using THIS link.

Avoid EMF

Ancient people healed faster and without modern medical equipment. Part of the reason why is because they were no bombarded by man made EMF that caused massive stress in the body. 

You can use EMF blocking faraday bags for your phone and airtube earbuds instead of putting your phone to your head. 

In addition, you can get yourself one of these EMF blocking hoodie sweatshirts to protect yourself when you leave your home. 

If you need some EMF blocking underwear try these

Greens in Winter

In winter, we advocate eating more fat and little to no carbs.  Usually this means we eat less greens and mushrooms as they aren't available fresh in our area.

One easy way to get in the greens that tastes great and that we've tried out for months and love is Organifi.

Discount code PRIMAL for 15% off.

These are the hand-selected superfood ingredients you’ll enjoy in each serving of Organifi Pure:

• Lion’s Mane Mushroom
• Baobab Fruit
• Aloe Vera
• Ginger Root
• Monk Fruit
• Digestive Enzymes
• CoffeeBerry
• Lemon
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Coconut Water
• Tapioca Fiber Prebiotic

They also offer a morning green drink, afternoon red drink, and evening before bed drink for sleep.  We've been using all three and have really enjoyed them. 

Barefoot Shoes

Our ancestors didn't go around cramming their feet into unnaturally narrow shoes that deform muscle and tendon causing pain. All shoes, if we wore them at all, were barefoot. 

It's time to bring barefoot back. After years and years of trialing barefoot shoes, we have two companies that have been around for the long haul and make amazing shoes that last a long time without breaking the bank. 

Xeroshoes and Vivobarefoot (Discount code PRIMALVB )

 

Primalhacked Wine

You can get a bottle of the "hangover" free, low sugar, biodynamic wine for a penny using this link. 

 

 

 

By Thaddeus and Tomorrow

EVERYTIME I USE THIS I GET ZONKED...

Those were the last words my husband, (world famous biohacker, Thaddeus Owen) says to me before bed last night.  He said you have to spray it on your belly.  I pulled up my shirt ....⁠ a few seconds later it begins to burn a little and feel sort of itchy, but I am used to him using me as a female biohacking guinea pig.  The tingling went away quickly enough and I slept sound all night long.  Are you able to guess what he sprayed on me? Keep reading.  

Want to know more about Primalhacker’s biohack for a better night’s sleep.  This is one of those articles that will lead you in with a secret and won’t reveal it till the end of the page.  Just heads up.  It’s like reading a book, who reads the last page first?  Well, my mother does, but she cra cra.  

First things first.  Lets talk about ….sleep.  How well are you sleeping at night?

Most people, humans will answer below average.  Why? Because your not sick and tired enough to do something about it.  Tell me im wrong!  Please tell me im wrong. Im not wrong, there are 22 gazillion studies and doctors and people who specialize in sleep.  We will let them be special.  If you answered your sleep is above average but could still be more optimal, we have a few secret biohacks for you.  

Those of you who are doing most things right already, like have your diet dialed in, your workouts, your time outdoors in nature grounding….

These few things I have proven and tested out myself and on my wife and they might be fun and interesting for you to try out just to get your sleep dialed in a little more!

Sleep hacks for those with Above Average Sleep

1.  5HTP + collagen  on your nightstand if you are really struggling to drift off.

This is something that works every single time. If you are truly struggling with sleep, try this trick, but we do not recommend it long term as we’ve heard it can cause neurotransmitter burnout, specifically serotonin. But used infrequently, or just long enough (perhaps a few months) to learn some other techniques, it works great.  

Recipe:

Before bed, make up a small cup of water 

Add to the water: 

1tsp of collagen powder (find it here)

1 capsule of 500mg of 5-HTP (find it here)

Stir. 

Put this on your nightstand and drink if you can’t get to sleep. 

The collagen helps the 5-HTP dissolve more easily and it can take about 30 minutes before it’s fully dissolved and ready to drink. 

