Product Review

Summary Points 

• Breathslim is a $49.99 "breath" training system which focuses on increasing oxygen levels, claiming to help with sleep, energy, and weight loss.

• This "new way of breathing" is hard to get used to, but after 5-10 mins of use (20 minutes recommended daily), relaxing, mood-lifting effects are felt - yet seemed to taper after repeated use. Daily use may not be the way to use this if the goal is quality of sleep.

• Using Breathslim in addition to a healthy, balanced workout and nutrition plan may bring weight loss (I'd rather call it - "fat-loss") - but using the Breathslim without a healthy lifestyle may not do much at all.

•  Using Breathslim for morning or pre-workout "energy" will not bring about noticeable effects. Rather, post-workout use for increased oxygen levels may help bring the body back to homeostasis and with proper hydration/food could replenish body systems - along with faster oxygen debt "payback".

What is it?


In a nutshell - Breathslim is a simple device that "trains" you to breath "properly" with your' stomach and abdominal muscles (as a musician would), rather than the usual diaphragm breathing style.


Some of the claims of Breathslim include:

• Twenty minutes a day will allow you to learn proper, deep breathing. Breathslim® is like a workout for your lungs!

•  .....allows you to increase lung ventilation up to almost 100% and, as a result – greatly increase oxygen intake. Most importantly, more oxygen helps burn more fat!

• ...brings significant energy boost 

 Further more - Breathslim's website has information on a 3-month, double-blind study:

• Forty sedentary adult men and women (20-55 years of age) with body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25 were recruited to visit the USC Health Sciences Campus for 3 testing sessions. All 40 subjects performed resistive expiratory muscle training using the Breathslim® device over the duration of the study.

• "...main findings of the study are that resistive expiratory muscle training using the Breathslim device increased fat free mass which translates into increased energy expenditure, raising resting metabolism and result in loss of body fat."

• "...subjects experienced improved energy throughout the day, reduced food cravings, and better sleep..."
 

Breathslim Official Website


What comes in the box?

•  Breathslim device 

• DVD with detailed instructions, benefits and "exercise plan"

• Instruction manual

How & When is it used?

Breathslim has two main parts:

1) A cup that you fill with water to 1 of 3 lines - each line designates a level of "difficulty"

2) A house & mouthpiece connecting from the cup lid, labeled fill levels 25, 35, and 50 mL.

*To use the Breathslim, you must sit in a comfortable, upright position with a straight back.

You fill the cup to one of the lines with lukewarm water, place your' mouth on the mouthpiece and begin taking deep, stomach breaths (more on this below).

The recommended time when to use Breathslim is for 20 minutes a day right before bed.
(Though, I experimented with other times - more on this below)



My Results/Review


After receiving my Breathslim units, I used it with a strict 30-day, 6-7 days per week, 20 minutes per day routine. The time of the day varied as I wanted to see how it effected my sleep, early morning routine, early evenings, and pre/post-workouts.

Pre-Test Weigh-In: 175 lbs


Week 1

During the first week, I used Breathslim only at night about a half-hour before going to sleep, for 20 minutes - at the lowest water level (easiest setting = 25 mL).

It was hard to get used to breathing with the stomach muscles and I had to consciously focus on inhaling and exhaling to ensure that my chest did not move. Inhaling through the nose was the easiest, but exhaling through the mouth - with a constant, continuous "bubbling" - is again something that his hard to get used to.

After a few minutes, this "new" way of breathing became a decently natural process; while doing work on my laptop I had barely even noticed that this wired white hose was hanging out of my mouth!

After 5-10 minutes, I began to feel a deep relaxation..a serious "wow" moment. I turned to my girlfriend and told her that I felt like I had taken a sleeping pill. My mood was pleasant, I was drowsy, and before I knew it I was fast asleep with the Breathslim lying on the bed!

I continued this process for the next 7 days. By day 5, the "sleeping-pill" effects began to taper, of which I attribute to lung adaptations and blood cells becoming used to the increased oxygen..which is a good thing!!!

