Slow, deliberate breathing sends a signal to the parasympathetic nervous system, the "rest and digest" side that lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
A 2025 randomized trial tested that idea in 99 healthy adults. The study, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and funded by the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, tracked 12 weeks of yoga-based slow breathing.
Systolic blood pressure fell by 2.4 mmHg on average, and diastolic by 1.6 mmHg. The researchers noted the drop happened without a clear change in heart rate variability, one common measure of nervous-system balance.
Larger effects show up when the practice is regular.
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A 2023 systematic review of 15 studies found breathing exercises lowered systolic pressure by around 7 mmHg and diastolic by around 3 mmHg overall.
Here are five specific techniques worth trying, and what the research says about each.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Also called belly breathing. Sit or lie down, place one hand on your chest and one on your belly, and inhale slowly through the nose so only the belly hand rises.
Exhale gently through pursed lips. Aim for 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
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A 2023 review in Frontiers in Physiology reported that a single session of slow deep breathing acutely dropped systolic pressure by 3 to 4 mmHg.
In one trial cited, twenty 15-minute sessions over eight weeks reduced markers of physiological stress including salivary cortisol.
The 4-7-8 breath
Developed by physician Andrew Weil from pranayama tradition. Inhale through the nose for a count of 4, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8. Four cycles takes roughly a minute.
In a randomized trial in 90 bariatric surgery patients, post-test state-anxiety scores in the 4-7-8 group were significantly lower than in a generic deep-breathing group and a control group.
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Direct trials on blood pressure remain limited, so treat this one as an acute tool for stress.
Box breathing
Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat for 3 to 5 minutes. The pattern is widely used in military and emergency-services training for calm under pressure.
The design draws on the same slow-paced breathing physiology that lowers heart rate and activates the vagus nerve. Formal clinical trials on box breathing itself are thin, so its blood pressure evidence is inferred from the broader slow-breathing literature.
Slow-paced breathing at six breaths a minute
The specific cadence behind most of the blood pressure research. Breathe in for about 5 seconds, out for about 5 seconds, six cycles per minute. Practice for 10 to 15 minutes.
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This is the pace used in the Vanderbilt trial and in most device-guided breathing studies. The Frontiers review identified breathing at about six breaths a minute or fewer as the consistent parameter behind reported cardiovascular benefits.
Alternate-nostril breathing
Known in yoga as nadi shodhana. Use your thumb to close the right nostril and inhale through the left. Then close the left with a finger and exhale through the right.
Inhale right, close, exhale left. That is one cycle. Aim for 5 minutes.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found that alternate-nostril breathing, alone or as part of a yoga program, was linked to significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
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What the evidence supports
Breathing training is not a substitute for hypertension medication.
The reductions measured across studies are meaningful for cardiovascular risk over time, but they are averages, and individual results vary. The most robust findings come from regular practice over weeks.
If your blood pressure readings are consistently above 130/80 mmHg, or if anxiety is interfering with daily life, talk to your doctor. Slow breathing can sit alongside medication, exercise and diet, not replace them.
This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.