Hubermanlab in NYC

If you wake up in the middle of the night and you’re more alert than you want to be because you want to fall back asleep, try some long exhales through your mouth. This slows your heart rate. It’s a hardwired circuit that works the first time and every time.

Long, deliberate exhales slow your heart rate via a specific circuit from a known brainstem nucleus through your vagus nerve. We can thank the amazing Jack Feldman from UCLA for much of our understanding of the brain circuits that control breathing and heart rate.