Episode 347 - The Insulin Sensitivity Playbook: The Breath and Diabetes with The Breathing Diabetic, Nick Heath
About this episode
Rob interviews Dr. Nick Heath about the impact of breathing techniques on diabetes management.
Rob welcomes Dr. Nick Heath—an atmospheric scientist living with type 1 diabetes for 27+ years and known online as “The Breathing Diabetic”—to explore how breathing can become a practical lever for living well with diabetes. Nick shares his diagnosis at age 11 and how his “second diagnosis” moment came in his mid-20s when nutrition changes improved his control and opened his mindset to other tools within his control. That curiosity eventually led him into breathwork, first through Wim Hof and then more deeply through Patrick McKeown’s The Oxygen Advantage, where the science around nasal breathing, slower breathing, and CO₂ tolerance clicked—followed by a noticeable improvement in his blood sugars after a few months of consistent practice. From there, the conversation gets tactical and evidence-driven: why breathing is uniquely powerful because it’s both autonomic and voluntary, how airflow through the nose can influence brain activity and calm states, and how slow breathing can improve markers tied to autonomic function (like heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity) that are often reduced in people with diabetes. Rob connects this to modern diabetes stress—constant…
People in this episode
Host: Rob
Guest: Dr. Nick Heath
Topics covered
- breathing techniques
- diabetes management
- insulin sensitivity
- nutrition
- mental health
- autonomic function
Keywords
- breathwork
- type 1 diabetes
- blood sugar control
- heart rate variability
- CO₂ tolerance
- nutrition changes
- autonomic nervous system
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Wim Hof, Patrick McKeown
Books & works: The Oxygen Advantage
More episodes of Diabetics Doing Things Podcast
- Episode 352 - Health Insurance 101: What Every Diabetic Needs to Know Before Open Enrollment
- Episode 351 - What Your Doctor Was Never Taught About Diabetes with Dr. Hannah Parr, D.O.
- Episode 350 - Why You Hold Your Breath Every Time You Check Your Blood Sugar with Sam Tullman
- Episode 349 - The Movement Menu & Exercise for Real Diabetes Life with Amanda Mueller (@bolusandbiceps)
- Episode 348 - Claude vs. T1D - I asked Claude 10 Questions about Type 1 Diabetes
- Episode 346 - The Insulin Sensitivity Playbook: Vinegar and Glucose with Dr. Carol Johnston
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