EvidenceBModerateGood evidence in people with one real weakness. New studies could change the answer.
Yes, slow breathing exercises lowered stress by a small to medium amount in trials of healthy and mixed adult groups. Most trials had some weaknesses, and the longer-term effect is less clear.
Who it's for
Adults wanting to feel less stressed; not shown to help teenagers over one week.
What to expect
A small to medium drop in self-rated stress after weeks of practice.
Watch out for
Nothing notable reported; benefits were measured mostly by self-report.
Breathwork lowered self-reported stress compared with controls
A dot with a line shows the average effect and its 95% range across 12 trials; a range that stays left of zero means less stress.
← BetterWorse →
No difference
Meta-analysis of 12 trials−0.35 (−0.55 to −0.14)Clear improvement
−0.4−0.20
effect size (0.2 is small, 0.5 medium, 0.8 large)
Breathwork lowered self-reported stress compared with controls
Figure 3. Forest plot comparing breathwork interventions to non-breathwork control groups on primary outcome of self-reported/subjective stress at post-intervention.
A review that pooled 12 randomized trials People are assigned by chance to the treatment or a comparison, so a difference in results is likely caused by the treatment itself. (785 adults) found breathing exercises linked to lower self-rated stress than control groups, a small-to-medium effect. Most trials had a moderate risk of bias. Ten of the 12 focused on slow-paced breathing1Meta-analysis · 2023 · 785 peopleEffect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Overall, results showed that breathwork may be effective for improving stress and mental health. However, we urge caution and advocate for nuanced research approaches with low risk-of-bias study designs to avoid a miscalibration between hype and evidence.Sci Rep.
The same review found similar small-to-medium effects on anxiety (20 trials) and depression symptoms (18 trials)1Meta-analysis · 2023 · 785 peopleEffect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Overall, results showed that breathwork may be effective for improving stress and mental health. However, we urge caution and advocate for nuanced research approaches with low risk-of-bias study designs to avoid a miscalibration between hype and evidence.Sci Rep. Results varied more between trials for those outcomes.
A systematic review A review that searches for every study on a question in a set way and weighs them together, rather than picking a few. of 19 studies in adults found 9 reported significant stress improvements and 12 reported anxiety improvements. It noted few large randomized trials4Systematic review · 2025A Systematic Review of Breathing Exercise Interventions: An Integrative Complementary Approach for Anxiety and Stress in Adult Populations.Breathing exercises were found to be effective in reducing anxiety and stress in adults, however, there continues to be limited evidence that includes large randomized controlled trials. Breathing exercises are a holistic care approach that can be safely implemented by nurses to decrease symptomatology among adults,…J Holist Nurs.
A 12-week trial of 100 healthy adults found slow breathing practice reduced psychological stress. Heart rate variability, a body measure of stress, did not change significantly. Making the exhale longer than the inhale added no clear extra benefit3Randomized trial · 2023 · 100 peopleSlow breathing for reducing stress: The effect of extending exhale.While slow breathing significantly reduces psychological stress, breath ratios do not have a significant differential effect on stress reduction among healthy adults.Complement Ther Med.
A month-long trial compared 5 minutes a day of three breathing styles with mindfulness meditation. Breathwork, especially exhale-focused "cyclic sighing", improved mood more and lowered breathing rate more2Randomized trial · 2023Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.Cell Rep Med.
Results in younger and special groups are mixed. In 147 students aged 16 to 19, one week of digital slow breathing did not clearly cut stress10Randomized trial · 2026 · 49 peopleEffectiveness and Usability of Digital Slow Breathing and Detached Mindfulness Interventions in Late Adolescents: Mixed Methods Study.This study provides early formative evidence that brief digital interventions such as SB and DM are feasible and usable, with preliminary indication that DM intervention may support short-term stress reduction. Future research should focus on enhancing motivation and sustained engagement to maximize the effectiveness…JMIR Form Res. In 46 musicians, a single session did not lower anxiety overall but helped those with high baseline anxiety8Randomized trial · 2012 · 30 peopleMatter over mind: a randomised-controlled trial of single-session biofeedback training on performance anxiety and heart rate variability in musicians.These findings indicate that a single session of slow breathing, regardless of biofeedback, is sufficient for controlling physiological arousal in anticipation of psychosocial stress associated with music performance and that slow breathing is particularly helpful for musicians with high levels of anxiety. Future…PLoS One.
