Your metabolic rate is not solely determined by genetics and muscle mass — it is significantly influenced by your autonomic nervous system state. Chronic stress activates cortisol production, which promotes visceral fat storage, insulin resistance, and thyroid suppression — all of which slow metabolism. Breathing exercises that restore autonomic balance remove these metabolic brakes, allowing your body to burn energy more efficiently.
Stimulating breathwork patterns like power breathing and the Wim Hof method temporarily increase metabolic rate through catecholamine release and brown adipose tissue activation. Brown fat is a metabolically active tissue that converts energy directly into heat, and breathing-induced adrenaline is one of the most potent triggers for its activation. Regular practice builds greater brown fat reserves and a more responsive thermoregulatory system, both of which increase resting metabolic rate.
The optimal metabolic breathing protocol combines stimulating sessions (power breathing for 5-10 minutes in the morning to boost catecholamines and activate brown fat) with calming coherence breathing throughout the day (to keep cortisol low and insulin sensitivity high). This dual approach creates the metabolic conditions where your body prefers fat oxidation over storage — the foundation of metabolic health.