1. Wear blueblockers after sunset  that’s easy click HERE to shop our “thaddeus approved glasses” and click here to watch his TED talk about why it’s so effective

1. Watch the sunrise and sunset- and don’t eat after sunset ---its too easy but do it anyway. Just like maugwi turn into gremlins if they are fed after dark, your cells turn into monsters if you feed them after dark. Cells are designed to sleep and detox after dark, so don’t feed them. 

1. Our secret to getting zonked biohack has to do with the belly button. This is where your umbilical cord was attached and it’s also where all food entered your body when you were a baby. Because of this fact, your body more easily absorbs things from this area

-->Rub topical magnesium on your belly right before sleep….here’s why this works to get you zonked! 

Magnesium is well known to help bring on sleep at night. Topical magnesium has very little studies showing whether it is well absorbed. Because of the lack of data, many people ignore this method of using magnesium. After many discussions with PhD scientists, they believe the theory of topical Mg absorption is accurate, but not studied. Therefore Thaddeus tried this for a year and found it VERY effective for inducing sleep. Find it online here. 

Is your sleep below average?

If you're not quite there and need to up your game with your diet, workouts, grounding that's a great place to start.  

Here are a few things to start with for sleep

1.  Don’t bring tv or devices into the bedroom  LINK see our blog post about light hacking here
2. Turn off your WIFI at night  LINK see our blog post here and learn why
3. Don’t eat after sunset or before sunrise
4. Wear blueblocking glasses after sunset and before sunrise  
5. Meditate in the morning to set up your day
6. Make sure you see the sunrise everyday without wearing contacts or glasses for at least 5 mins to 45 mins 30 mins within sunrise
7. Turn off all devices at least 2 hours before bed
8. Tell your partner or kids what you appreciate about them everyday 
9. Follow primalhacker for more cool biohacks
10. Spray topical magnesium on your belly button area right before you go to sleep

The photos are from our dear friend Kristin Canty's farm in Bath, NH.  We held a primalhacker retreat  in 2018.  Kristin is the beauty and brains behind "Farmageddon" the movie.  You can find it here

SLEEP SWEET 

PEACE AND LOVE YOU ALL 

Thaddeus and Tomorrow

Humans, for all natural history that we know of, have never been exposed to blue light after dark.

Because of this, our bodies are tuned to the color blue, only present in the daytime sky.

This attunement to blue tells our body that it’s daytime.

Daytime means we humans will produce cortisol to be awake and alert and stop producing melatonin, a hormone of darkness and sleep.

When we see blue after dark, our bodies destroy melatonin, lose many of the benefits of sleep, and set us up for long term health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer according to the National Institute of Health.

In order to minimize exposure to blue light at night, the very best thing you can do is to wear blue light blocking glasses.

If Blue Light is Necessary, Why Block it?

Blue light is present in the sun always.

Our bodies have receptors that decode blue light.

These receptors are called melanopsin.

Melanopsin reads the blue light in the environment and uses this information to produce hormones that keep us healthy.

The amount of blue in the environment also tells the body what time of day it is. There is a varying amount of blue from sunrise to noon to sunset. The body reads these levels to know what time of day it is.

Knowing what time of day it is, helps our body set circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is so important to human health that the nobel prize in medicine was given in 2017 for the study of circadian rhythm.

Every cell in our body contains a clock and these clocks are required to be set to the right time for optimal health.

Our clocks are set by the color and brightness of light.

When we live indoors and turn on lights after dark, we confuse our body and the melanopsin receptors into thinking it’s daytime. We mess up our circadian rhythm and cause chaos in the body.

Blue light at the wrong time of day is devastating.

Blue light after sunset tells the body it's daytime, releases stress hormone and keeps you awake, destroying the healing hormone melatonin and ruining your sleep. 

In addition, strong blue light during the day from devices and overheads lights that are devoid of UV and infrared light can damage the eyes by causing too many free radicals in the eye without the mitigating effect of infrared light.

