You do it 20,000 times a dayâbut are you doing it right?
This month, we want to highlight an article authored by Daryl Austin and published on the National Geographic website.
If youâve ever been told to âtake a deep breathâ during a stressful moment, know that this advice isnât merely a platitudeâitâs backed by science.
Research shows conscious breathing comes with a host of immediate and long-term benefits that include improved heart health, reduced anxiety, boosted mood, improved cognitive function, and better sleep quality.
âBreathwork is one of the simplest and profoundly effective tools we have for calming the nervous system and boosting physical and mental resilience,â says Guy Fincham, founder of the breathwork lab at Brighton & Sussex Medical School in England and co-author of breathwork research. âAnd yet, precisely because itâs so accessible, its power is often underestimated.â
Hereâs why mindful inhaling and exhaling can be so good for you, plus which breathing techniques are best and how to ensure youâre doing them safely and effectively.
THE LONG-TERM BENEFITS OF BREATHWORK
Emerging science suggests that how you breatheâday in and day outâcan influence everything from heart health and mood to memory and sleep.
One of the clearest examples comes from the cardiovascular system. Diaphragmatic, or âbelly,â breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. This nerve originates in the brainstem and extends down through the neck into many branches of the large intestine and other vital organs. When this nerve is activated through deep breathing, it sends calming signals throughout the body, helping to regulate heart rate, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation.
Adjusting your breathing pattern can also subtly shift your bodyâs internal chemistry. âWhen you slow your breathing and gently take in less air, carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and blood rise slightly,â says Patrick McKeown, an advisor of the International Academy of Breathing and Health and the author of The Breathing Cure: Develop New Habits for a Healthier, Happier, and Longer Life. This is a good thing, he explains, as carbon dioxide is not just a waste gas but âacts as a natural vasodilator by opening up blood vessels and allowing more oxygen-rich blood to reach the brain and the heart.â
Since the vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous systemâthe system that counteracts the bodyâs fight-or-flight response by triggering a ârest and digestâ responseâbreathing slower and consciously can also ease symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, the longer and slower your breath, âthe more you activate the calming effects of this system,â says Raj Dasgupta, a pulmonary and sleep medicine physician at Huntington Memorial Hospital in California.
Fincham agrees, as he has co-authored a meta-analysis demonstrating the positive effects conscious breathing has âon stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.â
In 2017, Stanford researchers similarly identified a cluster of neurons in the brainstem that links the breathing control center with the brainâs arousal system. âThis neural pathway explains how slow, controlled breathing can further induce a state of calm,â says McKeown.
That sense of calm isnât only good for easing frazzled nervesâitâs also been shown to reduce cravings for food and addictive substances, suggesting a wider reach of breathworkâs regulatory power.
Reduced pain and muscle tension are additional benefits of intentional breathing techniques because doing so triggers the bodyâs endogenous opioidergic system, which is critically involved in the cognitive modulation of pain. Thatâs one reason deep breathing has long been encouraged during labor, athletic exertion, and military training: itâs an accessible, nonpharmacological tool for managing discomfort.
Similarly, breathwork can even reduce migraine frequency, muscle tension, and pain severity, says Helen Lavretsky, director of integrative psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Improved cognitive function occurs as well as breathing techniques such as coherent breathing âimprove communication between the right and left hemisphere of the brain and increase oxygen levels so the brain works better,â says Patricia Gerbarg, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at New York Medical College and a co-author of dozens of prominent breathwork studies.
Recent research even hints at breathworkâs potential role in detecting or influencing neurodegenerative conditions. One 2025 study showed how breathing impacts brain structures like the amygdala and hippocampus, both associated with focus and memory. Itâs a connection that explains how âbreathing patterns can directly influence cognitive function,â says McKeown.
Another recent study found that people with Alzheimerâs disease breathe significantly faster at rest than more cognitively healthy individuals. This elevated respiratory rate âmay reflect underlying neurovascular dysfunction that could serve as an early biomarker for Alzheimerâs-related brain changes,â says McKeown.
Better sleep also occurs, Dasgupta notes, as breathing calms the nervous system and promotes the relaxation needed to release the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Breathing through your nose while you fall asleep and throughout the night has also been shown, both in recent and older research, to provide a better nightâs rest. âNasal breathing during sleep reduces snoring, improves sleep quality, and supports healthy breathing rhythms overnight,â says McKeown.
EFFECTIVE BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND HOW TO DO THEM
So, what kind of breathing works best? That depends on what you needâa quick mental reset, support during physical effort, or a few minutes of deeper relaxation.
One of the fastest ways to calm the body is the physiological sigh. Itâs performed as a double nasal inhale (the first inhale longer, immediately followed by a shorter second one on top of the first one), before exhaling through the mouth. âThis technique can shift you out of fight-or-flight in seconds,â says Fincham. âItâs a rapid and reliable reset thatâs also useful before a big test or speech or anything thatâs got you nervous.â
The pursed-lip technique is another exercise to turn to for quick calming or to push through physical exertion, such as lifting weights. Itâs done by inhaling through your nose, then exhaling slowly through pursed lips, âas though blowing out through a straw,â Dasgupta explains.
If you have more time, several meditative styles can help shift your body into a more relaxed state. These include box breathing (sometimes called square breathing), coherent, quiet, and diaphragmatic (belly) breathing.
Box breathing controls your inhales, exhales, and breath holds for specific periods. âBreathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for four, exhale through your mouth for four, and count to four again before repeating,â says Dasgupta. Note that the amount of time doesnât matter, so long as the ratios are equal. âYou could start with a 3-3-3-3 repetition but extend each second count out until youâre reaching a yogic one-breath-per-minute,â says Lavretsky.
Coherent breathing is similar to box breathing, but without the breath holds. Inhale through the nose for six seconds, then exhale through the nose for six seconds. âThe key is a conscious, connected rhythm with no pauses between inhale and exhale, just a smooth flow,â advises Fincham. Gerbarg agrees and calls coherent breathing âthe safest, most useful, and most adaptable breath practice.â
Quiet breathing is another option and is done by taking a soft, quiet breath in through your nose, âfollowed by an even softer, silent breath out through your nose,â says McKeown. âThe goal is to breathe so lightly that it feels as if youâre hardly breathing at allâyou should even feel a slight air hunger, which signals the exercise is working.â
Diaphragmatic breathing can be performed in five- to 10-minute sessions, two or three times daily. Itâs done by inhaling deeply and slowly through your nose, âallowing your abdomen to expand as you fill your lungs with air,â says Dasgupta. âThen exhale through your mouth as you allow your belly to contract.â Beginners should try this one lying on their back with their knees bent and hands over the belly to better feel each breath expand their stomach.
Dasgupta recommends practicing breathwork in a peaceful environment where you can relax fully before trying to employ the techniques in school, work, or gym settings. âIf you feel dizzy or uncomfortable while doing breathwork, stop and return to normal breathing,â he advises.
Also, remember that âbreathing should never be forced or strained,â âadds Fincham. âThe aim is to remove layers of stress, not create more.â
Want to learn more with Patrick McKeown? Here are the links to his two most excellent books:
