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Cyclic sighing is a double inhale through the nose followed by a long, slow sigh out. In a 108-person study, 5 minutes a day for 28 days lifted mood more than mindfulness meditation did, while anxiety dropped about the same in both. The research is early, so think of it as a simple, calming habit that people said made them feel better, not a fix for anxiety.
There are no breath holds here, so it is one of the gentler exercises. Still, slow deep breathing can make some people lightheaded. If that happens, stop and breathe normally. If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or your anxiety gets in the way of daily life, please check with a doctor first. More in who should not do breathwork.
Ever noticed that a big sigh just makes you feel a little lighter? Cyclic sighing turns that natural sigh into a tiny practice.
It is all over social media, often called "the best breathing exercise for anxiety". It sounds almost too easy: breathe in, breathe in a little more, then sigh it all out. I went and read the research behind the claim. It is more interesting, and more modest, than the headlines.
How do you do cyclic sighing?
This follows what the studies used. Nobody has tested which exact counts work best.
- Sit or lie down comfortably and set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose until your lungs feel comfortably full.
- Without breathing out, sip in a second, shorter breath through your nose to top up.
- Sigh out slowly through your mouth until you feel empty. Make the exhale longer than the inhale. One example from a 2026 pilot: about 3 seconds for the first inhale, 1 second for the second, and 8 seconds out.
- Repeat for the whole 5 minutes, then breathe normally for a moment.
If you feel dizzy, make the exhale shorter and go gentler.
What did the cyclic sighing study find?
The claim usually traces back to a 2023 Stanford-led trial in Cell Reports Medicine (the Balban study). It had 108 adults, most of them from a Stanford psychology class. Everyone did a 5-minute exercise each day for 28 days. They were split into four groups: cyclic sighing, box breathing, a fast-breathing method with holds, and mindfulness meditation as the comparison.
Here is what happened:
- Mood went up most with cyclic sighing. People rated their mood before and after each session. Cyclic sighing lifted positive mood more than mindfulness did, and the more days people practiced, the bigger the gain.
- Anxiety went down, but not more than with mindfulness. Right-now anxiety dropped by about 3.85 points after cyclic sighing and about 3.95 after mindfulness. That is no real difference. This is the part the headlines miss.
- Everyday anxiety did not change. How anxious people felt on most days stayed the same in every group.
- Breathing rate fell more in the cyclic sighing group than in the mindfulness group.
- Heart rate variability and sleep did not change. HRV is the small natural change in time between heartbeats.
The honest "but": the authors call it an exploratory study. Group sizes were small, adherence was self-reported, and it only followed people for 4 weeks.
Does cyclic sighing work in a real stressful moment?
A small 2026 pilot in Anxiety, Stress, & Coping tried exactly that (the Riedl study). Forty-seven university students, mostly women with an average age around 21, used a phone app whenever they felt tense. Each time, it randomly gave them one minute of cyclic sighing, one minute of box breathing, or nothing.
Five minutes later, anxiety was lower after either breathing exercise than after doing nothing. It also eased a little on its own, so doing nothing is not a zero. The two exercises did about the same. The authors note that expectations may play a part, and the results may not apply to men, older adults or people with health conditions.
Is cyclic sighing the same as the physiological sigh?
People use the two names for the same pattern: a double inhale and a long exhale. I did not find a separate human trial under the name "physiological sigh", so everything here rests on studies of cyclic sighing.
What do we still not know?
A Stanford trial (NCT06526585) is now comparing cyclic sighing and box breathing with hypnosis and an audiobook, at 10 minutes a day for 28 days, with brain scans (ClinicalTrials.gov). It plans 80 people, is due to finish on 12 November 2026, and has no results yet. I will update this post when it does.
The research in a nutshell
| Study | Who | What they found |
|---|---|---|
| Balban et al. 2023 | 108 adults, mostly psychology students | Mood rose more than with mindfulness. Anxiety fell about equally. HRV and sleep did not change. |
| Riedl et al. 2026 | 47 university students, mostly women | Anxiety was lower 5 minutes after one minute of cyclic sighing or box breathing than after nothing. |
| Stanford NCT06526585 | 80 planned adults | No results yet. |
How strong is the evidence? Early but promising. There is a real signal for mood and short-term calm, though the studies are small and cyclic sighing did not beat mindfulness for anxiety.
Who should skip this or check first
- The main trial left out people with heart disease, glaucoma, a seizure history, pregnancy, psychosis, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder or substance use disorders. We do not know how the exercise works for them, so ask your doctor.
- The 2026 pilot also left out people with heart, brain, hormone or lung conditions, and pregnancy.
- If you feel faint, stop. Fast deep breathing can make you lightheaded because it lowers carbon dioxide in the blood (Cleveland Clinic).
- If anxiety is intense, constant, or affecting sleep, work or relationships, please speak with a doctor or mental health professional. A breathing exercise is a small tool, not a replacement for care.
Questions people ask
Is cyclic sighing the best breathing exercise for anxiety?
We cannot say that. In the main trial, anxiety went down about the same with cyclic sighing and with mindfulness meditation. Only mood favoured cyclic sighing.
How long does cyclic sighing take to work?
The studies measured how people felt right after a session. In the 2026 pilot that was five minutes after one minute of practice. In the main trial the mood benefit grew with the number of days people practiced.
How long should I do cyclic sighing?
The main trial used 5 minutes once a day, and the pilot used one minute. A longer practice has not been shown to be better, so a few minutes is a fine place to start.
Can cyclic sighing help my HRV or sleep?
In the main trial, neither HRV nor sleep measured by a wrist strap changed over 28 days of 5-minute practice. That does not mean it never could, only that this study did not show it.
Is it safe to do every day?
People in the main trial practiced for 4 weeks. Most were young students, and people with several health conditions were left out, so we know little beyond that. Check with a doctor if you have a health condition.
Sources and further reading (4)
- Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, Weed L, Nouriani B, Jo B, Holl G, Zeitzer JM, Spiegel D, Huberman AD. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 2023. Full text. PMC9873947
- Riedl EM, Bracklo T, Wimmer K, Perzl J, Gdynia H-J, Thomas J, Surzykiewicz J. Simply breathing anxiety away? A pilot, just-in-time ecological momentary intervention study of one-minute cyclic sighing versus box breathing. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 2026. Full text. doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2659809
- Stanford University. Examining the Immediate and Training Effects of Regular Stress Reduction Practices on Psychophysiological Markers of Anxiety (NCT06526585), ClinicalTrials.gov registry record. clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06526585
- Cleveland Clinic. Hyperventilation (patient information page). my.clevelandclinic.org
Updated 24 October 2026. We re-check posts when new research comes out.