Blue light after dark has been shown to reduce melatonin and shift circadian rhythm.

Why Wear Blue Light Blocking Glasses at Night

When the sun sets, melatonin is released from the gut and pineal in the brain into the blood. Melatonin stays high for about 12 hours and helps us clean up cancer and even boosts our immune system!

But artificial light, which has a high amount of blue light at a time when nature provides no blue light, messes with melatonin levels.

Blue and green light have both been associated with decreasing melatonin, blue more than green. Red light does not decrease melatonin.

When blue light is removed at night, people sleep longer and get better sleep and melatonin is preserved.

Blue light blocking glasses have been shown to filter out blue light and preserve melatonin.

Blue Light Blocking for Better Sleep

Wearing blue light blocking glasses after sunset have been shown to improve sleep and reduce insomnia. Personally, I find these glasses so effective that I gave a TEDx talk about the effect HERE and also developed my own blue light blocking glasses because good looking effective blue light glasses on the market were too expensive and I wanted everyone to have them.

Blue Light Blocking to Control Cortisol Release

Cortisol is released with blue light, because blue is always present only when the sun is up. When the sun rises, we want to be alert and awake. This is because we are diurnal animals (we sleep at night and awaken during the day) as opposed to rats that are nocturnal animals. 

Our biology is coded to the light. 

Cortisol is a stress hormone, but also keeps us alert and awake, which is fine during the day but not before bed.

 

Blue Light Blocking Glasses for Reducing the Risk of Disease

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has published multiple papers showing that exposure to artificial light at Night (ALAN) is associated with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. In addition the World Health Organization has declared ALAN or artificial light at night as a Class 2B carcinogen, in the same category as microwave radiation, lead, and asbestos.

It's important to note that light at the wrong time of the day is likely carcinogenic and also leads to health issues. This is true for everyone, even if you do not "feel" like it affects you. 

Protect your Eyes

If you work on a device all day or work under fluorescent or LED lights, you must protect your eyes. Daytime blue light blocking glasses filter some, but not all blue light to help protect the eyes.

Blue light during the day is necessary, but the intense blue light from devices is too much for your eyes and can create free radicals leading to macular degeneration. 

Shift Work

Shift work is anti-life. I’m sorry about this, but humans are diurnal animals while rats are nocturnal animals. Humans are not nocturnal and this means no matter what kind of night owl you “think” you are, you are designed biologically to be asleep when it’s dark.

Yes, you can “try” to hack nightshift work, and HERE is our article on how we would hack nightshift if we had to work nightshift. Ultimately, you will want to find a new job that allows you to work during the day.

How to Choose Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Everyone and even all kids really need to be wearing blue light blocking glasses after dark.

We all are exposed to phones, devices, TVs and lights after dark, especially if we’re not at home where we can control the light.

The cheapest glasses you can buy are THESE and while they aren’t something you’d wear out of the house, you can definitely get the cheaply and try the out at home to see how they work for you.

We recommend you try them out for one month and see what happens. I haven’t yet met someone who didn’t notice a benefit.

For daytime blue light blocking glasses that look amazing, we made these glasses 

Nighttime glasses that you can wear out of the house and look cool can be found here 

Finally, if you want to block blue and green light at night, as both can mess with melatonin, then THESE glasses will do just that.

Other Ways to Avoid Blue Light at Night

• Use Red Lights in your home like these LEDs or Gembared (Discount code SLEEP) which can also be used for red light therapy.
• Add Twilight or Iris aps to your phone and use iris or F.lux on your laptops.
• Use Candles at night.
• Turn off the power in your bedroom at the circuit box. Many people do this to avoid EMFs as well..
• Get sunlight during the day. This has been shown to allow you to get better sleep at night.

 

As soon as the sun sets, put on your blue light blocking glasses.

When the sun rises the next day, take them off.

This will ensure you preserve your melatonin and build optimal health.

There are so many different light therapy devices on the market that it might get overwhelming. It's hard to make a choice. But, how do you pick the best one for yourself? What is the best red light therapy device - the answer is surprisingly simple.

