A breathing exercise can become famous rather quickly. The evidence usually travels more slowly, carrying several qualifications and an inconvenient amount of small print.
Physiological sigh research is often discussed as though it proves that one double inhale can switch off anxiety. The frequently cited 2023 study asked a different question: what happens when people practise structured breathing or mindfulness for five minutes a day over a month?
Its findings are interesting. They are not a promise that a sigh will work for everyone, treat a disorder or “reset” the nervous system. This article separates the research from the larger claims sometimes attached to it.
A single sigh is not the same as cyclic sighing
In the exercise discussed here, a sigh involves an inhale followed by a smaller second inhale, then a longer exhale. “Cyclic sighing” repeats that pattern. It is important to name the dose: one breath and a repeated five-minute practice are not interchangeable interventions.
The study by Yilmaz Balban and colleagues compared three daily breathing practices with an equal period of mindfulness meditation. The breathing groups used cyclic sighing, box breathing, or cyclic hyperventilation with retention. These are different practices; results for one do not justify recommending all of them.
The full paper reports 108 enrolled adults. They were assigned a five-minute practice daily for 28 days, with remote instructions and repeated questionnaires. Physiological information came from a wrist-worn device. The cyclic-sighing group had 30 participants.
What the researchers found
All four groups showed improvements in daily positive mood and reductions in state anxiety and negative mood following practice. The breathing groups, considered together, had greater improvement in positive mood than the mindfulness group. Cyclic sighing stood out for improvement in positive mood and reduced respiratory rate compared with mindfulness.
Those outcomes are worth keeping distinct. Positive mood is not the same measure as anxiety. The paper did not find a significant difference between the combined breathing and mindfulness groups in changes in state anxiety or negative mood. It also did not find significant changes in resting heart rate or heart-rate variability over the study.
So “breathwork was better than meditation at everything” is not an accurate summary. Nor does a lower respiratory rate, on its own, demonstrate a lasting change in overall nervous-system health.
The paper reported no significant change in trait anxiety. Its findings concern the measured experience and physiology during a short study, not a cure for an anxiety disorder.
The limitations are part of the result
The authors describe the study as exploratory and retrospectively registered. It was conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. They could not directly monitor exactly how people practised every day, and adherence relied on daily surveys.
Each individual group was relatively small. There was no follow-up beyond the four-week study, so it cannot tell us how long benefits lasted afterward or the minimum effective dose. Most participants came from an undergraduate psychology class, with others recruited by word of mouth; this is not a sample of everyone who might try breathwork.
The study also excluded people with some medical or psychiatric conditions that could be worsened by participation. That limits what can be inferred about those populations. It is especially important not to transform promising stress-management findings into advice to treat trauma, panic disorder or a heart or breathing condition yourself.
If you want to explore the pattern
You do not need to reproduce the research protocol to understand the idea. Our existing cyclic sighing practice introduces the technique. The following is a much shorter, gentler optional exploration, not the studied dose and not a claim of equivalent benefit.
Purpose: Notice whether one comfortable sigh feels acceptable. There is no required calming response.
Time: One breath, then a short pause with ordinary breathing. No five-minute target.
Position: Sit with support, eyes open. Do not practise while driving, standing somewhere precarious or in water.
- Begin with your ordinary breathing. If you are already breathless or uncomfortable, skip the exercise.
- Take an easy inhale, without trying to fill your lungs to their limit.
- If comfortable, add a small second inhale. Leave it out if that feels strained.
- Let the breath out gently, a little longer than the inhale if easy. Do not squeeze out every last bit of air.
- Return to ordinary breathing. Notice comfort rather than testing whether you are now calm.
What to notice: Ease, effort, an urge to take another breath, or no obvious change. None of these proves that a particular physiological mechanism has occurred.
If it feels too much: Stop immediately. Let breathing return to its usual rhythm and look around the room. Do not repeat the pattern to overcome dizziness, tingling, chest discomfort, air hunger or increasing panic.
Choosing something else is good judgement
Do not force deep breaths, breath holds or fast breathing. If you have a heart or respiratory condition, are pregnant, have a history of fainting or seizures, or find breathing attention triggers panic, ask a qualified clinician before deliberate breathing exercises. The trial’s exclusions are a reason for care, not a way to diagnose yourself.
New or severe chest pain, marked breathlessness or fainting needs urgent medical help, not another sigh. For ordinary stress, grounding through contact may be a better fit than breathing attention. Our longer exhale guide also emphasises comfort and stopping.
For integration, ask only: “Was that comfortable enough, and what would I choose next time?” A useful next step might be leaving breath alone. Research can inform your choices without turning a practice into an obligation.
FAQ
Did the study test one physiological sigh? It tested repeated five-minute daily cyclic sighing over 28 days, not the lasting effects of a single breath.
Does cyclic sighing cure anxiety? The study does not establish that. It found some mood and respiratory-rate benefits in a short remote trial, with important limits.
Must I practise for five minutes? No. The research dose is not a requirement for readers. Stop or skip deliberate breathing if it is uncomfortable, and seek clinical advice where appropriate.