Small studies of one session or of yoga, which includes breathing but also poses and relaxation, also found less anxiety or stress6Clinical trial · 2021 · 25 peopleBenefits from one session of deep and slow breathing on vagal tone and anxiety in young and older adults.Thus, we provide evidence suggesting that DSB is more beneficial to older adults than younger ones to restore vagal outflow. Despite future work being required, those results provide relevant clinical application leads to manage state anxiety among older adults and to promote successfull aging.Sci Rep,7Randomized trial · 2017Effects of Yoga on Heart Rate Variability and Depressive Symptoms in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.A 12-week yoga program was effective in increasing parasympathetic tone and reducing depressive symptoms and perceived stress in women with elevated depressive symptoms. Regular yoga practice may be recommended for women to cope with their depressive symptoms and stress and to improve their HRV.J Altern Complement Med. These are too small and mixed to settle the question.
These figures compare groups, so the gain for one person depends on how stressed they were to begin with.
Key studies
Study
Who
What it found
Review of 12 trials, 20231Meta-analysis · 2023 · 785 peopleEffect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Overall, results showed that breathwork may be effective for improving stress and mental health. However, we urge caution and advocate for nuanced research approaches with low risk-of-bias study designs to avoid a miscalibration between hype and evidence.Sci Rep
785 adults
Small-to-medium drop in stress versus controls
Trial, 20233Randomized trial · 2023 · 100 peopleSlow breathing for reducing stress: The effect of extending exhale.While slow breathing significantly reduces psychological stress, breath ratios do not have a significant differential effect on stress reduction among healthy adults.Complement Ther Med
100 healthy adults
Stress fell over 12 weeks; exhale length made no clear difference
Trial, 20232Randomized trial · 2023Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.Cell Rep Med
Adults, 1 month
Cyclic sighing improved mood more than mindfulness
Trial, 202610Randomized trial · 2026 · 49 peopleEffectiveness and Usability of Digital Slow Breathing and Detached Mindfulness Interventions in Late Adolescents: Mixed Methods Study.This study provides early formative evidence that brief digital interventions such as SB and DM are feasible and usable, with preliminary indication that DM intervention may support short-term stress reduction. Future research should focus on enhancing motivation and sustained engagement to maximize the effectiveness…JMIR Form Res
147 students aged 16 to 19
One week of slow breathing: no clear stress drop
Review of 19 studies, 20254Systematic review · 2025A Systematic Review of Breathing Exercise Interventions: An Integrative Complementary Approach for Anxiety and Stress in Adult Populations.Breathing exercises were found to be effective in reducing anxiety and stress in adults, however, there continues to be limited evidence that includes large randomized controlled trials. Breathing exercises are a holistic care approach that can be safely implemented by nurses to decrease symptomatology among adults,…J Holist Nurs
Adults
9 studies showed less stress; no side effects reported
Safety
No side effects were reported in a review of 19 studies4Systematic review · 2025A Systematic Review of Breathing Exercise Interventions: An Integrative Complementary Approach for Anxiety and Stress in Adult Populations.Breathing exercises were found to be effective in reducing anxiety and stress in adults, however, there continues to be limited evidence that includes large randomized controlled trials. Breathing exercises are a holistic care approach that can be safely implemented by nurses to decrease symptomatology among adults,…J Holist Nurs.
What we don't know
Whether benefits last beyond a few months, since most trials were short.
Which technique and daily time works best, since trials used different methods and mostly compared against no treatment, not against other proven stress tools.
Written by AI from the studies listed, without review by a clinician, and graded with the GRADE method. It can be wrong, so check the studies it cites. Education, not medical advice.