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Slow, relaxed breathing

Related terms: Breathwork, Breathing exercises, Diaphragmatic breathing, Vagal breathing, Box breathing

SupportedGood evidence from several human studies, with details still being refined.
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Breathing slowly and gently, using the diaphragm. Copying a relaxed breathing pattern seems to calm the nervous system.

  • Some people find that focusing on their breathing brings on panic or hyperventilation, so it does not suit everyone.
  • A doctor or psychologist can help if stress is hard to manage.

How it works

When anxious, people tend to take small, shallow breaths using their shoulders rather than their diaphragm. Deliberately copying a relaxed breathing pattern seems to calm the nervous system, and controlled breathing can lower blood pressure and heart rate and increase feelings of calm and wellbeing.

One method is to sit comfortably in a quiet place with one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen, and breathe gently in and out through your nose for 10 to 20 minutes. The parasympathetic nervous system is the part that helps the body relax.

Connections

2 connections on the map. Select a topic to read its page.

Slow, relaxed breathing can ease Chronic stress (allostatic load)Chronic stressSlow, relaxed breathing helps control Brain and nervous systemBrain and nervous systemSlow, relaxed breathing can ease Chronic stress (allostatic load)Chronic stressSlow, relaxed breathing helps control Brain and nervous systemBrain andnervous system

Slow, relaxed breathing can ease

Slow, relaxed breathing helps control

Sources

  1. Breathing to reduce stressBetter Health Channel (Victorian Government), last reviewed 30 September 2015
  2. In brief: How does the nervous system work?InformedHealth.org (IQWiG), NCBI Bookshelf, last reviewed 4 May 2023

Each connection above names its own source. See every source AskBioMap uses.

Summarised from the Better Health Channel and InformedHealth.org. Sources read on 13 and 16 October 2026. General education only, not medical advice. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us through the HuBu-Intel contact page.

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