Summer is supposed to feel light and carefree. But for many, it brings something very different: sluggish afternoons, heavy limbs, and a constant sense of running low on energy. Even without physical exertion, a simple walk outside or a quiet day at home can leave a person drained.
What’s behind this unexpected crash in energy? While heat, hydration, and disrupted sleep are usually blamed, there’s another contributor that often goes unnoticed: our breathing. Subtle changes in breathing patterns triggered by warm temperatures can have a measurable impact on how the body feels and functions.
The Buteyko Method approaches this problem from a unique angle. It introduces the idea of an “air diet”, a concept that helps explain why hot weather drains energy and how breathing less, not more, may support a steadier, more comfortable experience through the season.
The Heat-Breathing Connection
When the body overheats, it reacts in various ways to cool itself down. Sweating is obvious. But breathing often changes too, even if most people don’t notice it.
Increased heat can lead to faster, deeper, or more frequent breaths. People may begin to sigh more often or unconsciously switch to mouth breathing. These shifts can happen at rest, during light activity, or simply because the air feels thick and hard to tolerate.
While these responses might seem harmless, they come at a cost. According to the Buteyko Method, such patterns lower the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the lungs. And CO2 plays a crucial role in how the body delivers oxygen to its tissues.
When CO2 levels fall, oxygen delivery becomes less efficient. Even if someone is breathing in plenty of oxygen, that oxygen may not reach the cells where it’s needed. The result is a subtle but persistent sense of fatigue, weakness, or brain fog. In hot weather, this dynamic often gets amplified.
What Is the Air Diet?
The term “air diet” doesn’t refer to limiting oxygen, but rather to reducing unnecessary breathing. Most people tend to breathe more than their body actually needs, especially in stressful or uncomfortable situations.
The air diet encourages a shift in the opposite direction. It promotes gentle, reduced breathing that preserves healthy CO2 levels in the lungs. Instead of reacting to heat by increasing ventilation, this approach emphasizes slowing the breath, using the nose rather than the mouth, and keeping breathing silent and steady.
This way of breathing is central to the Buteyko Method, developed by Dr. K.P. Buteyko, Md-PhD. He observed that many chronic symptoms, ranging from fatigue to respiratory issues, were tied to a habit of over-breathing. His work showed that restoring healthy CO2 levels in the lungs could support the body’s ability to self-regulate and maintain energy.
In hot weather, applying the air diet becomes especially relevant. It helps counter the natural tendency to over-breathe when the body feels overheated or agitated.
Understanding Air Hunger
One of the main sensations that arises when practicing the air diet is air hunger. This term refers to a mild feeling of wanting more air, not an intense or stressful need to gasp, but a subtle prompt that the breathing volume has been consciously reduced.
Air hunger can feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first, but when kept mild, it serves a clear purpose. It signals that breathing has been minimized enough to help the lungs retain CO2, which may, in turn, improve oxygen delivery throughout the body.
This technique doesn’t require strenuous effort. In fact, it’s meant to be easy and comfortable. Creating a light feeling of air hunger through quiet nasal breathing may help shift the body back toward balance, even when external temperatures challenge that balance.
Over time, those who work with Buteyko Breathing techniques often become more comfortable with air hunger and more attuned to its role as a helpful internal signal, not something to avoid, but something to listen to.
The Role of Nasal Breathing
Nasal breathing is a foundation of the Buteyko Method. The nose filters, humidifies, and regulates airflow. It also supports the production of nitric oxide, which plays a role in expanding blood vessels and improving oxygen transport.
In contrast, mouth breathing bypasses many of these benefits. It encourages greater air volume and promotes the loss of CO2. In hot weather, this switch can happen easily, especially when people talk more, feel restless, or experience disrupted sleep.
Maintaining nasal breathing, both day and night, helps support CO2 levels. This includes nasal inhalation during speech and soft mouth exhalation while talking. During sleep, the goal is to remain in a nasal breathing pattern throughout the night.
Nasal breathing also naturally slows the breath, which aligns with the principles of the air diet. It reduces the risk of unintentional over-breathing in heat, making it a central strategy for maintaining energy.
Why Summer Can Be the Best Time to Practice
Instead of viewing summer as a problem to get through, it may help to treat it as a built-in feedback system. The body’s response to heat can serve as a mirror, showing how breathing reacts to pressure or discomfort.
These moments become opportunities to shift patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed. When the breath quickens, it’s a chance to slow down. When the mouth opens, it’s a moment to return to nasal breathing.
Over time, these adjustments add up. They reinforce a breathing pattern that is calm, efficient, and resilient, not only in summer, but in every season.
About the Author
This guest post was written by Sasha Yakovleva, co-founder of the Buteyko Breathing Center. The Breathing Center is a school dedicated to teaching the Buteyko Method developed by Dr. K.P. Buteyko, Md-PhD. Their approach is rooted in education and habit transformation, helping people improve their energy, comfort, and breathing health over time.
For those interested in learning how to apply Buteyko Breathing principles effectively and safely, the 2–4 month-long Buteyko Breathing Normalization Training is an effective option. This personalized training is led by highly trained breathing specialists and is based directly on the methodology created by Dr. Buteyko. The course is designed to help participants gradually reduce their breathing volume, increase their CO2 levels, and build long-term habits that support energy, resilience, and comfort in daily life.
The Buteyko Breathing Center can be contacted here.
