Stress
Slow breathing (5–10 minutes a day)
5–6 breaths a minute for 5–10 minutes a day lowers blood pressure 4–6 mmHg in RCTs, raises HRV, and exhale-weighted breathing (the physiological sigh) calms anxiety faster than meditation.
Impact 2/53/5· Multiple human trialsEffort: free, today
First step today
Now: two quick inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth — three times. Tonight 5 minutes of 5-5 breathing before bed.
How
Resonance breathing: 5 s in, 5 s out (through the nose), 5–10 minutes, seated, an app helps. The physiological sigh for acute stress: two short inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth, 1–3 times. At night 4-7-8 (4 in, 7 hold, 8 out) helps falling asleep. Exhale longer than inhale = the parasympathetic switch.
Evidence
Balban 2023 (Stanford, RCT, n=108, 1 month): 5 minutes a day of exhale-weighted breathing improved mood and lowered respiratory rate more than mindfulness meditation. Meta-analysis (Chaddha 2019, 17 RCTs): slow breathing –5.6/–2.8 mmHg in hypertensives. Lehrer 2020 meta-analysis: HRV biofeedback has a moderate effect on anxiety and depression. The effect scales with daily practice; a single session is transient.
Goals
SleepHeart, blood sugarEnergy, fatigue
Sources
Last reviewed: 6 September 2026
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