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Breathwork for anxiety may help a little. A 2023 meta-analysis (a study that pools many studies) found that people who practised breathwork reported somewhat lower stress, anxiety and depression than people in comparison groups. The effects were small to medium, and most trials had some risk of bias. It is a gentle tool to try, not a replacement for care if you have a diagnosed condition.
If you live with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, a heart or lung condition, or you are pregnant, talk to your doctor first. Go gently, stop if you feel unwell, and skip breath holds and fast breathing. More in who should not do breathwork.
It's 2am and your mind won't switch off. You type "breathing exercises for stress" into your phone and get a wall of big promises. Reset your nervous system in 20 minutes. It's hard to know what's real.
So I read the best summary of the research I could find. Here's what it found, in plain words, including what it couldn't show. It won't tell you breathing is a cure for anything. It will tell you what a pile of controlled trials suggests, and how to try a gentle version tonight.
How do you try breathwork for anxiety?
Most of the trials used slow breathing, so here is a gentle version. The NHS also has a simple stress-breathing exercise that suggests at least 5 minutes (NHS).
- Sit comfortably or lie down. Loosen anything tight.
- Breathe in gently through your nose. Let your belly move without forcing it.
- Breathe out gently, a little longer than the in-breath if that feels natural.
- Keep it easy. If you feel dizzy, tingly or uneasy, go back to normal breathing and stop.
- Do it for about 5 minutes. Try it once a day for a week and notice how you feel.
Nobody knows the best number of minutes or days yet. The studies couldn't answer that.
Does breathwork really help with anxiety and stress?
The study is a meta-analysis by Guy Fincham, Clara Strauss, Jesus Montero-Marin and Kate Cavanagh, published in Scientific Reports in January 2023 (Fincham et al. 2023). The same first author also published a separate trial in 2023. This post is about the meta-analysis only.
The team gathered randomised controlled trials. People were randomly placed in a breathwork group or a comparison group, such as no intervention or another activity. Then everyone filled in questionnaires about how they felt.
The scores use a measure called Hedges' g. Around 0.2 counts as a small effect and 0.5 as a medium one. A negative number means lower scores in the breathwork groups.
- Stress: 12 trials with 785 adults. The average effect was g = -0.35.
- Anxiety: 20 trials. The average effect was g = -0.32.
- Depression: 18 trials. The average effect was g = -0.40.
The ranges around each average (the 95% confidence intervals) all stay below zero. That's why the authors call the effects real but small to medium. Think of it as a dimmer switch nudged down a notch, not a light switched off.
Is slow breathing better than fast breathing?
For the stress analysis, 10 of the 12 trials used slow-paced breathing and 2 used fast-paced breathing. The slow-paced trials showed a clear effect (g = -0.35). The two fast-paced trials didn't reach a clear result on their own, but there were too few to say the two styles differ. The authors found no significant difference between subgroups.
Who does breathwork help?
Among the stress trials, the effect was clear in five trials of people without a diagnosed condition (g = -0.34). It was not clear in six trials of people with a physical health condition, or in the single trial of people with a mental health condition. The authors say it's too early to recommend breathwork for clinical groups.
What couldn't the research tell us?
This is where honesty matters.
- Risk of bias. In the stress trials, none were rated low risk. Three were high risk and nine had "some concerns".
- Everything was self-reported. There were no objective measures such as blood tests or heart data.
- No clear dose. The authors found no significant link between effect size and how long or how often people practised. So be wary of anyone who says they know the perfect number of minutes.
- Only adults, only English-language studies.
- Side effects. The authors reported no adverse events directly attributed to breathwork in the stress trials. In one fast-paced study of people with depression, some participants reported hot flushes, shortness of breath or sweating. They chose to continue and none dropped out for that reason.
The authors themselves ask for better-designed trials.
The research in a nutshell
| Study | Who | What they found |
|---|---|---|
| Fincham et al. 2023, Scientific Reports | Adults. Stress: 12 trials, 785 people. Anxiety: 20 trials. Depression: 18 trials | Small to medium lower scores: stress g = -0.35, anxiety g = -0.32, depression g = -0.40 |
How strong is the evidence? Early but promising. The direction is consistent across many trials, but the trials are small and not tightly controlled.
Who should skip this or check first
- If you have a diagnosed condition. Anxiety, depression or any other condition: speak to your doctor or therapist. Breathwork is not a replacement for care. The authors of the meta-analysis consider it premature to recommend it for clinical groups.
- If you have panic attacks. Slow, gentle breathing is very different from fast breathing. If a breathing exercise makes you feel more anxious, stop and tell someone you trust.
- If you have heart or lung conditions, or are pregnant. Ask your doctor first.
- If you feel unsafe or are thinking about harming yourself. Please reach out to a doctor or a crisis line in your country right away. A breathing exercise is not the right tool for that moment.
Questions people ask
Does breathwork work as well as therapy or medication?
This meta-analysis compared breathwork with non-breathwork comparison groups, not with therapy or medication. So it can't tell us. Please don't swap your care for breathing exercises.
How long should I do breathing exercises for anxiety each day?
The studies couldn't show an ideal length. Effect size didn't significantly track with how long or how often people practised. Many people start with around 5 minutes, and the NHS exercise suggests at least 5 minutes.
Is slow breathing better than fast breathing for stress?
Most of the trials used slow-paced breathing, and that's where the clearer results were. Fast-paced breathing had only two trials in the stress analysis, which is too few to judge. Fast breathing is also more likely to feel intense, so gentle is a sensible place to start.
Will breathing exercises help right away or only after weeks?
This analysis looked at scores after the intervention, so it doesn't tell us how quickly feelings change. Trials ran for different lengths of time.
Can breathwork make anxiety worse?
The authors saw no adverse events directly attributed to breathwork in the stress trials, but some people in one fast-paced study of depression felt hot, short of breath or sweaty. If it feels bad, stop.
Sources and further reading (2)
- Fincham GW, Strauss C, Montero-Marin J, Cavanagh K. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: a meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Scientific Reports, 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9828383/
- NHS. Breathing exercises for stress. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/breathing-exercises-for-stress/
Updated 24 October 2026. We re-check posts when new research comes out.
