Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik

Episode: Air Quality Expert – The Air You Breathe Is Changing Your Brain

Date: November 17, 2025
Guest: Michael Feldstein, Founder of Jasper

Episode Overview

Jim Kwik welcomes Michael Feldstein, an expert in disaster recovery and founder of Jasper, an innovative air purification company, to discuss an often-overlooked aspect of health: the quality of the air we breathe indoors. The conversation dives into how hidden, invisible pollutants in our home environments impact brain function, mood, sleep, and overall well-being. Feldstein brings a wealth of experience from remediating environments devastated by wildfires, floods, and mold, and shares practical advice and actionable tips for optimizing indoor air quality for cognitive performance and health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Hidden Importance of Indoor Air Quality

• Indoor Air Is an Invisible Risk:
  Most people are unaware of indoor air pollutants, though air touches every aspect of our health, mood, and performance.
  • “Your air most certainly is full of invisible particles that could be draining your focus, your energy, your mood and hurting your health and that of your family.” (Jim, 00:25)
• We Don’t Clean Our Air:
  Compared to surfaces, indoor air is rarely considered in day-to-day cleaning.
  • “Everybody’s cleaning windows...and not cleaning their air at all. That was just really eye opening to me.” (Michael, 03:34)
• Modern Construction Worsens the Problem:
  Modern, airtight homes trap pollutants.
  • “Homes have become these airtight boxes. If your home can’t breathe, you can’t expect the person inside the home to be able to breathe.” (Michael, 08:17)

What’s Polluting Our Air Indoors?

• Sources of Indoor Pollution: Mold, wildfire smoke, pollen, dust, building materials (VOCs), pet dander, cooking emissions, cleaning chemicals, synthetic fragrances.
• The Effects Are Cumulative:
  • “It’s wild because if you think about it, like, when did indoors even become a thing?” (Michael, 08:06)
• Most Americans Spend 90–95% of Time Indoors:
  • “A maximum security prisoner often gets one hour outside per day, which is more than the average American spends outside.” (Michael, 07:45)
• Invisible Doesn’t Mean Harmless:
  The analogy of fish and water illustrates our oblivion to air quality.

Air Quality Directly Affects Brain Health

• Cognitive Impacts:
  • “They took SAT people writing the SATs and looked at their test scores. And their SAT scores were directly correlated with the air quality.” (Michael, 12:53)
  • Chess grandmasters’ move quality also dropped with poor air quality.
• Chronic Symptoms:
  Allergies, brain fog, trouble focusing, increased snoring, disrupted sleep, and compromised nutrient absorption (due to synthetic fragrances impacting the olfactory system and digestion).
  • “I like to say that synthetic fragrances are the new secondhand smoke.” (Michael, 14:47)
• Restorative Potential of Clean Air:
  • “When you start breathing clean air at night...your sense of smell, your sense of taste, everything just starts working better.” (Michael, 15:58)

Jim’s Personal Experience & Testimonials

• Mold Issue at Home:
  Having experienced mold during his wife’s pregnancy, Jim credits Jasper units for significant improvements in his sleep and mental performance.
  • “My deep sleep went up almost 20% the first week. I slept probably 15% more also as well… added a good 30 minutes to my sleep which was extraordinary.” (Jim, 16:57)

Practical Tips for Cleaner Indoor Air

Timestamp: 20:38
Michael’s “Quick Tips” for listeners:

1. No Shoes Indoors:
   • “95% of shoes have fecal matter on them...” (20:38)
2. Cooking Ventilation:
   Always use your range hood/vent, check it works with a tissue test, or open windows. Cooking, especially with protein, increases harmful chemicals (PAHs).
   • “When you have high heat and protein, it creates…highly cancer causing [PAHs].” (21:06)
3. Bathroom Fans for Humidity:
   Use fans for at least an hour after showers to prevent mold.
   • “Bathroom fans are really there for relative humidity after a shower.” (21:45)
4. Never Hang-Dry Laundry Indoors:
   This significantly increases indoor mold risk.
   • “When I was doing mold remediation, this was the number one cause of significant indoor mold.” (22:35)
5. Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products:
   Avoid fragrance-heavy, chemical-laden cleaners and air fresheners.
6. Candles and Incense:
   If used, opt for beeswax/wood wick, and blow out outdoors or with a lid. Most common candles release pollutants.
   • “You have to be scrubbing your air. It’s not optional, it really pollutes your air.” (23:52)
7. Houseplants' Limited Impact:
   Loving the ambiance is fine; don’t expect significant air purification indoors.
   • “No matter how many plants I put into a small room, I’ve never seen the particulate count go down...” (24:41)

