Intermittent hypoxia increases blood flow and benefits executive function

But depending on how it's done, may possibly damage your vision: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245199361...

The main effect of a reaction time reduction looks incredibly small and is all the way in Fig 6. I would not over interpret this result without higher N and some discussion of effect size.

I am wondering if this related to hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) activation.

Seem to recall the nootropic Noopept allegedly acts as an activator for HIF-1. Maybe there are others. Could possibly be a therapeutic target, maybe not. This is not my area of study, I'm just reiterating some of what I've read in the past.

You mean, forcing your body into a situation where it needs more oxygen than is available is ... good for you? That sure sounds like cardio-aerobic exercise, doesn't it?

Finally, an upside to sleep apnea

It intuitively makes sense that moderate exposure to a variety of stressors (resistance training, fasting, cold showers, sauna, sleep deprivation, etc.) forces your body to overcompensate, develop adaptations, and become more resilient.

> Healthy young adults (N = 24)

Makes me wonder if professional divers are statistically more intelligent than average, as they will experience hypoxia as part of the job.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_diving

Intermittent fasting, but for oxygen. Breatharians will be elated

I know people that live at altitude control their weight better.

I also know top athletes train in hyperbaric chambers (extra oxygen).

I was given a tip to stay awake a while back: hold your breath for a little while. Apparently this well known for many years but I had never heard of it.

Seems to work, but this was in the context of driving which I do not recommend, having fallen asleep at the wheel once and woken up rally driving down some paddock.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to confidently verify this from the linked material, but aren't they keeping CO2 levels the same during the hypoxic periods? i.e. isn't this significantly different than just holding your breath/being choked/sleep apnea?

Seems like that was what they set out to prove.

Hopefully some of that can be reproduced in further studies.

So those breath holding contests we had at school were making us smarter?

So my mild sleep apnea is a good thing, got it

... note that the article linked from this discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46168057 mentions intermittent hypoxia as a rapid acting treatment for depression right up there with Ketamine and ECT

I guess it worked for Deadpool.

A few days ago I linked some research to well known intervals running practice that include hypoxia: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46169398

Asthma counts?

Sounds not very believable and probably sampling bias and other hacked research parameters.

don't tell the microdosers

Is this the new Adderall?

...I'm not holding my breath.

I'd love to see them develop an at-home protocol for this, but I'm not holding my breath.

brb

Another confirmation for wim hof breathing

Autoerotic asphyxiation bros be like "hell yes, we ARE the master race"