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Breathing is a fundamental part of our daily lives, yet many of us take it for granted. The BOLT Score (Body Oxygen Level Test) is a simple and effective way to measure your carbon dioxide (CO₂) tolerance which is a direct indicator of how well you breathe: functionally or dysfunctionally.
In this blog, we'll look at, what the BOLT score is, the benefits of improving your BOLT Score, how to improve your BOLT Score, its impact on various aspects of health and performance, how menstrual cycles affect the BOLT Score for women, how to take your BOLT score at home and what your score tells you.
The BOLT Score, conceived by breathing expert Patrick McKeown, gauges the duration you can comfortably hold your breath following a regular exhale. Patrick, the renowned author of "The Oxygen Advantage" and the person responsible for my exploration into breathwork years ago, introduced this metric.
The BOLT Score indicates your breathing efficiency and overall mental, physical and emotional well-being. For individuals looking to enhance their health, happiness, and athletic performance, the BOLT Score is an essential score that can be life-changing and performance-enhancing in equal measure when improved and maintained.
Important- If you have any health issues including high blood pressure, heart issues, epilepsy, suffer from high anxiety or are pregnant many exercises that I teach aren’t recommended. Please feel free to contact me and I’ll help you with suitable exercises.
One of the primary benefits of the BOLT Score is that it provides a clear metric to track your progress. Increasing your BOLT Score with daily breathing practices can improve oxygen delivery to your muscles and organs, reduce breathlessness, better stress and anxiety management by nervous system regulation, enhance athletic performance and aid sleep and recovery.
Carbon dioxide isn't just a waste gas; it's as vital as oxygen, if not more so. We must view CO₂ as a friend, not a foe.
CO₂ relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessels, allowing them to dilate and enabling greater blood circulation.
According to the Bohr effect, CO₂ lowers blood pH, facilitating the release of oxygen from haemoglobin. This ensures more oxygen reaches the tissues and cells that need it most.
CO₂ also plays a crucial role in breathing regulation by lowering blood pH, which triggers the brain stem to initiate an inhale. This process occurs continuously, 24/7, including during sleep.
Additionally, CO₂ relaxes the smooth muscle in the airways, optimising airflow into the lungs.
If we have a sensitivity to CO₂ and consequently a low BOLT score, we aren't allowing CO₂ to perform its crucial functions as previously mentioned.
Think of O₂ as a speedboat ferrying holidaymakers between Greek islands; without CO₂, the passengers can't disembark.
CO₂ tolerance is essential. Take a look at my logo – it underscores the importance of CO₂ in breathing training. Ignoring CO₂ is a significant oversight. Achieving a BOLT score of 40+ is vital for maintaining health, energy, and peak performance.
Improving your BOLT Score through breath training involves regular practice of specific breathing exercises. Here are a few techniques:
Athletes can greatly benefit from a higher BOLT Score. Improved breathing leads to improved endurance, reduced breathlessness, and quicker recovery times. The BOLT Score and its impact on athletic performance make it a valuable tool for anyone looking to enhance their physical capabilities.
Many athletes have a BOLT score between 10 seconds and 20 seconds. This is classed as dysfunctional breathing. If you’re an athlete reading this and you aren’t training your breathing and carbon dioxide tolerance then in my opinion you aren’t performing to your maximum capabilities.
Reach out for a free 30-minute consultation to see how I can help you smash your PBs.
For women, it’s important to note how menstrual cycles affect BOLT Score. Hormonal fluctuations throughout the cycle can influence breathing patterns and BOLT Scores. During the luteal phase, increased progesterone levels can elevate breathing rate and reduce carbon dioxide levels, impacting overall respiratory function.
I recommend taking the BOLT score and respiratory rate every day of the menstruation cycle for a few months to get a picture of how the cycle affects breathing, CO₂ tolerance, health and performance. Once you have a pattern your breathing follows your cycle you can better understand how to use your breath to increase your health, the way you feel and the way you perform.
Feel free to book a free consultation on my homepage to see how I can help you better manage your physical, mental and emotional health during your menstruation cycle and menopause.
Breathing exercises are a powerful tool for managing anxiety. A low tolerance to CO₂ represents dysfunctional breathing (see table below). If an individual has a low tolerance to CO₂ this would suggest they breathe into their chest whilst breathing short and shallow breaths and this encourages the sympathetic tone of our nervous system. The fight, flight and freeze tone.
If we can train our breathing with the help of a breathing coach then we can increase our BOLT score. Hence, we are more tolerant to CO₂ and therefore breathe slower whilst activating the diaphragm fully and the parasympathetic tone of our nervous system. The rest and digest tone. The more tolerant we are to CO₂ and the higher our BOLT score the less anxious we are Breathing exercises for anxiety relief involve light, slow and deep breaths that activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to reduce stress and promote relaxation. A gentle amount of air hunger during each exercise is important to boost your BOLT score and reduce anxiety.
