Your body and mind were wonderfully made, and they’re intricately connected, too. And woven between each movement and every thought is your breath. Your nervous system and breath have a two-way relationship, and mind-body practices like breathwork empower you to feel the powerful connection between them — and learn how to regulate your body’s response to stress.
We’re here with Lung Health Program Coordinator Gloria Bailey, MPH, RRT, CHES, CTTS, to break down the science of diaphragmatic breathing, explain each step and offer tips on how to make it a healthy habit.
What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?
“Diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing, is a simple, free technique that can help many people breathe more comfortably and feel more relaxed,” Gloria says. This exercise strengthens your diaphragm, the main muscle used for breathing. It’s the opposite of short and shallow chest breathing, where your chest, shoulders and neck do the work of helping you breathe.
Most people fall into the rhythm of chest breathing daily without realizing it, especially in moments of tension. However, your chest, neck and shoulders aren’t meant for this task; your diaphragm’s designed to support your breath. “The more you strengthen this muscle, the more you help reduce the load on your neck and shoulders to help you breathe,” she says. Over time, diaphragmatic breathing can help make breathing feel more efficient and less tiring, too.
Gloria notes that if you live with a chronic lung condition like COPD, ask your healthcare provider or respiratory therapist before practicing belly breathing or another breathing exercise. Your trusted provider can tell you which breathing techniques are best for your needs.
The Science of Diaphragmatic Breathing and Stress Reduction
Let’s take a closer look at the science behind belly breathing and stress relief, starting with the basics of the nervous system.
How the Nervous System Responds
Within your autonomic nervous system is your sympathetic nervous system, which activates your fight-or-flight response, and your parasympathetic nervous system, which “some people refer to as the body’s rest-and-digest response,” Gloria says. There’s also your vagus nerve, which unites your major organs and handles automatic functions like heart rate and breathing.
When you practice diaphragmatic breathing, you stimulate the vagus nerve and send signals to the brain to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. “The slow, controlled breathing that you do in this exercise helps slow your heart rate and reduce the stress hormone cortisol, promoting a sense of calmness,” Gloria says.
Physiological Effects of Breathing
In times of mental and emotional stress, your breathing may become shorter and shallower, stemming from the chest and preparing the body to fight or take flight. During sleep and periods of rest, each breath is deeper and fuller, with the belly rising and falling to the natural rhythm of the diaphragm.
But the relationship goes the other direction, too. The way you breathe can trigger or calm your nervous system. Taking short, shallow breaths through the mouth can signal to your sympathetic nervous system that danger is present, triggering the release of more cortisol, the stress hormone. On the other hand, slow, deep and controlled breathing can have the opposite effect, activating your parasympathetic nervous system to reduce your body’s stress response.
Deeper and more efficient than chest breathing, diaphragmatic breathing uses the diaphragm muscle to support a full exchange of oxygen — inhaling oxygen, exhaling carbon dioxide — to increase oxygen flow in the body.
This slow, intentional exchange has meaningful benefits for the rest of your body, too. Diaphragmatic breathing helps regulate heart rate, stabilize blood pressure and decrease cortisol and stress in the body. “It’s a very useful tool anyone can use to better manage stress and anxiety,” Gloria affirms.
What the Research Shows
Clinical studies from the National Library of Medicine have shown that people who practiced diaphragmatic breathing over a period of eight weeks had significantly lower cortisol levels and greater mental focus than people who didn’t engage in this breathwork. Supporting clinical research studies have also shown that even just five minutes of daily breathwork can improve mood and reduce anxiety, and that it can be more effective in improving mood than mindful meditation.
How to Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
Here’s how to do diaphragmatic breathing:
Step-by-Step Guide to Belly Breathing
- Position your body: Gloria recommends practicing while lying down; if you can’t, sit in a reclined position (so you can see your belly) with your back supported.
- Place your hands: Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, above your belly button.
- Inhale into the belly: Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, into the belly, almost like you’re filling a balloon. You should see your hand on your stomach rise as your belly does.
- Exhale through pursed lips: Breathe out slowly through your mouth. As you exhale, the hand on your belly should fall as your stomach does, too.
For a breathing pattern, try inhaling for two counts and exhaling for four, and practice for a few minutes at a time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
As you get started with diaphragmatic breathing, keep these pointers in mind:
- Try it while at rest, first: “Trying to practice during a stressful situation without proper technique can make your body work harder to breathe,” Gloria explains.
- Don’t rush: Take your time and don’t rush your breathing. If you start to worry that you’re not doing it right or your breathing quickens, simply slow your pace or pause if you need to.
- Keep your chest still: If your chest and shoulders are moving up and down, pause and reset. During diaphragmatic breathing, your belly should be the part that rises and falls.
- Don’t tense your muscles: If you’re used to chest breathing, your shoulders and neck may be holding a lot of tension. As you start belly breathing, relax your shoulders away from your ears, and unclench your jaw, too.
If belly breathing feels unnatural at first, it’s OK. Remember that all new healthy habits can take some time and practice. Rest assured that you’ll get there.
How Often to Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
“Like any new skill, diaphragmatic breathing becomes easier with regular practice,” Gloria says. “I recommend practicing for five to 10 minutes once or twice a day while sitting or lying down. Once it becomes familiar, you can practice it during stressful situations, episodes of anxiety or when you feel short of breath.”
Your Doctor Has the Answers
The right routine for you will ultimately depend on your unique needs and goals, and that’s where your doctor can help. Your primary care provider is familiar with your health history and lifestyle and can advise on how many times per day and for how long to practice diaphragmatic breathing.
