Why Carbon Dioxide Is So GOOD For You, How You Should Really Breathe, The New Science Of CO2 Therapy & More With Anders Olsson

Ben Greenfield

Nov 9, 2024

Episode description

Carbon dioxide therapy has become a highly debated and often misunderstood topic.

Is elevated CO2 beneficial, or could it pose risks? What exactly are the advantages of CO2 therapy, and how might it impact your health?

In this episode, you’ll get to explore the transformative power of breathing with breathwork expert Anders Olsson. From the benefits of food-grade CO2 cylinders to advanced breathing techniques that can boost both mental and physical well-being, Anders shares invaluable insights. As the author of Conscious Breathing: Discover The Power Of Your Breath and creator of tools like the Relaxator and CarboHaler, he guides you through the profound impact breathwork has on emotions and stress management. You’ll uncover the fascinating relationship between CO2 and oxygen delivery, the role of nitric oxide in respiratory health, and how specific breathing patterns can dramatically reduce stress and elevate overall health. Plus, you’ll gain practical advice and discover cutting-edge research to enhance your daily breathwork practice.

Anders Olsson is a breath coach, author, keynote speaker, inventor, and founder of the Conscious Breathing Institute. Anders joins me on the podcast to bring clarity to the benefits, potential concerns, and safe applications of CO₂ therapy. After living most of his life with a high inner stress and a racing mind, Anders was fortunate enough to come across tools that have helped him relax and find his inner calm. The most powerful of these tools has undoubtedly been to change his breathing habits, which made Anders decide to become the world’s most prominent expert in breathing.

That was 15 years ago, and since then, he has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to achieve better health and an improved quality of life. Anders is the author of the best-selling book Conscious Breathing: Discover The Power of Your Breath and the co-inventor of the Relaxator, Sleep Tape, CarboHaler, and BodyStrea

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Utilize nasal breathing to harness antiviral nitric oxide

Nitric oxide produced in the nose is antiviral, and a 2005 study showed it inhibits the replication cycle of the SARS coronavirus, yet this was rarely discussed during the pandemic.

#nitric-oxide

Inhale CO2 with a Carbohaler to reduce stress and boost HRV

The Carbohaler is a device that allows you to inhale a controlled percentage of CO2, with a 5-6% mixture for a few minutes a day shown to decrease stress and increase HRV.

#device

#stress

Inhale CO2 to accelerate sobriety

A study showed that inhaling extra carbon dioxide can make you sober up three times faster by recruiting the lungs to help clean alcohol from the blood.

#alcohol

#testing

Prolong exhale to improve heart attack patient outcomes

A paramedic found that helping 150 heart attack patients prolong their exhale resulted in every single one arriving at the hospital in a better condition than when they entered the ambulance.

#breathing

#heart

Utilize carbon dioxide to regulate oxygen and prevent damage

In the mitochondria, carbon dioxide acts like the control rods in a nuclear power plant, preventing highly reactive oxygen from causing damage and creating excess free radicals.

#mitochondria

#oxidative-stress

Understand CO2's impact on your fear response

The amygdala, your brain's fear center, has its own chemoreceptors that detect CO2 levels, creating a direct physiological link between your breathing patterns and emotional state.

#breathing

#fear

Utilize CO2 exposure to enhance muscle growth

Exposing muscles to carbon dioxide, similar to what happens during blood flow restriction (Katsu) training, can make them grow up to two and a half times bigger.

#metabolism

#muscle

Maintain CO2 levels to prevent adrenaline spikes during breathing exercises

The adrenaline rush from forceful breathing is caused by low CO2 levels, as a study showed adrenaline increased by 360% when CO2 was halved but stayed normal when CO2 levels were maintained during hyperventilation.