Managing Work Stress Series: The Extra Sip of Air

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⭐ Key Points

• CO2 buildup triggers your stress response - that "extra sip" of air followed by long exhale removes 15-20% more CO2, directly reducing the blood acidity that makes you feel anxious

• Activates your vagus nerve within 30 seconds - this breathing pattern measurably shifts you from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest mode without any external substances

• Your brain monitors CO2 levels, not oxygen - most people focus on breathing in more air when they should focus on breathing out more CO2

📊 Research

Key finding: The "extra sip" breathing technique works by manipulating your body's primary breathing trigger - carbon dioxide levels. Research published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that controlled breathing exercises that emphasize complete exhalation can reduce blood CO2 levels significantly within minutes. Since CO2 forms carbonic acid in blood, this directly affects pH balance and signals your brain's respiratory centers to reduce the stress response (Zaccaro et al., 2018).

The nervous system effects are equally compelling. A study in Frontiers in Psychology demonstrated that participants performing extended breathing exercises (deep inhale, pause, extended exhale) showed measurable increases in heart rate variability - a key marker of parasympathetic activation - within just 2-3 breathing cycles. Brain imaging revealed increased activity in the vagus nerve pathways, which directly counteracts the sympathetic "fight or flight" response (Gerritsen & Band, 2018).

Perhaps most relevant for workplace stress, research from Frontiers in Psychology found that controlled breathing techniques that maximize lung capacity improved gas exchange efficiency compared to shallow chest breathing. The "extra sip" technique specifically helps recruit underused alveoli in the lower lungs, optimizing the CO2 elimination that's crucial for maintaining calm blood chemistry during high-stress situations (Ma et al., 2017).

How this translates: When you take that deep breath followed by the extra "sip," you're essentially manually overriding your stress response system. The extended exhale that follows dumps excess CO2, immediately changing your blood pH and signaling your brain that the threat has passed. It's like hitting a reset button that's hardwired into your nervous system - no pills, no equipment, just physiology.

☕️ Storytime

Have you ever noticed why at the end of yoga sessions the instructor tells you to breathe in air, hold it in, breathe in more before exhaling? It’s to get that CO2 out your system, leaving you feeling even more relaxed at the end of the session.

I can’t remember exactly when I learned of this technique. It was around the time when I was deep in the rabbit hole of learning how to optimize my sleep. If I’m stressed or my mind was racing when I’m trying to fall asleep, I’d inhale those few extra sips of air, reaching 110% sometimes 120% of capacity, next thing I know it’s the next morning. I found it fascinating how such a simple practice would actually help me catch those zzzs sooner.

It doesn’t have to be exclusively used for the end of yoga classes or calming the mind down before bed, really anytime you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed whether that be for job interviews, presentations or even when you get triggered by those slow walkers around the city. You can’t necessarily control everyone and everything around you but you can control how you respond, and expelling that lingering CO2 in your system will help you gain back your inner peace.

References

Gerritsen, R. J., & Band, G. P. (2018). Breath of life: The respiratory vagal stimulation model of contemplative activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 397.

Ma, X., Yue, Z. Q., Gong, Z. Q., Zhang, H., Duan, N. Y., Shi, Y. T., ... & Li, Y. F. (2017). The effect of diaphragmatic breathing on attention, negative affect and stress in healthy adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 874.

Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.

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