Breathing Exercises for Relaxation: What Actually Helps?

In this article

1. What Are Breathing Exercises for Relaxation?
2. How Can Slow Breathing Help You Relax?
3. What Does the Research Say?
4. Which Breathing Exercises Can You Try?
5. What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?
6. Does a Longer Exhale Help You Relax?
7. What About Box Breathing?
8. How Long Should You Practice?
9. Can Breathing Exercises Help With Sleep?
10. Can You Breathe Too Deeply or Too Quickly?
11. When Should You Stop a Breathing Exercise?
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Final thoughts

Breathing exercises are one of the simplest relaxation techniques because they require no equipment and can be practiced almost anywhere. The goal is not to take the biggest breaths possible, but to slow your breathing comfortably and bring your attention to the way you breathe.

Research suggests that controlled breathing exercises, particularly slow-paced breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, may modestly reduce stress and anxiety. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found small-to-moderate effects on perceived stress, although many of the available studies had a moderate risk of bias.

There is no single breathing pattern that has been shown to work best for everyone. A comfortable pace, regular practice, and avoiding forced breathing may matter more than following a complicated ratio between inhalation and exhalation.

What Are Breathing Exercises for Relaxation?

Breathing exercises are techniques in which you voluntarily change the pace or pattern of your breathing. For relaxation, they usually focus on slow, controlled, and comfortable breathing, sometimes together with directing attention toward the movement of the breath.

NCCIH includes slow, deep breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, among the techniques used to encourage the “relaxation response.” This response is associated with slower breathing and heart rate, along with other changes that contrast with the body’s stress response.

This does not mean that you need to consciously control every breath throughout the day. A breathing exercise is simply a short period during which you intentionally slow your breathing and pay attention to it.

How Can Slow Breathing Help You Relax?

Breathing and the autonomic nervous system are closely connected. Heart rate naturally changes during the breathing cycle, tending to rise during inhalation and fall during exhalation.

When breathing is deliberately slowed, these interactions also change. Research on slow-paced breathing has examined effects on measures such as heart rate variability (HRV) and autonomic nervous-system activity.

You do not need to track HRV or use a device to practice slow breathing. For everyday relaxation, the goal can simply be to breathe more slowly and comfortably for a few minutes.

What Does the Research Say?

The findings are encouraging, but they do not support the idea that breathing exercises are a universal treatment for stress or anxiety. The evidence suggests potential benefits while also showing important limitations in study quality.

A 2023 meta-analysis published in Scientific Reports examined randomized controlled trials of breathwork. For perceived stress, 12 studies involving 785 adults were included, and breathing interventions were associated with a small-to-moderate reduction in stress compared with control groups.

Effects were also observed for anxiety, but most of the studies had a moderate risk of bias. This means the results are promising, but they should not be interpreted as definitive evidence that breathwork works equally well for everyone.

A 2024 systematic review included 19 studies of breathing exercises in adults. Twelve reported significant improvements in anxiety and nine reported improvements in stress, although the authors concluded that larger randomized trials are still needed.

NCCIH reaches a similar conclusion regarding diaphragmatic breathing. There is preliminary evidence that it may help reduce stress, but the available research remains limited.

Which Breathing Exercises Can You Try?

You do not need to begin with a complicated technique. Slow, comfortable breathing is enough to experiment with this form of relaxation, and counting is optional rather than required.

Technique	How It Works	Simple Approach	What to Know
Slow breathing	Intentionally slows the breathing rate	Breathe in and out slowly without forcing it	One of the most frequently studied approaches
Diaphragmatic breathing	Encourages abdominal movement during breathing	Breathe comfortably and allow the abdomen to rise	Preliminary evidence suggests possible stress benefits
Equal breathing	Inhalation and exhalation are similar in length	For example, inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 4	Counting is only a guide
Longer-exhale breathing	Exhalation is slightly longer than inhalation	For example, inhale for 4 and exhale for 6	Has not been shown to be superior to equal breathing
Box breathing	Divides breathing into four phases	Inhale – pause – exhale – pause	Breath holds are not required for relaxation and should not be forced

These numbers are not medical rules. If four or six seconds feels uncomfortable, shorten the count or practice without counting at all.

What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?

The diaphragm is the main muscle involved in breathing. In diaphragmatic breathing, attention is directed toward relaxed breathing that allows the abdomen to move naturally during inhalation and exhalation.

