How Does Breathing Affect Stress?

A practical look at the relationship between breathing and stress

When you're stressed, your breathing often changes.

You might notice that you:

• breathe faster

• take larger or more frequent breaths

• hold your breath without realising

• breathe more through your mouth

• feel like you can't get a satisfying breath

• notice more tension around your chest, shoulders or jaw.

These changes are part of the body's response to stress.

But the relationship works both ways.

Stress can change your breathing — and changing your breathing can influence how your body responds to stress.

Why does stress change your breathing?

Your breathing is closely connected to the systems that help your body respond to changes in your environment.

When your brain perceives a threat or demand, your body can shift into a more activated state. Breathing may become faster and less regular as your body prepares to respond.

This is useful when you need to run, react or perform.

The problem is that modern stress doesn't always require a physical response.

You might be sitting at your desk answering emails, worrying about something, rushing between appointments or lying awake thinking about tomorrow.

Your body can still respond as though it needs to be ready for action.

Respiration and the body's stress systems are closely connected, although the relationship is complex and still being studied.

Can your breathing influence stress?

Yes — research suggests that deliberately changing your breathing can influence physiological and psychological measures associated with stress.

Slow breathing has been associated with changes in autonomic nervous system activity, heart-rate variability and subjective feelings such as relaxation and reduced arousal.

A systematic review published in 2024 examined breathing exercises for stress and anxiety in adults. Of the 19 studies included, 12 reported improvements in anxiety and nine reported improvements in stress. The authors also noted that larger, higher-quality trials are still needed.

So the evidence is encouraging — but breathing isn't a magic switch for stress.

What happens when you slow your breathing?

Slow breathing gives you something very practical to work with when you're feeling stressed.

Research suggests that slow breathing can influence the autonomic nervous system and increase measures such as heart-rate variability.

It may also help reduce the sense of physiological arousal that can accompany stress.

Importantly, slow breathing doesn't mean taking huge breaths.

A comfortable, quiet and controlled breath is generally very different from repeatedly taking large breaths.

What about the exhale?

You'll often hear that making your exhale longer than your inhale is the key to calming the nervous system.

There is some evidence for slow breathing as a stress-management strategy, but the idea that a longer exhale is always necessary is less clear.

In a 12-week randomised study, regular slow breathing reduced psychological stress. However, there was no statistically significant difference between a longer-exhale breathing pattern and an equal inhale/exhale pattern.

So rather than becoming overly focused on getting the “perfect” breathing ratio, it can be more useful to find a breathing pattern that feels comfortable, sustainable and appropriate for you.

What can you do when you're stressed?

You don't necessarily need a complicated breathing exercise.

Try starting with awareness.

Notice

What is your breathing doing right now?

Is it fast, slow, shallow, irregular or held?

Soften

Can you reduce unnecessary effort around your jaw, shoulders, chest or abdomen?

Slow down

If it feels comfortable, allow your breathing to become a little slower and quieter.

Don't force it

You don't need to take bigger breaths.

If you feel dizzy, uncomfortable or like you're working too hard, return to your natural breathing.

The aim isn't to control your body into calm.

It's to give your body an opportunity to shift towards a different state.

What if you're already overwhelmed?

This is where individualisation matters.

A breathing exercise that feels calming to one person may feel uncomfortable or activating to someone else.

Some breathing practices deliberately increase ventilation or involve breath holds. These are very different from gentle slow breathing and can produce stronger physiological effects.

For everyday stress, a gentle approach is often a good place to begin.

Research examining breathing practices for stress and anxiety suggests that guided practice and repeated practice may be useful, while simply doing a fast breathing exercise isn't consistently supported.

Your breath doesn't need to be perfect

Your breathing is supposed to change.

It will be different when you're:

exercising → concentrating → talking → sleeping → laughing → stressed → relaxed.

The goal isn't to keep your breathing exactly the same all day.

It's to have a breathing system that can adapt to what you're doing and recover when the demand has passed.

That is an important part of functional breathing.

The Guided Breath approach

At The Guided Breath, we look at breathing as part of the bigger picture.

Rather than assuming everyone needs the same breathing exercise, we start by noticing what your breathing is doing and considering what you actually need.

Sometimes that might mean learning to breathe more efficiently.

Sometimes it might mean practising slower breathing.

Sometimes it might simply mean becoming more aware of the connection between your breath, your body and your state.

You don't need another thing to get perfect.

Your breath is already with you all day.

Learning how to work with it can give you another practical tool for navigating stress.

Key Takeaways

• Stress can change the way you breathe.

• The relationship also works in the other direction: breathing can influence physiological and psychological responses to stress.

• Slow breathing has evidence supporting its use for reducing stress and promoting regulation.

• You don't need to take bigger breaths to benefit from breathing exercises.

• A longer exhale may feel calming, but research does not show that one particular inhale-to-exhale ratio is always superior.

• Different breathing techniques have different effects.

• The most useful breathing practice is one that is appropriate for you, comfortable and sustainable.

• Breathwork is a tool for working with stress — not a replacement for appropriate medical or psychological care.

References

Abelson, J. L., Khan, S., & Giardino, N. (2010). HPA axis, respiration and the airways in stress — a review in search of intersections. Biological Psychology, 84(1), 57–65.

Zaccaro, A., et al. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.

Hopper, S. I., et al. (2019). Effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for reducing physiological and psychological stress in adults: A quantitative systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 17(9), 1855–1876.

Laborde, S., et al. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 139, 104734.

Bentley, T. G., et al. (2023). Breathing practices for stress and anxiety reduction: Conceptual framework of implementation guidelines based on a systematic review of the published literature. Brain Sciences, 13(12), 1612.

Mason, H., et al. (2023). Slow breathing for reducing stress: The effect of extending exhale. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 75, 102937.

Morgan, S. P., Lengacher, C. A., & Seo, Y. (2025). A systematic review of breathing exercise interventions: An integrative complementary approach for anxiety and stress in adult populations. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 43(4), 354–376.