27/02/2024
5 minutes of deep breathing a day has been demonstrated to reduce stress in studies. The labs also reported that just 1-3 sighs brings stress down significantly!! 1-3 only!
The Physiological Sigh was discovered in the 1930’s, restudied in several labs, and popularized by Dr. Andrew Huberman.
How to do the Physiological Sigh (aka cyclic sighing): double inhale followed by extended exhale.
Think of someone sobbing; it’s the body’s way to get back into the parasympathetic state. The last top-up inhale, followed by a long exhale allows the maximum release of carbon dioxide.
For those that want the science, see below:
A randomized, controlled study at Stanford (NCT05304000) compared 3 different daily 5-min breathing to 5 mins of mindfulness meditation, over 1 month.
The breathing conditions were
1. Cyclic sighing, which emphasizes prolonged exhalations (aka the physiological sigh)
2. Box breathing, which is equal duration of inhale, hold, exhale, and hold.
3. Cyclic hyperventilation with retention, with longer inhalations and shorter exhalations (think Wim Hof).
Mood and anxiety improved as well as reduced physiological arousal (respiratory rate, heart rate, and heart rate variability).
Summary: Breathing exercises, especially the physiological sigh, produces greater improvement in mood (p < 0.05) and reduction in respiratory rate (p < 0.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.
However, even if you can’t do it for 5 minutes, the labs show every bit counts!
It’s not just about tips and tricks, but if you want to reduce stress & get healthier on a deeper level, DM me for a discovery session to see if I’m the right coach for you.
Huberman’s face is on this post because he popularized this. ❤️ however, I explain this in my reel. Just click on my Instagram profile.