James Nestor

The gist of this popular science book is that although breathing is something we instinctively do 25,000 times per day, we've allegedly lost the art of how to breathe correctly. Nestor presents the evidence on what's changed through evolution, the potential grave consequences and what we can do about it.

Straight away Nestor cuts to the chase about mouth breathing, and apparently we've much more than bad breath and cavities to worry about. According to the research he's done, at best mouth show more breathing leads to increased stuffiness / infections in the nasal cavities, and at worst leads to hypertension and the metabolic and cognitive problems that come with sleep apnea. If you regularly get up in the middle of the night for a wee your mouth breathing could be to blame as it also affects kidney regulation.

It's not only breathing through the correct airway that improves our health but also how we breathe (5.5 seconds in and out is optimal, which is probably a lot less breaths per minute than most of us take) and, believe it or not, how we chew. Science has shown that man's change of diet in evolution to softer foods has decreased the size of our mouth cavities to a size which is sub-optimal for allowing room for our teeth and room for an effective airway system. Whilst not everyone is likely to queue up for the type of orthodontic 'widening' device that Nestor tries out (successfully, in terms of his overall sinus function), he provides detail on how new facial bone can be developed at any age through the regular use of certain hard gum (nasty habit - I struggled to get on board with that idea, although the science behind it sounds plausible).

I loved this book. It was interesting and written in a very engaging style, and I took a lot from it in terms of practices I want to start adopting.

4.5 stars - entertaining, fascinating and potentially life transformative. Recommended. show less

What drives a person to dive alone into the ocean as deep as they can at the risk of drowning, stroke, paralysis, and death?
This book BLEW MY FREAKING MIND. I am terrified of the ocean and will barely get in a swimming pool, so naturally I would read a book about free diving (and all the ways it can go terribly, awfully wrong). I learned so much about a variety of topics (breath holding, dolphins and the people who give them handjobs, free diving competitions and the people who compete in show more them, plus so much more) and was fascinated the entire time. I 100% recommend this book. Even if you don’t think you would be interested in this, I promise you will be astounded by what you read. show less

All about breathing. Lots of unbelievable anecdotes (curing severe scoliosis by breathing!), some believable anecdotes (treating emphysema by breathing with undamaged regions of lung!), and only a wee bit of science. James Nestor is not dissuaded by lack of science -- and frankly I'm not either. But my existing attitudes veer vaguely crunchy, so I'm culturally predisposed to his message and approach. I'm walking away with a couple useful health takeaways and more party stories.

A fun read. show more Not quite up to the level of Why We Sleep and Good Calories, Bad Calories overall, but if you read opinionated pop science for entertainment or to explore your health rather than for knowledge, it rates in their league. show less

This book feels very much like a late night infomercial, that it’s trying to sell you something. And it is, in a way, just not something you really have to pay for.

Many of the claims seem outlandish, bordering on ridiculous. Breathing can cure emphysema, make you hot when it’s cold, make you cool when it’s sweltering, make you not need to eat or drink for long periods.

Additionally, the information seems disjointed; is it oxygen or carbon dioxide that’s most important? This book seems show more to think both depending on where in the story you are. Bone structure of animals seems to change drastically in a matter of months, which feels a little odd.

All that said, breathing is one of the most important things we as living creatures do, so learning about it is important, and if nothing else, this book has made me consider more how I’m breathing, which is almost certainly a good thing. show less