Wim Hof breathing method?

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Jennbunn711
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Wim Hof breathing method?

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I recently discovered Wim Hof aka The Iceman and was intrigued by the potential health benefits of his methodology combining cold exposure and breathing methods. His breathing method involves hyperventilating for 2 minutes followed by holding your breath for as long as you are comfortable. This induces mild hypoxia and an adrenaline rush when you finally inhale at the end. So my question to the experts out there, is this a good idea? a quick search of the internet told me that acute and severe hypoxia is very damaging to the brain but that intermittent hypoxia training might actually improve cerebrovascular function.
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Tincup
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Re: Wim Hof breathing method?

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Jennbunn711 wrote:I recently discovered Wim Hof aka The Iceman and was intrigued by the potential health benefits of his methodology combining cold exposure and breathing methods. His breathing method involves hyperventilating for 2 minutes followed by holding your breath for as long as you are comfortable. This induces mild hypoxia and an adrenaline rush when you finally inhale at the end. So my question to the experts out there, is this a good idea? a quick search of the internet told me that acute and severe hypoxia is very damaging to the brain but that intermittent hypoxia training might actually improve cerebrovascular function.
Welcome jennbunn. Glad you found us! Some resources, if you haven't stumbled upon them yet. A primer, written by a GP. How to get the most out of the site, wiki. and the wiki in general. Lastly the search function.


First, I'd recommend not going under water after doing Wim's breathing, though he does. His approach is hypoxic and hypocapnic (low serum CO2). Our breathing centers have both CO2 and O2 sensors to tell us to breathe. Normally the CO2 sensor is what triggers the "out of breath" feeling. If you blow off the CO2 by hyperventilating, you won't have this signal, so you could pass out & drown. The low oxygen sensor is normally not triggered until oxygen is very low. Doing it not underwater is fine. I've read Wim's book and am familiar. l do 20 minute baths in cold water most days (49 deg F in the winter and 65 in the summer - my tap water temp). I don't precede cold baths with breathing. I do a breathing technique that aims to increase serum CO2, so I hold my breath out on a normal outbreath, so what I do is hypoxic and hypercapnic.

I think Wim's approach is very interesting and (in my non medical opinion) is unlikely to cause harm.
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Re: Wim Hof breathing method?

Post by srbogert »

Hello Jennbunn711 Welcome to the site!
I'm glad that Tincup was able to share some insights regarding the Wim Hof Method. The moderators and other contributors to this community have such a breadth of experience that you can almost always find someone who is knowledgeable about the things you are researching. It is great to have this diversity of experience.

I just want to highlight a couple of the site resources that Tincup mentioned above. The Primer is a great place to start when learning about APOE and the things you can do to avoid cognitive decline. It is written by Stavia, a GP physician. The information in the primer is science based and provides very practical and reliable methods. When Stavia writes about something that is controversial, she always identifies it as controversial before offering her take on it. Again, it is a very practical and reliable place to start when learning about APOE.

The other thing to highlight is the How To article. It will help you get the most out of the site and help you with searching, posting, and so forth. Good Luck!
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Jennbunn711
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Re: Wim Hof breathing method?

Post by Jennbunn711 »

Thank's for the warm welcome!
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