The best red light therapy device is the one you use every day. So, it's more than just numbers, outputs and features (although, they are important). It's about convenience. So, behold FlexBeam!

 

There are many different red light therapy products on the market. They include cosmetic devices, cheap red light lamps, wall panels, and even masks.

So, why would you pick a portable device like this instead of a red light wall panel or a different RLT device? Generally, it all depends on how you want to use your device and what you need it for.

Whatever you use, make sure that it does what you need it to do (ie, it has good features and specifics) and that it's convenient for you to use. People often stop using inconvenient devices even when they are amazing.

 

Here are couple of reasons why FlexBeam makes an excellent choice in comparison to other types of RLT devices:

 

Flexibility

 

One thing that makes FlexBeam an amazing choice is its portability and flexibility. You just put it on, placing directly onto your skin and you let it do its thing. This means that you can go hiking, driving, cooking or just normally go about your day. You still get your dose of red light therapy along the way.

Usually, when you have a wall panel, you don’t get as much flexibility. You position it at a convenient place in your home and have your therapy. Panels are excellent devices, but not many people have the time to use them. You have to expose the part of your body you want to treat to the panel. Which sometimes means you need more privacy than you can get in your home.

On top of that, the effects of red light therapy weaken as you move away from the source of the light. Let’s say you have a knee problem. Which side of your knee do you place directly next to the panel? What about the other side? Do you do two sessions? This is all much easier when you can wrap your RLT device

 

Excellent Specs

 

If you want to dig deeper into choosing the best red light therapy device for you (as you should) make sure to check the specs of the device. Keep your eye on:

-          Wavelength

-          Energy density

-          Irradiance

Wavelength

Let’s start with the wavelengths. You want a device that emits the light between 600 to 1020 nm. That’s what science says. It also says that the best healing range is between 625 and 635nm for red light and that the LEAST effective range is 700-770nm. As for infrared, aim for 810 to 850nm. 

Energy Density

Energy density is expressed in J/m2. The maximum of energy density you should go for is 60 J/m2. Everything above that is too much and your body may stop responding to red light therapy.

Irradiance

Irradiance is the flux of radiant energy emitted per surface area. The most effective irradiance for red and near-infrared light is 20-200 mW/cm2. FlexBeam has a safe and solid 100 mW/cm2.

 

Get Yours

You can get yours at a special Indigogo sale for up to $250 off using THIS LINK and you can also buy it on the website for a 10% discount when the Indigogo is over using THIS LINK and discount code PRIMALHACKER

 

We have been using the Flexbeam for almost 3 months and it's amazing. The portability means that we use it more often than a standing panel. 

The power of the device has been incredible. We can bring it into bed, the car and on a hike. 

I would highly recommend this product. 

If you have been biohacking for any amount of time now, you have surely discovered the importance of sleep.

As a human you have a very unique set of sleep requirements. According to Dr. Michael Breus, these unique characteristics can be categorized by an individuals chronotype and their sleep drive or circadian rhythm is cued by a combination of epigenetic factors such as sun light, blue light, food, exercise, hormones and body temperature.

Improving your sleep efficiency is key to improving your deep sleep and regulating your sleep drive (circadian rhythm). Circadian rythms will change or can be disrupted by the season changes, age, stress, schedule, alcohol, food,  and how much one is plugged into the matrix. So, where does mouth tape come in and why is it important? (sleep foundation. org - Sleep Drive + The power of when quiz.com)
 
In this modern era [wo]mans connection to nature and its subtle yet immensely impacting biological cues it provides has affected the respiration rate and the way we even breath. According to  James Nestor, author of Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art; a respiration rate increase has taken place in the last 50-75 years and the modern [wo]man is breathing more rapidly and less efficiently than that of our predecessors. According to the Cleveland Clinic the “normal” respiration rate of an adult is 12-20 breaths a minute and an abnormal rate is below 12 and above 25 breaths per minute. I’d argue that above 15 is abnormal and hitting 9-10 BPM is extremely healthy. Why has this shift taken place and how can a simple tool like mouth tape change this and improve your sleep.
thepowerofwhenquiz.com
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm/sleep-drive-and-your-body-clock

What is Mouth Tape?

