Why Deep Breaths Might Be Making You Feel Worse (Ft Patrick McKeown)

What if mental clarity, emotional regulation, and better sleep weren’t about adding another practice—but undoing a hidden one? In this conversation, Patrick McKeown reveals how chronic over-breathing quietly drives anxiety, rumination, poor sleep, and brain fog. Drawing from decades of research and lived experience, he explains why breathing less (not more) can improve oxygen delivery, blood flow to the brain, and nervous system balance. This episode challenges modern breathwork myths and offers practical, science-backed ways to retrain your breathing for everyday life. Show Partners: Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here ! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip Saunas Personal Socrates : Better Question, Better Life Connect with Marc: Timestamps: 00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?” 01:20 — Living out of the head vs. living life 03:10 — How stress, sleep, and breathing patterns intersect 05:00 — Discovering breath as a path to presence 07:40 — Why The Power of Now actually worked 10:15 — Walking away from the corporate world 12:30 — The origins of the Buteyko Method 14:40 — Why breathing more air can reduce oxygen delivery 17:10 — Nasal breathing and brain function 19:50 — Rumination, CO₂, and cerebral blood flow 22:30 — Why slow breathing isn’t always good breathing 25:10 — Everyday breathing vs. breathwork sessions 28:00 — Practical exercise: calming the nervous system 32:10 — Clearing a blocked nose naturally 36:40 — Breathing for performance and public speaking 41:30 — How to retrain your breath throughout the day 46:00 — Measuring progress: the BOLT score & breath mastery 50:10 — Final reflections on calm, clarity, and control * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud See Privacy Policy at and California Privacy Notice at . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Why Deep Breaths Might Be Making You Feel Worse (Ft Patrick McKeown) is an episode from Behind The Human with Marc Champagne by Marc Champagne.

This episode is 01:03:46 long.

This episode was published on Feb 8, 2026.

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