The Short Answer
Breathing exercises are simple techniques — usually slow, deep, or paced breathing — that people use to trigger the body's relaxation response. Research reviewed by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health, has looked at breathing exercises for stress, blood pressure, and pain, with some encouraging early results and some real limits in what the evidence can currently prove. This guide separates what's reasonably well-supported from what's still uncertain, and walks through practical next steps.
Red Flags First: When to Skip Breathing Exercises and Call for Help
Breathing exercises are not a substitute for emergency care. Call your local emergency number right away for chest pain, severe shortness of breath, fainting, or a sudden inability to catch your breath. If you have epilepsy, a psychiatric condition, or a history of trauma or abuse, talk with a health care provider before starting a relaxation practice — NCCIH notes rare reports of these techniques worsening symptoms in some people with those histories.
What the Evidence Actually Shows: An Evidence Ladder
Not all findings carry the same weight. Here's how the research on breathing and related relaxation techniques stacks up, from more consistent to more preliminary.
- Reasonably consistent, modest effect: A 2019 review of 17 studies (1,165 participants) found that slow breathing exercises led to a modest reduction in blood pressure and may be a reasonable first step for people with prehypertension or low-risk high blood pressure.
- Encouraging but preliminary: A 2019 review of 3 studies (880 participants) found early evidence that diaphragmatic breathing exercises may help reduce stress, with positive changes in self-reported mental health and some physical measures like cortisol levels.
- Mixed, disorder-specific: A 2019 review found evidence that paced breathing can improve hot flashes in menopause, based on 4 studies with 398 participants.
- Low-quality but used in practice: A 2018 review found breathing exercises helpful alongside other strategies for reducing pain and distress during needle procedures in children and teens, though the review authors rated the underlying research low to very low quality.
- Not yet well-supported: Research specifically isolating breathing exercises (as opposed to broader relaxation or biofeedback techniques) for sleep, fibromyalgia, or irritable bowel syndrome remains too thin to draw conclusions.
Across nearly all of this research, NCCIH flags the same limitation: studies tend to be small, short in follow-up, and inconsistent in how they measure results — so these are signals worth paying attention to, not settled conclusions.
Known vs. Unknown
- Known: Breathing exercises are generally considered safe for healthy people, with no reported negative side effects in most studies.
- Known: Slow, diaphragmatic breathing is one of several relaxation techniques (alongside progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, biofeedback, and self-hypnosis) that share the goal of triggering the relaxation response — slower breathing, lower blood pressure, reduced heart rate.
- Unknown: Whether breathing exercises used alone, without other lifestyle changes or treatment, meaningfully change long-term health outcomes such as stroke or heart attack risk.
- Unknown: Which specific breathing patterns, durations, or frequencies work best — most reviews note the studies they cover used different protocols, making direct comparisons difficult.
- Unknown: Occasionally, people report negative experiences such as increased anxiety or intrusive thoughts during relaxation practice; researchers don't yet have a clear picture of who is more likely to have this reaction.
A Practical Next-Step Checklist
If you're considering breathing exercises as part of your routine:
- Check with your health care provider first if you have high blood pressure, epilepsy, a psychiatric condition, or a history of trauma — NCCIH specifically recommends this shared-decision conversation before starting.
- If you have high blood pressure, keep following your prescribed treatment plan. NCCIH is explicit that slow breathing may help modestly but should not replace prescribed care.
- Track how you feel over a few weeks rather than expecting an immediate result — the research base that exists points to gradual, modest changes, not quick fixes.
- If a technique increases anxiety or brings up distressing thoughts, stop and talk to a health care provider rather than pushing through.
- Treat breathing exercises as one option among several relaxation techniques, not a stand-alone treatment for a diagnosed condition.
Where This Comes From
This guide is based on a single authoritative fact sheet: “Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know” from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health (last updated June 2021). You can learn more about Integrative Health Evidence Guide on our home page, or reach us through our contact page.
Educational Disclaimer
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not diagnose any condition, recommend a treatment, or replace a conversation with your own health care provider. Integrative Health Evidence Guide publishes this content as an independent educational resource and does not sell or recommend any specific product, service, or provider in connection with this article.
By the Integrative Health Evidence Guide Team. Last updated: September 2026.