BUT! Here I remembered - there are 2 more "difficult" fill-levels to Breathslim, of which can prevent the plateau - or at least hold it off a bit longer. I decided to play with this during later weeks, results of which you can read below.

Weight-in (Friday Week 1): 175 (-0)


Weeks 2-3

For all of week 2, I attempted to only use Breathslim for the recommended 20 minutes about 30-40 minutes prior to workout.

I have to be honest - I felt no distinct "energy boost". The first 2 days using it pre-workout, I had the benefit of the doubt and tried to attribute the lack of energy to my body and lungs becoming "used" to the new time of day I was using Breathslim. I even attempted to briefly increase the fill-level "difficulty" prior to a workout, but again had no new energized feelings.

What I did feel was similar to the feelings I had during week 1 - deep relaxation and focus. If I had been preparing for a yoga class, this would have been my best friend - but unfortunately, I was not.

Week 3 Weigh-in: 175 (-0)


Week 3 produced possibly the most surprising results I could have hoped for. I decided to use Breathslim post-workout after eating and properly hydrating myself - in attempt to not "break" the breathing cycle with sips of water or bites of food.

This week, I happened to be re-starting my stint with Shaun-T's Insanity (of which I have done the 60-day program almost 4 times in my life). If anyone knows anything about these workouts  - it is that they are HIGH intensity, HIGH impact, result in HIGH heart-rates/breathing-rates and require you to drink more bottles of water during the workout than most people do all day! (seriously - 5 or 6 bottles before the 45-min workout is over!)

After my first Insanity workout, I was in massive oxygen debt (AKA EPOC - I hate Wikipedia, but this is the best definition I could find).  I was also dying of thirst, drenched in sweat, and beet-red from head to toe. I drank water and ate my post-workout meal and when satisfied - sat down with my Breathslim.

At this time - I was wearing my heart-rate monitor, and had a BPM of about 90 (5-7 minutes after workout). After a mere 10-minutes of Breathslim use, my mind was relaxed, focused, and positive - and my heart rate was almost back to my Resting Heart Rate level of about 60 bpm. The emotions and physical feelings that came about are ones that I can only relate to joyous "butterflies"; physically - I had goosebumps all over my body and a big smile on my face.

After the 20-minutes, I felt a bit "glued" to my couch and unwilling to move, but once my body returned to its "usual" breathing pattern, I was motivated to shower and move on with my day feeling just a bit more optimistic than I usually would.

This same sequence repeated until day 3, of which I became curious and decided to "up" the "difficulty" level of the Breathslim (middle level = 35 mL ).

I was not used to this, and it had felt like I was learning to use the apparatus all-over again. I felt as if my breaths were shallow and unsatisfying and soon a "light-headed" feeling came over me - of which I immediately stopped using the product. My heart-rate was almost 100 bpm at this time, and I may have not given myself a proper cool-down to let my oxygen debt catch-up to homeostasis (the body's normal functioning level).

 Needless to say, I learned my lesson and kept the Breathslim to the lowest fill-level for the remainder of the week. By day 7 of week 3, I still had some of the "butterflies"..but I was "treading lightly" and cautiously to avoid any more "light-headed" experiences.

***Advice - Post-workout use is only for those whom are in decent or acceptable Cardio-respiratory shape!!!

Weigh-in: 174 (-1 lb)


Week 4 - Final Test

There are 3 things to look for in a professional/scientific study :

- Validity (Test measures what it is supposed to)
Obviously, I have been using the Breathslim, 20-mins a day, 7 days a week.

-  Reliability (Test produces same results among different subjects)  
I had no other test subjects but I have tried the test in different settings and times of day.

- Repeatability (Under similar conditions, test produces same results)
 *Final test, repeat Week 1 and try to avoid the plateau of effects.



Now, I have tried to stick to all of these principles in one form in another through my test trial with Breathslim - as I will with MOST future reviews.

*** BUT, keep in mind: I am only one person, with a busy, busy life. Also - I can only review products with the means and environment of my home! No laboratory.