Using the BOLT Score to measure breath-holding capacity is a practical way to assess your physical, mental and emotional health. A BOLT Score below 25 seconds indicates significant room for improvement. If your BOLT score is below 10 seconds, you have a lot of work to do and training your breathing can be life-changing. Check out the bottom of the page to see what your BOLT score indicates and what you should be doing to improve it.
Your aim is to take your BOLT Score to 40 plus seconds.
By incorporating breath training and breath-holding techniques into your daily routine, you can gradually increase your BOLT Score and reap the benefits of improved physical, mental and emotional health.
If your BOLT Score is below 10 seconds, don't be discouraged. With dedication and practice, you can raise your BOLT Score to improve your health and performance. Consistent breath training, along with lifestyle modifications such as stress management and physical activity, can lead to significant improvements over time.
Try taking your BOLT score by following the following instructions.
Score between 0-10 seconds- This isn’t a good score and you have a lot of work to do. You most likely breathe through the mouth day and night. You breathe into the upper chest and neck and shoulder movement is evident. You may experience breathlessness at rest and have a respiratory rate above 12. Stress and anxiety score high and you may suffer from exercise-induced asthma or exercise bronchial constriction during exercise. Slow and static breathing exercises are a good starting point for you.
It should be noted that consulting a breathing expert is always recommended before starting new breathing exercises. Breathing is different for everyone. No 2 breaths are the same so programming differs from one person or athlete to another and misunderstanding which breathing methods to follow can mean the difference between progressing quickly, slowly, or not at all. Health, age, fitness and autonomic nervous system balance for example all play a role in deciding which exercises are suitable.
10-20 seconds - Your score represents 60% of athletes so you aren't alone. There’s a lot of work to get your breathing in shape. Your health and foundation feedback is key to understanding your performance. Daily prescribed slow and static breathing exercises are beneficial and possibly more intense dynamic breath-holding exercises depending on your age, health and fitness.
20-30 seconds - Your breathing is becoming functional and it’s unlikely you sleep with your mouth open or suffer from an early onset of breathlessness. You are able to train during training sessions in zones 1-2 whilst breathing nasally but not zone 3. Some strong breath-holding exercises will benefit you in taking your performance to the next level.
30-40 seconds - Your breathing and CO₂ tolerance are good and in the 5% of athletes I train who make this score. You have good breathing mechanics and breathe easily through your nose at rest and during some exercise. You can manage stress well, your sleep is good and your recovery is optimal. It’s less likely you have recurring colds, chest infections or viruses that are detrimental to your training and performance. During training sessions, you are able to breathe nasally in zones 1,2 and 3.
Score of 40 seconds plus - Your CO₂ tolerance is optimal. You should feel healthy. You don’t suffer from common colds often, you can do the majority of your training nasally and your sleep and recovery are optimal. You are resilient to stress and anxiety and your mental strength is good. Your focus and concentration during big or stressful moments are on point because you can balance your nervous system at will and therefore you make good decisions under pressure or stress. Your performance is optimal and you aren’t injured often. During training sessions, you can breathe nasally in zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and possibly 5 for a limited time. How much further can you take your breathing capabilities?
Understanding and improving your BOLT Score is a practical approach to enhancing health, happiness, and performance. By incorporating regular breath training exercises, guided by a breathing coach, you can improve your health, manage stress and anxiety, and optimise athletic performance. The BOLT Score provides a clear, measurable path for those looking to enhance their overall well-being and who doesn’t want to do that.
You can conduct the test at home in a matter of seconds. There’s no requirement to visit a doctor or use an app to track you data. All you need is an open mind, a willingness to try and a timer on your wrist, in your pocket or head!
Breathing training is for everyone as it’s easily attainable. Once you have to tools they are yours forever. You can have breathing techniques in your imaginary toolbox for all that life throws at you. Stress to calm: anxiety to blissed out: fatigued to energised. It’s all in the palm of your hand and it all starts with the BOLT score.
Your BOLT Score reflects your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. With consistent practice and the right techniques, you can elevate your BOLT Score and experience significant benefits. Incorporate nasal breathing, slow breathing, and breath-holding exercises into your daily routine to see improvements in your BOLT Score, overall quality of life and performance.
If you have health conditions or are new to breath training, it’s advisable to consult a breathing coach to develop a program tailored to your specific needs. What is stopping you take charge of your breathing towards a healthier, more resilient you?
I’ve coached hundreds of people to improve their BOLT scores for health and performance. Contact me to see how I can help you. It’s life-changing.
Thomas