You can practice while sitting comfortably or lying down. Placing one hand on your abdomen may help you notice the movement, but there is no need to deliberately push the abdomen outward.

NHS guidance recommends allowing the breath to move toward the abdomen only as far as feels comfortable. Inhalation and exhalation should remain gentle and regular rather than forced.

NCCIH cites a 2019 review that found preliminary evidence that diaphragmatic breathing may reduce stress. However, that review was based on only three studies, so the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

Does a Longer Exhale Help You Relax?

The recommendation to make the exhale longer than the inhale is very popular. The idea has physiological plausibility, but that does not mean a specific ratio such as 4:6 or 4:8 is necessary for relaxation.

A randomized study involving 100 healthy adults compared 12 weeks of slow breathing with a longer exhale than inhale against slow breathing with inhalation and exhalation of equal length. Regular practice was associated with lower psychological stress, but researchers found no significant difference between the two breathing ratios.

If a slightly longer exhale feels comfortable to you, it is reasonable to use it. Current evidence does not show that you must achieve a particular ratio for slow breathing to be useful.

What About Box Breathing?

Box breathing is a structured technique with four phases: inhalation, holding the breath, exhalation, and another pause. Each phase is often performed for the same number of seconds.

The structure may help people who find it easier to maintain attention when they count. However, evidence on breathing exercises generally does not demonstrate that box breathing is the optimal form of breathing for relaxation.

You also do not need to hold your breath if doing so feels uncomfortable. Slow breathing without pauses between inhalation and exhalation is another option for relaxation.

How Long Should You Practice?

There is no universal duration that everyone needs to follow. NHS suggests a simple breathing exercise for around five minutes and notes that regular practice may provide the most benefit.

A review of 58 studies on breathing practices for stress and anxiety observed that effective interventions tended to avoid sessions shorter than five minutes and often involved repeated practice. These findings describe patterns across existing studies and do not establish exactly five minutes as a required dose.

For beginners, comfort and consistency may be more important than length. A few minutes that you can repeat regularly may be more practical than a long routine that you quickly stop using.

Can Breathing Exercises Help With Sleep?

Slow breathing is sometimes used before bedtime because it may help create a more relaxed state. Research on its direct effects on sleep, however, is less clear than the evidence regarding stress.

A recent systematic review found improvements in self-reported sleep duration and sleep quality after slow breathing before bedtime. In contrast, studies using objective measurements such as actigraphy or polysomnography produced inconclusive results.

Slow breathing can therefore be a simple part of an evening routine if you find it relaxing. It should not, however, be presented as a proven treatment for insomnia or other sleep disorders.

Can You Breathe Too Deeply or Too Quickly?

Yes. The phrase “deep breathing” can easily be misunderstood as an instruction to repeatedly take the largest possible breaths, but for relaxation deeper does not necessarily mean better.

Breathing too quickly or too intensely can lead to hyperventilation and reduce carbon dioxide levels in the blood. This may cause dizziness, tingling, lightheadedness, or other uncomfortable symptoms.

For this reason, NHS instructions emphasize breathing that is gentle, regular, and not forced. For relaxation, the goal is to make the breath quieter and slower rather than as large as possible.

When Should You Stop a Breathing Exercise?

A relaxation exercise should not make you feel unwell. If you experience dizziness, discomfort, shortness of breath, or other unpleasant symptoms, stop the exercise and return to your normal breathing pattern.

Relaxation techniques are generally considered safe for healthy people, but NCCIH notes that some people may occasionally experience increased anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or fear of losing control during certain practices. These techniques should not be used as substitutes for medical care when medical evaluation or treatment is needed.

Persistent breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, or other unusual respiratory symptoms should not be treated as a simple relaxation issue. These symptoms may require medical evaluation rather than another breathing exercise.

Written by Victoria, founder and editor of RoutineHealth. This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Breathing exercises for relaxation are not treatments for respiratory disease, cardiovascular conditions, anxiety disorders, or other medical conditions and should not replace recommended medical care. If you have persistent breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, or other unusual symptoms, seek medical evaluation. If you have a condition that affects your breathing or breathing exercises cause symptoms, speak with a qualified healthcare professional before continuing. How we research and correct articles is explained in our Editorial Policy; see also our Medical Disclaimer.

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