Breathwork for Stress: Simple Breathing Techniques to Help You Pause

Breathwork may help reduce feelings of stress by changing the way we breathe and influencing physiological processes associated with arousal and regulation. Research is encouraging, particularly for slow and structured breathing, but breathwork is best understood as one tool for working with stress rather than a way to remove its causes.

Sometimes stress is obvious.

A deadline.

A difficult conversation.

A big presentation.

Something happening at home.

A period of uncertainty.

But sometimes it accumulates more quietly.

One more email.

One more decision.

One more thing someone needs from you.

One more tab open.

One more notification.

Nothing individually feels enormous, but collectively it can begin to feel like a lot.

And we don't always notice how much we're carrying until we stop.

That's one reason the breath can be useful.

Not because breathing makes the demands disappear.

Not because stress is something we should never experience.

But because your breath is happening right in the middle of all of it.

And sometimes paying attention to it gives you something surprisingly valuable:

a pause.

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Can breathwork really help with stress?

There is growing evidence that it can.

One of the most comprehensive reviews of breathwork and mental health was published in Scientific Reports in 2023.

Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials investigating breathwork.

For stress specifically, the primary analysis included 12 studies involving 785 adults.

Compared with non-breathwork control groups, breathwork was associated with a significant small-to-medium reduction in self-reported stress. The review also found significant effects for anxiety and depressive symptoms.

That's encouraging.

But there's an important second half to the story.

The researchers noted that many of the studies had a moderate risk of bias and that breathwork research varies substantially in its methods.

Their conclusion was deliberately measured.

The evidence suggests breathwork may be useful for stress reduction.

It doesn't establish breathwork as a cure for stress.

And that's an important distinction.

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What actually is stress?

Stress is the body's response to feeling under pressure or threatened.

It can affect us physically and mentally.

The NHS describes stress as something that can produce symptoms including:

• difficulty concentrating
• struggling to make decisions
• feeling overwhelmed
• constant worrying
• irritability
• muscle tension or pain
• stomach problems
• a faster heartbeat
• sleep changes.

Stress itself isn't necessarily an illness, although prolonged or severe stress can affect health and wellbeing.

And stress isn't automatically bad.

We need the capacity to respond to challenge.

A degree of activation can help us:

meet a deadline,

respond quickly,

perform,

concentrate,

or deal with something unexpected.

The problem isn't that our bodies have a stress response.

The stress response is useful.

The difficulty can arise when demands keep coming and we have too little opportunity to recover between them.

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What happens to your breathing when you're stressed?

You don't have to consciously decide:

"I'm stressed, so I'll alter my breathing now."

It happens automatically.

Breathing may become:

faster,

shallower,

more irregular,

or punctuated by breath holding and sighing.

Other things can change at the same time.

Heart rate.

Muscle tension.

Attention.

Digestion.

Alertness.

This is part of the body's coordinated response to demand.

And because breathing responds to how we feel, researchers have become increasingly interested in the reverse relationship too:

If stress can change our breathing, can intentionally changing our breathing influence stress?

Evidence suggests that it can.

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How does breathing affect the stress response?

There probably isn't one single mechanism.

Breathing interacts with the:

respiratory system

cardiovascular system

autonomic nervous system

and central nervous system.

One particularly well-researched area involves heart-rate variability, usually shortened to HRV.

HRV describes variation in the intervals between heartbeats.

A large systematic review and meta-analysis examining 223 studies found that voluntary slow breathing increased vagally mediated HRV:

during slow breathing,

immediately after a breathing session,

and following repeated slow-breathing interventions.

Another systematic review found slow breathing was associated with changes in autonomic and central nervous system activity alongside psychological changes including increased relaxation and comfort and reduced arousal and anxiety.

So breathing isn't simply a distraction.

It can create measurable physiological changes.

But we still need to be careful about how we describe them.

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Does breathing "switch off" the stress response?

Not exactly.

You'll often hear breathing exercises described as a way to:

switch off fight or flight

or:

activate rest and digest.

There's some physiology behind that language.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system are involved in mobilisation and restoration, and breathing interacts with autonomic cardiovascular regulation.

