Holding one's breath seems to be a self-imposed form of sleep apnea to me. On the other hand, I guess one could become one of those pearl divers.
You are doing better than me. I haven't gotten better than 2 minutes 40 secs. This last week the couple times I timed it were 2.20 for the longest and usually closer to 2.10. My sinuses and allergies maybe the issue, they have been crap for a month.
About 2:45 today, so not as good as yesterday. At least in part, it has something to do with the extent of the exhale before the breath hold. The method calls for only letting go on the exhale rather than a full exhale. So to the extent that we vary the amount of that exhale, it will likely affect the duration of the breath hold that follows. All else being equal.
Pich your nose at the end of the exhale and hold it. You may find, as I did, that you are imperceptibly breathing through your nose which will increase your time, however slightly. I have found there are many things which will impact duration. Did I sleep well? Stress level? Mindfulness? Any aches or pains? Reading ET political forum prior to? LOL. I have occasionally seen fluctuations of better than 30 seconds day to day.
I agree there are different variables at play. But pinching my nose? Hmm. I understand what you're talking about regarding micro breaths. But you can just close off your throat (not by hand!), so that any air that might inadvertently enters your nose doesn't make it down into the lungs. No?
When there is enough, I need to breath stress, leaks will occur. I suppose one could train themselves over time to radically reduce the leaks. Just give it a try and see if there is any measured difference. Perhaps not in your case, but I found there was for me. At the end of the day, I don't know how much difference it makes in the long run, but sometimes I get too anal about these things.
I tried it with the nose pinch earlier this morning, and my best time was just over 2:30. However, I'm not sure today was a good and representative day to give it a try. I slept very poorly last night, and then, despite that, did a workout first thing this morning. So I will give it another try over the next few days on a non-workout day. Also, I really don't like holding my nose during the WHM. It's distracting and vaguely undignified. However, you'd think I'd be used to it by now after reading your posts in the political forum.
How dare you, said in my best Greta voice. Yes, the pinch is distracting and I only suggested it to see of there are any leaks. It's not something to do regularly. Your restless sleep will have an impact, as do many other things. I have found this works best for me when I do it within 30 of waking up and on an empty stomach. Next thing you may try from time to time is hold breath on a deep inhale. Your time should increase suggnificantly but that not the true goal. What I have found is that process leads to a deeper meditative state and is more relaxing. Holding on the exhale is more for building physical endurance, the inhale for relaxation of the mind. All just my opinion and personal experience.