We are all concerned with unfavorable blood pressure or cholesterol reading but people look at you blankly when asked “what is your BOLT score” . This breathing test measures how well your body uses oxygen and how well you tolerate carbon dioxide. It reflects how well you recover from stress, your fitness level, how well/quickly you recover from exercise, and your potential longevity. A low score is just as much a reason for concern as high blood pressure and should be addressed with some urgency. In this article we will see what a BOLT score is, how to measure it, and why it matters for aging well.
What is the BOLT Score?
BOLT Score stands for the Body Oxygen Level Test. It is a simple approach to measure how efficient your body handles breathing. It doesn’t require special equipment or a lab to test you – just your breathing and a timer. .
Why it matters:
- Developed by Patrick McKeown (The Oxygen Advantage), the BOLT Score comes from breathing science and clinical research [x].
- It measures how long you can comfortably hold your breath after a normal exhale.
- A low score indicates over-breathing or shallow breathing patterns. A higher score points to efficient breathing, better oxygen use, and stronger carbon dioxide tolerance.
Context:
- Athletes test VO₂ max for cardio endurance.
- Doctors use heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of the body’s ability to adapt to stress.
- Your BOLT Score works in a similar fashion – except it’s free, quick, and easy to track.
Your breath influences energy, mental clarity, and ability to recover from anxiety, stress, or exercise. A high BOLT score suggests that oxygen is effectively reaching muscles and organs when breathing. On the other hand, a lower score indicates lower energy, lower stamina when exercising, and higher levels of stress. All this contributes to poor health and faster aging.
How to Test It Accurately
Measuring your BOLT Score only takes minutes, and while not a perfect measurement depends on honesty and accuracy.
Step-by-step:
- Sit and relax in a chair – breathe normally for a couple of minutes.
- Take a normal breath in and then exhale out through your nose.
- After the exhale, pinch your nose closed and start a timer.
- Stop timing when you feel the first need to breathe—like a swallow, chest tightening, or a push to inhale.
- Breathe in through your nose.
This is not about how long you can hold your breath. This is why honesty is important. The first sign of discomfort you must stop and read your time. Don’t try and extend your breath hold as this no longer properly reflects what the test intends.
Avoid these mistakes:
- Taking a deep breath before starting.
- Pushing yourself to hold your breath too long.
- Testing right after taking caffeine, exercising, or when you are stressed.
Best time to test: morning, when you are calm, and before you eat or drink coffee. Done properly , your BOLT Score will give you a good indication of your breathing efficiency and resilience.
Interpreting Your Results
Once you finish measuring your BOLT Score, the result – the number of seconds you’ve held your breath – shows how efficiently your body uses oxygen and handles stress.
Ranges and meaning:
- Under 10 seconds → Poor breathing efficiency, often tied to stress, anxiety, or sleep problems.
- 10–20 seconds → Below average, common with sedentary or high-stress lifestyles. Energy and focus may dip.
- 20–30 seconds → Functional zone. Oxygen delivery improves, supporting better sleep, clearer thinking, and steady stamina.
- 30+ seconds → Excellent. Signals resilience, strong recovery, and cardiovascular fitness.
Most people don’t score as high as they think. This is because they aren’t aware of some of their breathing problems such as over breathing, mouth breathing, or shallow chest breathing. Bad posture also impact their score. While the test seems simple, the result of the BOLT Score is not – it directly reflects your fitness level, breathing health, and how you age.
What the BOLT Score Predicts About Aging
While your BOLT Score doesn’t exactly say how long you’ll live, it reflects the habits that impact your age.
A lower score reflect:
- Shallow breathing and chronic stress.
- Poor sleep from mouth breathing or apnea.
- Higher blood pressure and less oxygen reaching tissues.
- Slower workout recovery and more fatigue.
Higher scores show:
- Better oxygen efficiency and a steady amount of energy.
- A calmer stress response and stronger heart rate variability.
- Deeper sleep and a more focused mind.
- More resilience as you age (ability to adapt and recover from trauma, adversity, or stress).
Resilience, recovery, and healthy brain function are all a product of efficient functional breathing and key to aging well. Improving your BOLT Score improves the aging process.
How to Improve Your BOLT Score
You can improve your BOLT Score with practice, not by just holding your breath but through introducing or changing other habits.
How to improve:
- Nasal breathing – Keeps airways open, slows down breathing, and helps balance oxygen and CO₂ properly.
- Slow your pace – Try for about five to six breaths per minute when resting – around 5 seconds inhale and six seconds exhale with a slight pause after exhaling.
- Light breathing – Don’t take big gulps of air; breathe just enough for comfort. When an instructor says “take a deep breath”, expand your diaphragm fully when inhaling – don’t breathe quickly into the chest as many interpret this instruction.
- Easy breath holds – During a walk, exhale and then hold your breath while taking a few steps. Then inhale gently and take a couple of normal breaths before repeating the process until you complete your walk.
- Check posture – Focusing on keeping a proper posture that extends your spine helps the diaphragm work better.
Track your score weekly. As with forming any new habit, stay consistent and practice. You will soon notice changes after a couple of weeks.
Conclusion
Your health isn’t just a reflection of what is written on a doctor’s chart. Your BOLT score, for example, reflects how well your body handles stress, delivers oxygen, and supports the aging process. Having a low score indicates you have a lot of room for improvement where a higher score is a reflection of resilience, fitness, and ability to produce steady energy. Like most measures or scores, you can improve it and taking your score initially acts as a baseline for improvement. Improvement comes from simple, daily breathing exercises – a few small habits that can, when practiced over time, profoundly improve your health.
By increasing your BOLT score you build a basis for better breathing, better performance and healthier aging.
Check out What Functional Breathing Actually Means.