Consistency Is Key to Results
When you have a recommendation and a plan, building consistency is the key to seeing the benefits. If you’re having trouble getting started, look up one of the many helpful breathwork demonstration videos online, or consider downloading a free mobile app to help you practice. Most importantly, trust that you’ll make progress, and that you’re doing a good thing for your body.
Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing for Anxiety and Stress
Turning your attention inward through diaphragmatic breathing benefits your body and mind in more ways than one.
For your mental health, belly breathing can:
- Help you manage stress
- Improve your emotional regulation
- Increase your mindfulness
- Reduce anxiety symptoms
Physically, diaphragmatic breathing helps:
- Improve oxygen delivery throughout the body
- Lower your blood pressure
- Reduce muscle tension
- Stabilize your heart rate
Over time and with consistent practice, you can experience the long-term benefits of diaphragmatic breathing, like:
- Better resilience during stressful situations
- Enhanced overall well-being
- Improved sleep quality
With these benefits in mind, you can make belly breathing part of your routine for much more than just stress relief.
Making Diaphragmatic Breathing Part of Your Daily Life
One of the best parts of diaphragmatic breathing is that it’s a simple and accessible wellness habit that you can build into your regular routine.
Best Times to Practice
While you can do diaphragmatic breathing almost anytime, anywhere, the best time to practice is ideally before you need it — meaning before you’re in a stressful situation — so that your body can be better equipped to handle stress. “It works best when practiced regularly, not just when you’re already feeling short of breath, anxious, or stressed,” Gloria says.
You can practice belly breathing before you even get out of bed in the morning to start the day with a sense of calm, and you can make it part of your wind-down routine at the end of the day to help your body and mind relax before sleep. Even a quick few minutes of belly breathing before a situation that you anticipate will be stressful, like an important business meeting, can help you refocus your energy and calm your nerves, too.
Pairing Breathing With Other Wellness Practices
Focusing on your breath is a common thread among many wellness practices. In yoga, breathwork involves intentional inhalation and exhalation through the nose as you move through each posture, never holding your breath. Meditation, on the other hand, doesn’t typically involve control over the breath. Instead, you become a passive observer of its natural rhythm, not forcing yourself to breathe in a certain way. In these practices and others, your breath becomes part of overall mindfulness and relaxation.
Creating a Sustainable Routine
You know your daily routine and what works for you and what doesn’t serve you. To make belly breathing sustainable for your lifestyle, start small. Pick a consistent time to practice this breathing technique for a couple of minutes each day. It might help to stack this habit on top of one you already do each day to get into the rhythm a bit more easily. If it’s easier for you to watch and learn from someone else, try following a guided breathing exercise video, or for audio-only instructions, explore one of the many mindfulness meditation apps available. You may have to try a few different approaches, but making it as easy as possible for yourself is the key to staying consistent.
Diaphragmatic Breathing vs. Other Stress-Relief Techniques
There are several types of mindful breathing for beginners, each with its own rhythm and purpose.
Diaphragmatic Breathing vs. Box Breathing
With box breathing, you inhale, hold your breath, exhale and then hold your breath again — each for a count of four. Your inhalations, retentions and exhalations are all equal, and it can help to visualize that you’re breathing around four sides of a square box. Unlike deeper diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing doesn’t have a specific focus on breathing in and out of the belly. It’s less about comfort or relief and more about preparing the body for physical activity.
Diaphragmatic Breathing vs. Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is a general term to describe taking long, slow breaths. Diaphragmatic breathing is a deep breathing exercise with the intention of inhaling through the nose into the belly, engaging the diaphragm and exhaling through pursed lips.
Diaphragmatic Breathing vs. Meditation
Belly breathing and meditation both help you draw your awareness to the present moment and focus on the connection between your body and mind. Specifically for stress relief, belly breathing can help lower your body’s stress hormones relatively quickly by focusing on intentional breathing. In contrast, meditation does not aim to control the breath at all.
Finding the Right Combination for You
There’s no one right way to practice breathwork or other mind-body grounding practices. Just as a plant-based diet and intentional exercise work together to boost your physical health, combining multiple breathwork techniques may foster a greater sense of overall well-being. Consider your lifestyle, stress levels, physical health, available time to practice and long-term goals to help you decide on the right blend.
Diaphragmatic Breathing as Part of a Holistic Mental Health Plan
Breathwork is just one of many emotional regulation strategies that can support your mental well-being. Practicing self-care strategies daily — like talking with loved ones, taking up a hobby, making yourself a good meal and prioritizing your sleep — and making time for what brings you joy are all parts of nurturing your mental wellness.
When to Seek Professional Support for Anxiety
Holistic approaches to anxiety, like breathwork, can be helpful if you only feel anxious occasionally. If anxiety feels like it’s part of your daily life, talking with a behavioral health expert can offer you more meaningful and long-term relief. Talk to your doctor about anxiety if:
- You feel anxious about more than one area of your life
- Your anxiety is harming your physical well-being, like sapping your energy or sleep
- Your anxiety is persistent and doesn’t seem to get better
If you’re struggling with intense worry or fear in situations that aren’t normally anxiety-inducing, you may be struggling with an anxiety disorder, like panic disorder, social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. A therapist can help you know for sure and help you take the right steps to feel like yourself again.
Your mental health expert will work one-on-one with you to get to the root of your anxiety, and can talk you through different therapeutic approaches, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), to best meet your needs.