But they're not simple ON/OFF switches.

Your nervous system is continually adapting.

And we don't actually want to remove our capacity for activation.

If you're crossing a busy road, giving an important presentation or responding to an emergency, activation is useful.

So the aim isn't:

Never feel stressed.

It's closer to:

Can I notice when I'm activated and find ways to respond appropriately?

Sometimes breathing can help with that.

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What is the best breathing exercise for stress?

There isn't one breathing technique proven to be best for everyone.

This matters because online you'll encounter very confident claims about:

box breathing,

4-7-8 breathing,

coherent breathing,

physiological sighing,

alternate nostril breathing,

diaphragmatic breathing,

and countless other techniques.

Different practices alter breathing in different ways.

And different people respond differently.

For everyday stress, Breathe Into begins with something much simpler:

Slow. Soft. Comfortable.

Then we explore from there.

Below are four different practices you can try.

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1. A simple longer-exhale breathing practice

This is probably the easiest place to begin.

You can do it sitting at your desk, lying in bed, in the car before going somewhere or simply standing in your kitchen.

Start by noticing

Before changing anything, notice your breathing.

Don't judge it.

Just ask:

How am I breathing right now?

Then slow it gently

Try:

Breathe in for 4.

Breathe out for 6.

Repeat.

Keep the inhale comfortable rather than taking a huge breath.

Continue for a few minutes if it feels good.

Then stop counting.

Allow your breathing to return to its own rhythm.

And notice:

What feels different, if anything?

That's all.

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Why use a longer exhale?

Heart rate naturally changes across the respiratory cycle.

It tends to increase slightly during inhalation and decrease during exhalation, a phenomenon known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

This relationship is one reason researchers are interested in slow breathing and exhalation.

But there's an important caveat.

We don't have evidence showing that 4 in and 6 out is a magical ratio.

In fact, a controlled 12-week study comparing slow breathing with a longer exhale against slow breathing with equal inhale and exhale durations found improvements in psychological stress in both groups, without a significant difference between the breathing ratios on the main stress outcomes.

So if 4 and 6 feels good, use it.

If it doesn't, change it.

The aim isn't mathematical perfection.

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2. Three releasing sighs

This is useful when you don't want to count your breathing at all.

Sit or stand comfortably.

As you inhale, gently allow your shoulders to lift.

Then:

sigh the breath out

and let the shoulders drop.

Again.

Inhale.

Shoulders lift.

Sigh.

Shoulders release.

One more time.

Then allow your breathing to settle naturally.

Notice your jaw.

Your shoulders.

Your hands.

Your face.

You don't have to manufacture a feeling of relaxation.

Just notice what happened.

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Why do we sigh?

Sighing is a normal part of breathing physiology.

Humans spontaneously sigh throughout the day, and sighs help maintain healthy lung function by reinflating alveoli that may begin to collapse during ordinary breathing.

Stress and emotion can also influence sighing.

This makes the sigh an interesting bridge between respiratory physiology and emotional state.

Researchers have also investigated deliberate sighing as a wellbeing practice.

Which brings us to another technique.

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3. Cyclic sighing

A 2023 randomised controlled study published in Cell Reports Medicine compared three structured breathing practices with mindfulness meditation.

Participants practised for just five minutes per day for around one month.

All four groups improved in mood and anxiety.

But breathwork produced greater improvements in positive affect than mindfulness meditation, with exhale-focused cyclic sighing performing particularly well.

Cyclic sighing looks like this:

Inhale through the nose.

Take a second, smaller inhale on top of the first.

Then:

slowly exhale.

Repeat.

The second inhale doesn't need to be enormous.

And neither inhale needs to feel forced.

The emphasis is on the long, slow exhale.

In the study, participants practised for five minutes.

For everyday use, you might simply try a few rounds and see how it feels.

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Is cyclic sighing the same as a physiological sigh?

You'll often hear the terms used together.

A physiological sigh generally refers to a breathing pattern involving two inhalations followed by a longer exhalation.

Similar patterns occur spontaneously in humans and other mammals.