That being said - Week 4 was my Repeatability test. Every test this week was the at the same time (20-30 minutes while in bed, sitting upright, properly hydrated)

 I started the first 2 days with the same "difficulty" as I did in week 1 (25 mL). Surely enough, the 5-10 minute "sleeping pill" effect hit me heavily - more so than usual. So much in fact - I decided to cut my "workout" short on day 2 and go to sleep immediately. I woke up feeling great!

 Before the start of Week 4 -  I was constantly hoping and thinking about the great sleep I had in week 1 - This caused me to play devils-advocate and ask - was optimism and the placebo-effect playing a role in this "sleeping pill" effect?

I doubt it!!! Firstly - I have trouble getting to sleeping as is. Taking that in account - and addition to the fact that my lungs have been adapted to the Breathslim methods for the past 4 weeks dismissed any notion that my mind was "playing tricks" on me.

Day 3- I decided to give the "difficulty" of the Breathslim another chance, since during bedtime I would not be in a circumstance to feel dizzy or "lightheaded" as I was during my post-workout experience.

I filled water up two more levels to the most "difficult" line (50 mL) and sat upright in usual breathing position. Again - it felt as if I had never used the Breathslim before, and paid careful attention to taking deep, stomach-filled breaths. After a few minutes, I was in sync with breaths and no longer had to consciously focus on making sure my form was correct.


To spare you any more details  --- Days 3-7 of my final testing week  consisted of maintaining this more "difficult" fill-line level (50 mL).


The results of this new "difficulty" had its pros and cons. Firstly, -  I could tell that my lungs were efficient at adapting to this new "difficulty", which I attribute to my consistent, daily breathing exercises from the past weeks. But - there was no apparent, "new" feelings other than the increased quality of sleep I have experienced from bedtime use.

The negative side of "moving up" a level was that I sometimes felt a "suffocating" feeling, because the increase in water makes it feel like you are breathing through a straw. Instead of "exercise", this felt more like water torture! That being said - I realized that IF YOU SUFFER FROM ASTHMA - products like Breathslim are helpful and sometimes even doctor recommended!

*In Fact - there is a something called Frolov's Breathing Device that is almost identical to the Breathslim that is prescribed/recommended to Asthma patients and people with high-blood pressure, panic attacks and other stress/lung related ailments. Frolov's Breathing Device + Instructional Video

Final Thoughts

My week 4 weigh-in stayed at 174lbs, which would mean in the four weeks using Breathslim and maintaining my workout/nutrition routine, I had only lost about 1 pound.

Could weight loss have occurred otherwise?

Of course! There are multiple reasons I did not have a large weight/fat loss over the past 4 weeks. Firstly, my semester has been very stressful and I have not had the time to eat as clean as I would have liked. Secondly, I am not trying to lose weight. Yes I workout 5-6 days a week intensely, but I do not monitor calories, fat, etc. Could someone lose weight with breathslim? YES! They would just need more strict guidelines and attention to detail in their' lifestyles.

What benefits would someone look to gain from using Breathslim?

Using the Breathslim everyday will definitely bring about increased sleep quality, lowered perceived stress, stress management and increased lung capacity. Other benefits I experienced was faster O2 debt/workout recovery rates and a genuine feeling of happiness while performing the breathing exercises - and shortly after.

How does the product compare to alternatives in the same market?

One unique point is that there are no competitors to the Breathslim. There are similar medical devices, but nothing that is aimed at fitness and "weight-loss". Also, there is no gimmick here. Just breathing! Therefore, if you are going to buy a product that offers similar benefits - Breathslim is the one to buy.


Try or Deny? 

 Do you suffer from chronic stress? Do you have problems with high-blood pressure? Do you like good, deep sleep? - the Breathslim is worth the $50.00 investment. TRY

Are you looking for a "fast-track" to weight/fat-loss, without exercise or diet? DENY  
This is not the product for you...and I don't think you'll find one!


Thanks for reading! I will answer any questions you have - feel free to comment!






Quotes taken from the official BreathSlim website:

Breathslim® is a new concept to improve total health and wellness through the power of oxygen. Breathslim® is a respiratory trainer that utilizes the highly effective concept of resistance breathing exercises. Twenty minutes a day will allow you to learn proper, deep breathing. Breathslim® is like a workout for your lungs!