The rhythm and other parameters of our breath form an imprint that identifies us uniquely. And which reveals a lot about weight and mental health.
In addition to the digital imprint and the details of the iris there is another thing that distinguishes us unequivocally from any other human being. We could call it “The respiratory imprint”: It is the unique and unrepeatable way in which we breathe, a signature that allows you to identify with precision and tell a lot about our health.
Twenty -four hours of breath
That the respiratory scheme was strictly personal and linked to our well -being had been suspected for some time. So far, however, there was no scientific tools to monitor the rhythm and other characteristics of the breath For a prolonged period: Most diagnostic tests for patients with respiratory problems do not last more than an hour.
A group of scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has developed a wearable device laptop that is fixed behind the neck and that, through two tubes to be placed in the nose, records the flow of incoming and outgoing air in And from Each nostril during daily activities, during the day and during night rest. The research results have been published on Current Biology.
The researchers placed it in the nose of 97 healthy participants, who breathed us inside for 24 hours. They then extracted 24 parameters from data on air flow, included the duration of inspiration and expirationor the differences between how much air entered or came out From one nostril to another. A machine learning system was therefore trained to combine the various data to the individual participants.
Recognize yourself from the breath
When half of the participants followed in the laboratory for another measurement, the specially trained algorithm recognized them from the analysis of their respiratory imprint alone with an accuracy close to 97%. The peculiar characteristics of each breath remained stable for the following two years.
Clues on weight and mental health
The scientists then collected information on the body mass index of the participants, who reports the weight and stature of a person, and subjected the volunteers to questionnaires to evaluate the symptoms of anxiety or depression. They found Associations between build, mental health and respiratory scheme.
For example, people with higher body mass index had peculiar respiratory imprints especially at night. And those who had scored higher scores in anxiety and depression tests showed distinct parameters in the way of inhaling or exhaling. Those who had more evident depressive symptoms inspired faster.
A breath that cares
Better understanding the respiratory patterns associated with anxiety or depression could help develop complementary diagnosis systems also based on respiratory rhythm, or systems to temporarily support mental health Starting from the control of the breath.