The 2023 study turned this pattern into a repeated structured practice called cyclic sighing.

It produced promising results.

But that doesn't mean everyone needs to abandon every other breathing technique and start cyclic sighing.

One study doesn't establish a universally superior breathing practice.

It's another tool.

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4. Five minutes of slow breathing

If you don't like breath holds or complicated patterns, this may be the practice for you.

Set a timer for five minutes.

Sit comfortably.

Put your phone down.

Allow your breathing to slow.

You might use:

5 seconds in

5 seconds out.

That produces approximately six breaths per minute, a rate commonly used in slow-breathing research.

But don't force the timing.

If five seconds feels too long:

try four.

Or three.

You're not trying to win at breathing.

Let it feel easy.

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Why is six breaths per minute often used?

Research into slow and resonance-frequency breathing frequently uses rates around five to six breaths per minute.

At these slower respiratory frequencies, interactions between breathing, heart rate and blood-pressure regulation can become more pronounced.

This can increase measures of HRV.

But individual physiology varies.

Six breaths per minute isn't a magic number.

You don't need to watch a timer all day.

The useful principle is simply:

slower than your normal resting breathing, while remaining comfortable.

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Should you take deep breaths when you're stressed?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the most persistent pieces of wellbeing advice:

"Take a big deep breath."

The intention is good.

But bigger isn't automatically better.

If you repeatedly take very large breaths, particularly when you're already breathing quickly, you may ventilate more than your body needs.

That can reduce carbon dioxide levels and contribute to sensations such as:

light-headedness,

tingling,

breathlessness,

or dizziness.

Those sensations can feel unsettling.

So at Breathe Into, we prefer:

slow, soft, comfortable breath

rather than:

biggest possible breath.

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How long should you practise breathing for stress?

There isn't one established duration.

Some studies use a few minutes.

Others use 10, 15 or 20 minutes.

Some interventions run for weeks.

The NHS offers a simple breathing practice for stress and suggests continuing for at least five minutes, adding that regular practice may provide the most benefit.

Five minutes is therefore a perfectly sensible place to start.

But there's another useful principle:

Something is often better than nothing.

If you have two minutes before a meeting, use two minutes.

If you notice yourself becoming tense while waiting for the kettle to boil, take three slower breaths.

Wellbeing doesn't have to happen only when you have a perfectly protected 30-minute window.

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When is the best time to use breathing exercises for stress?

Often, before you desperately need them.

Breathwork is frequently treated as an emergency tool.

I'm overwhelmed.

Quick. Breathe.

It can be useful then.

But regular small pauses may be more interesting.

Try breathing:

before opening your laptop

between meetings

after a difficult conversation

before picking the children up

when you arrive home

before dinner

before bed

or whenever you notice yourself rushing from one thing into another.

The practice becomes less:

"Fix this feeling."

And more:

"Let me check in."

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Can breathing exercises help chronic stress?

Possibly, but chronic stress needs a broader response.

If your stress comes from:

working excessive hours,

financial pressure,

caring responsibilities,

relationship difficulties,

poor sleep,

illness,

workplace problems,

or another sustained demand,

breathing can't remove the cause.

It may help you work with your response to stress.

That's different.

This distinction matters because wellbeing advice can sometimes imply:

If you're still stressed, you haven't regulated yourself properly.

No.

Sometimes life is stressful.

Sometimes circumstances need to change.

Sometimes support is needed.

And sometimes a breathing practice can make five minutes feel a little more manageable while you work out what comes next.

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Breathwork shouldn't become another responsibility

There is an odd thing that happens with wellbeing.

We become stressed.

So we create a list.

Meditate.

Journal.

Exercise.

Get outside.

Cold shower.

Do breathwork.

Drink water.

Sleep eight hours.

Don't use screens.

Practise gratitude.

Suddenly being less stressed is a full-time job.

That's not what we're trying to create.

Breathwork doesn't need to become another habit you're failing to maintain.

It can be much simpler.

You notice.

You breathe.

You continue.

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What if a breathing exercise makes me feel more stressed?

Stop.

Seriously.

You don't have to push through a breathing practice because somebody told you it was relaxing.