Additional Insights on Air Cleaning Technology

• Air Purifiers vs. Air Scrubbers:
  Standard air purifiers are insufficient; industrial-grade air scrubbers (like Jasper) are needed for real impact.
• Design & Usability:
  Jasper units are designed to be quiet, effective, and aesthetically pleasing, with no Wi-Fi/Bluetooth for simplicity.
• How to Use:
  Set main units on smart mode in living areas. Bedrooms: use higher fan speed and dark mode for enhanced sleep benefits.
  • “You want to use smart mode... in bedrooms, hit that dark mode button... really scrub at a higher level.” (Michael, 26:22)

Special Considerations for Sleep & Young Children

• Sleep Environment:
  Prioritize darkness, cooler temperatures, quiet ambient noise, and non-toxic bedding.
• Nurseries:
  Remove diaper pails to avoid bacterial overload, assemble nursery months ahead to air out off-gassing from new furniture.
  • “Don’t use a diaper pail in your baby’s bedroom… if it smells like poop, it is poop, and if it is poop, it’s bacteria.” (Michael, 30:40)

Takeaway Wisdom

• If You Remember One Truth…
  • “Our indoor environments have very dirty, very toxic, very polluted air. It’s impacting our energy, our sleep, our performance, our focus…Create a clean air sanctuary.” (Michael, 33:31)
• Start Simple:
  Make the bedroom sanctuary priority #1—filtered water and clean air there can have profound effects.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modern Comfort:
  “Humans love comfort so much that we’ve built environments… perfect temperature, Uber eats in a click… but the problem is… homes have become these airtight boxes.” (08:08, Michael Feldstein)

• On Awareness:
  “Ignorance is not bliss. When it comes to my lungs and my health, I would rather be aware and navigate my environment intentionally and intelligently.” (05:55, Michael)

• On Allergy and Air Quality:
  “A huge amount of people have their seasonal allergies go away. About 30% of people stop snoring… Of course, what are you breathing all night? Air.” (13:36, Michael)

• On Sleep Data:
  “The average person slept 18% more deep sleep, 25 minutes more sleep per night and fell asleep five minutes faster.” (18:28, Michael, on Jasper’s community study)

• On Clean Air for Babies:
  “Don’t use a diaper pail in your baby’s bedroom... the last thing your little baby needs... is to be breathing in heavy, heavy duty levels of airborne bacteria with their new little baby lungs.” (30:43, Michael)

• On Motivation to Act:
  “Knowledge is not power, it’s potential power. It becomes power when we apply it.” (41:29, Jim Kwik)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Why Air Quality Matters: 01:54–04:43
• Invisible Threats in the Home: 05:25–10:28
• How Air Affects Brain Function: 12:28–16:39
• Personal Testimonial & Sleep Impact: 16:39–18:21
• Quick, Actionable Tips: 20:38–24:28
• Houseplants, Candles & Myths: 24:28–25:50
• Tech & Use of Air Scrubbers: 25:50–28:52
• Optimal Sleep/Brain Performance Environment: 28:36–30:14
• Nurseries & Children’s Rooms: 30:14–31:47
• The One Simple Truth About Indoor Air: 32:22–34:44
• DIY Filters vs. Jasper: 37:37–40:20
• Exclusive Discount Info: 37:28–40:52

Conclusion

The episode underscores the critical, under-discussed role of indoor air quality in cognitive performance, overall health, and longevity. Michael’s approach combines deep industry knowledge with actionable strategies for making our homes healthier. Jim’s personal stories make the science relatable, while clear, prioritized tips empower listeners to act—not just for themselves, but for their families.

Action Challenge:
Implement at least one of Michael’s quick tips today—start with removing shoes at the door, ventilating your cooking, or rethinking your cleaning products. For a “set-it-and-forget-it” solution, consider an industrial-grade air scrubber, but remember: even small changes can yield big health results.

Resources

• Jasper Website & Discount: jaspr.co/kwik (Code: KWIK for exclusive savings)
• DIY Air Filter Instructions: Search “Corsi Rosenthal Box”
• Limitless Live Event: limitlesslive.com

You are what you breathe. Pay attention. — Michael Feldstein (43:41)

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