Mouth tape is a simple yet effective tool to improve your respiration rate and improve your sleep without impacting your wallet. I’ve experimented with all of the products that are out there and have ended up with 3M’s Nexcare gentle paper tape, medium hold. A roll cost me $2.99 plus tax and has lasted for over two months now. I have been mouth taping since the begging of June 2020.

What improvements I saw from mouth taping

With all the things affecting our health and emotional status a great nights sleep can improve your emotional and physical resilience. I’ve tracked my sleep every night for two years until very recently when I removed all tracking devices from my life ( why you should do this is for another topic)! According to my BioStraps data on my last ever recording of July 27th,2020 my deep sleep was 5h 38min, improving on my best ever deep sleep of 3h 14m.

 

Most interesting thing to me was the change in my BRPM. From an average of 15.2 at the begging of June to an average of 12.8 at the last day in July. According to the Oxygen Advantage, “breath light to breath right”! Disclaimer, as [wo]man we throw a lot of the kitchen sink at our problems so its hard to quantify if the mouth tape alone improved my deep sleep or was it a combination of buteyko breath work and mouth taping but I can tell you that the continued mouth taping and decrease in buteyko exercise and my sleep is still anecdotally amazing!

Tips for proper mouth taping 

Proper mouth tape positioning is key for first timers to reduce potential claustrophobic feelings and anxiety. Some of the made for mouth tape sleep aids out there have a piece that covers the entire mouth and has a small slit to allow for restricted mouth breathing but this can still be too much for newcomers. 

 

This is why I have chosen the 3M Nexcare tape, a simple two inch piece taped vertically from the upper lip directly under the nose to the base of the bottom lip works wonderfully. This, method and brand of tape works over facial hair and by taping this way you feel less confined because you may breath from the corners of your mouth. Don’t worry if your tape comes off at night as this is a training tool to help improve breathing quality and function.

Breath Light to Breath Right

Remember you must breath light to breath right! Reduce and eliminate chronic mouth breathing and use techniques like mouth taping to improve nasal breathing, sleep, energy, and performance.

 

What to do now?

Take a few moments today to really focus on your breathing. It is a s simple as sitting with your eyes closed to see where your breath begins and where it ends. If you notice through out the day you are yawning frequently its a good sign that you are a mouth breather and everything from your sleep to mental performance will and is suffering to some degree.  Here are my five tips to improve your nasal breathing and respiratory function.

 

1. Tape your mouth shut at bed time!
2. Slow controlled nasal breathing with breath holds to improve your C02 tolerance. For instance inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds and hold for 8 seconds. repeat for 5 minutes
3. DO NOT YAWN ever again. Yawning is a nervous system response to off load excess CO2 but most-likely you are actually hyperventilating and not under breathing. If you feel a yawn coming on, close your mouth and quickly exhale through your nostrils and return to controlled nasal breathing.
4. O-H-M, yes, Ohm! Ohming will naturally increase the nitric oxide profusion in your paranasal sinus which will aid respiratory efficiency and improve epithelial oxygenation. ie. decreased stuffy noses, improved sports performance, and cancer fighting to name a few things. (buteykoclinic.com/docs/Nasal-Nitric-Oxide.pdf)
5. Use a Neti pot before bed to get things cleared up. Winter in the Midwest can be brutally dry, leading to increased mucus production and congestion. A bit of structured water and mineral rich sea salt will loosen mucus and hydrate epithelial tissue helping you sleep tight!

 

As a bonus tip! You better be blocking blue light and you start here by purchasing a pair or two of stylish blue light blocking glasses.(Secret Discount code Tomorrow20)

 

Check out THIS post of ours on how to sleep right.