Some people find focusing on the breath uncomfortable.

Counting may create pressure.

Breath holds may feel unpleasant.

Strong breathwork can produce sensations that feel unsettling.

If a practice isn't supportive, let it go.

You might instead:

feel your feet on the floor,

look around the room,

walk,

stretch,

listen to music,

go outside,

or talk to someone.

The breath is a tool.

Not a requirement.

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What about humming for stress?

Humming is another simple practice we like at Breathe Into.

Why?

Firstly, humming naturally extends the exhale.

You can't hum on the inhale.

So:

mmmmmmmm...

creates a long, controlled out-breath without having to count.

It also creates vibration through the face, throat and chest that some people find grounding.

Research has found that humming substantially increases nasal nitric oxide compared with quiet exhalation, likely because oscillating airflow increases exchange between the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity.

That's interesting physiology.

But it doesn't mean humming has been proven to "reset your vagus nerve" or cure stress.

We don't need to make those claims.

You can simply try it.

Take a comfortable inhale.

Hum gently on the exhale.

Repeat three or four times.

And notice.

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What about movement?

Sometimes sitting still and breathing isn't what your body wants.

If you've spent eight hours sitting at a desk, perhaps what you need is:

movement.

Stand up.

Shake out your hands.

Roll your shoulders.

Stretch.

Walk.

Then breathe.

At Breathe Into, breathwork doesn't exist in isolation.

Our wider toolkit can include:

breath,

movement,

humming,

reflection,

visualisation,

affirmations,

journalling,

and other simple practices.

The question isn't:

Which wellness tool is scientifically superior?

It's:

What feels supportive here?

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Is Conscious Connected Breathing good for stress?

Conscious Connected Breathing, or CCB, is different from the gentle slow-breathing exercises described above.

It uses a continuous breath without deliberate pauses between the inhale and exhale.

Depending on the pace and depth, it can create a much more noticeable physical and emotional experience.

Research into Conscious Connected Breathing is growing, including recent randomised research examining anxiety.

But we shouldn't take findings from slow breathing research and automatically use them as evidence for Conscious Connected Breathing.

They are different practices.

At Breathe Into, a short breathing exercise for everyday stress and a longer facilitated CCB session serve different purposes.

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Do you need to "release" stress from the body?

You'll often hear that stress gets "stored in the body".

There's a useful idea underneath this language.

Stress absolutely has physical components.

Muscle tension.

Heart rate.

Breathing.

Digestion.

Sleep.

Fatigue.

Pain.

But saying that stress is literally stored in particular body tissues and needs to be physically released is a much stronger scientific claim.

Current evidence doesn't allow us to state that so simply.

You don't need to believe you're storing stress somewhere in your shoulders in order to notice:

my shoulders feel tight today.

You can notice.

Move.

Breathe.

Stretch.

Listen.

Without needing to create a story about why the sensation is there.

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Stress isn't a failure of regulation

This is important.

The language of nervous system regulation can sometimes accidentally make normal human responses sound pathological.

You're busy.

You feel stressed.

Therefore:

you're dysregulated.

That isn't necessarily true.

Stress can be an entirely understandable response to circumstances.

The goal isn't to become someone who never feels stressed.

It might be to become someone who notices sooner.

Who pauses occasionally.

Who understands their own signals.

Who has more than one way of responding.

And who recognises when something needs to change beyond themselves.

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A Breathe Into practice for stressful days

Here's a practice you can use without needing to remember a particular breathing technique.

Breathe

Pause.

Feel where your body is supported.

Take a slow, comfortable breath.

Then another.

No need to make it enormous.

Listen

Ask:

What am I noticing right now?

Maybe your shoulders are tight.

Maybe your thoughts are fast.

Maybe you're hungry.

Maybe you're frustrated.

Maybe you're absolutely fine.

Listen before deciding.

Explore

What might feel supportive?

A slower breath?

A sigh?

A hum?

Movement?

A glass of water?

Five minutes outside?

Writing something down?

Asking someone for help?

Explore rather than prescribe.

Intend

Then ask:

What do I want to breathe into next?

