How Buteyko Breathing Transformed My Health: A Simple Method to Improve Digestion, Sleep, and Energy

🚩 The problem: Constipation, Clogged nose, Low quality sleep

🧑‍🔧 The solution? Buteyko breathing

I still remember the day I downloaded the Buteyko breathing app—it was a godsend at the time. I had been dealing with constipation for months, and it was causing me so much stress in my daily life. That morning, I did the breathing exercise twice before noon, and by dinner, I had gone to the bathroom six or seven times. It was as if my body finally relaxed and let go. The tension in my abdomen eased significantly, my clogged nose cleared up within hours, and I felt so much lighter—literally. My brain fog started lifting, and my sleep immediately improved.

I stuck with the practice, doing the breathing exercises religiously every morning and night before bed for years, and I never really struggled with constipation again.

Why Does It Work?

Most of us assume that deep breathing equals more oxygen, but the opposite can be true. Over-breathing expels too much carbon dioxide, which reduces oxygen efficiency in the body (a phenomenon called the Bohr Effect). Buteyko breathing works by normalizing breathing patterns and increasing CO2 tolerance, which improves oxygenation and overall health.

If you’re curious to try it, I recommend downloading the Advanced Buteyko app and following the easy audio instructions. But first, let’s do a status check:

Test Your Bolt Score

A simple way to assess your breathing efficiency is with the Bolt Score Test:

1. Sit upright, relax, and take a normal breath in and out through your nose.

2. After exhaling, pinch your nose and hold your breath.

3. Count the seconds until you feel the first strong urge to breathe.

4. Release and resume gentle nasal breathing.

How did you do? This isn’t a competition—release when you feel that first urge to breathe.

• If you scored under 15 seconds, that’s a sign of dysfunctional breathing patterns (I was there too!).

• Anything under 20 seconds suggests some breathing inefficiencies.

• 40+ seconds is optimal.

• 60 seconds should be the ultimate goal for most people, though it takes effort to achieve. I reached it in about three months, so you can too! I recommend you do the exercises in the app every morning and night while practicing minimal nasal breathing throughout the day

Give it a try, and good luck! I hope you experience as much success as I did.