Perhaps:

calm.

clarity.

connection.

possibility.

confidence.

space.

patience.

Or something completely different.

The intention isn't a demand.

It's simply somewhere to place your attention.

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You don't always need to feel better

This may sound strange in an article about stress reduction.

But it's important.

Wellbeing isn't a requirement to feel good all the time.

Sometimes you're disappointed because something disappointing happened.

Angry because something wasn't okay.

Nervous because something matters.

Overwhelmed because you're carrying a lot.

Breathwork doesn't need to erase those responses.

Sometimes the practice is simply:

Can I make enough space to hear what's actually here?

That might change the feeling.

It might not.

Either way, you've listened.

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Stress relief can be very ordinary

It doesn't always need to be a retreat.

Or a 90-minute breathwork session.

Or a perfect morning routine.

Sometimes it's:

opening the window.

Putting the phone down.

Taking three slower breaths.

Walking around the block.

Saying no to something.

Eating lunch away from your desk.

Calling someone.

Going to bed.

Stopping.

The breath can become a reminder.

Not that you need to fix yourself.

Just that you are here.

And perhaps you don't need to rush immediately into the next thing.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Breathwork for Stress

Does breathwork really reduce stress?

Research suggests breathwork can reduce self-reported stress. A 2023 meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials found a significant small-to-medium reduction in stress compared with control groups, although the researchers cautioned that study quality varied.

What is the best breathing exercise for stress?

There isn't one technique proven to be best for everyone. Slow breathing is well studied, and simple practices such as breathing comfortably for four counts in and six out can be a useful starting point.

How long should I do breathing exercises for stress?

The NHS suggests practising its calming breathing exercise for at least five minutes and notes that regular practice may be particularly beneficial. Research protocols vary, so there isn't one required duration.

Can five minutes of breathing reduce stress?

Short breathing practices can influence mood and physiological arousal. A randomised study found improvements after participants practised structured breathing for five minutes per day over approximately one month.

What is cyclic sighing?

Cyclic sighing involves an inhale, a second smaller inhale and a long slow exhale, repeated for several minutes. A 2023 randomised study found this exhale-focused practice produced improvements in mood and reduced respiratory rate following daily five-minute practice.

Should I breathe deeply when I'm stressed?

Not necessarily. Breathing slowly and comfortably is more important than taking the biggest possible breath. Repeatedly breathing much more deeply than necessary can contribute to overbreathing and uncomfortable sensations such as light-headedness.

Is a longer exhale better for stress?

A longer exhale feels settling for many people and can be a useful breathing pattern. However, research comparing longer-exhale slow breathing with equal inhale/exhale breathing hasn't established that a longer exhale is universally superior.

Can breathwork help with chronic stress?

Breathwork may help people manage some of the physiological and psychological experiences associated with stress, but it cannot remove ongoing causes such as excessive workload, financial pressure, illness or difficult circumstances. Chronic or severe stress may require broader practical, psychological or medical support.

Can humming reduce stress?

Humming naturally creates an extended exhale and some people find its vibration grounding. Research has demonstrated physiological effects including increased nasal nitric oxide, but evidence doesn't support claims that humming simply "resets" the nervous system or treats stress.

Can breathwork make stress worse?

Some people find focusing on breathing uncomfortable, and intensive breathing practices can cause sensations such as dizziness or tingling. Stop if a practice makes you distressed or unwell and choose another grounding strategy.

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References and further reading

Fincham GW, Strauss C, Montero-Marin J, et al. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Scientific Reports. 2023;13:432. The analysis found significant improvements in self-reported stress while also highlighting limitations in the existing evidence.

Laborde S, Allen MS, Borges U, et al. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2022;138:104711. The review analysed 223 studies and found increases in vagally mediated HRV during and following slow breathing.

Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2018;12:353.

Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine. 2023;4(1):100895.

NHS. Breathing exercises for stress. The NHS provides a simple calming breathing practice and recommends regular practice.

Please note: This article provides general wellbeing information and isn't medical advice. If stress is persistent, severe, affecting everyday life or accompanied by concerning physical or mental-health symptoms, seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.