The Surprising Health Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing (and How to Do It)

Has someone ever told you to “take a deep breath” when you were stressed or anxious? Although this sounds simple and even cliche, there’s some strong evidence to back up this advice. The way you breathe can have an immediate effect on your mental and physical state. 

Diaphragmatic breathing is a breathing exercise that can help your mind and body calm down. Some studies suggest it can help people with certain medical and mental health conditions as well. 

What is diaphragmatic (belly) breathing?

Diaphragmatic breathing is a type of breathing that calms down the body’s stress response. To understand how diaphragmatic breathing can help counteract stress, it helps to first understand how stress affects the body.

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When your body detects a threat, it activates your body’s fight-or-flight response. It does this by releasing adrenaline, a hormone that helps you react to potentially life-threatening situations. This response tells the body to:

• Raise the heart rate and blood pressure to improve blood flow to specific organs

• Raise the breathing rate to improve oxygen levels in the blood

• Sharpen the senses so you’re more alert to your surroundings

• Release stored sugars and fats so you have more energy

This is a natural and helpful response when you’re in immediate danger. But your body can activate this response even when you’re not in immediate danger, like when you’re late for work or get into an argument with a friend.

One way to counteract the effect of stress is to activate your body’s relaxation response. 

“You can take control of your breath, which provides a unique doorway into the autonomic nervous system — the control center that revs you up for ‘fight or flight’ and calms you down to ‘rest and digest,’” explains Carol Krucoff, C-IAYT, yoga therapist and co-director of the Integrative Yoga for Seniors Professional Trainings at the Duke Integrative Medicine Center. 

Krucoff adds, “Diaphragmatic breathing helps trigger the body’s relaxation response and lowers the body’s stress response.”

Chest breathing vs. diaphragmatic ‘belly’ breathing

Belly breathing is the opposite of chest breathing.

Chest breathing:

• Often occurs in response to fear, anxiety, or stress

• Is fast and shallow

• Makes the chest rise and fall with each breath

Diaphragmatic “belly” breathing:

• Signals the mind and body to calm down

• Is slow and deep

• Makes your belly rise and fall with each breath (rather than the chest)

Krucoff notes that “People often tend to be chest breathers. It’s related to a constant barrage of stress, which causes muscles to tense and respiration rate to increase.” She explains that this is why “virtually everyone can benefit from diaphragmatic breathing.” 

What are the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing? 

Repeatedly activating the stress response can lead to long-term health issues. Chronic stress has been associated with different health conditions, including:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Heart disease

• Increased body fat

• Stomach ulcers

• A weakened immune system

No one can avoid stress altogether. But you have the power to activate your body’s natural relaxation response by practicing diaphragmatic breathing. This type of breathing has many potential benefits. It can:

• Lower stress

• Lower anxiety

• Lower blood pressure and heart rate

• Strengthen muscles used for breathing

• Help your lungs fill and empty more air compared to regular breathing

“Diaphragmatic breathing may help manage symptoms of numerous ailments, including chronic pain, anxiety, asthma, and constipation,” says Krucoff.

When should you practice diaphragmatic breathing? 

You can add diaphragmatic breathing into your daily routine, or you can use it when you’re feeling stressed. In either approach, this simple breathing exercise will be beneficial for certain health conditions. 

Studies show that diaphragmatic breathing may help people with:

•  High blood pressure

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Anxiety

• Stress

• Pain

Diaphragmatic breathing is not a stand-alone treatment for these conditions. But it can complement other treatments you use for your condition.

How does diaphragmatic breathing help with COPD?

Diaphragmatic breathing can be particularly helpful for people with breathing issues. People with COPD often rely on muscles in the neck and chest to help them breathe, “which is very inefficient and stressful,” says Krucoff. 

“Diaphragmatic breathing teaches people to use the diaphragm, rib cage muscles, and abdominal muscles. These muscles help people breathe more efficiently — so they use less effort and energy to breathe,” adds Krucoff. 

But it’s best for people to practice this when their condition is stable. Diaphragmatic breathing during a COPD exacerbation can make breathing more difficult. During an exacerbation, people experience wheezing, shortness of breath, and fast breathing. This means they often have to work harder to breathe. Diaphragmatic breathing during this time can be hard to do, and it makes breathing even more difficult. 

Krucoff has some helpful tips in this situation: “Rather than focusing on taking a deep inhalation, it can be helpful to play with gently hugging in the abdominal muscles to enhance exhalation — then relaxing those muscles to allow the inhalation to occur naturally.” She adds that “exhaling through pursed lips can be a useful technique to help people with COPD get rid of trapped air.” 

If you have severe COPD, or your symptoms feel worse than normal, it’s important to check with your doctor or another healthcare professional before attempting diaphragmatic breathing.

How to practice diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is a simple breathing exercise that you can do anywhere. Krucoff’s book, “Yoga Sparks: 108 Easy Practices for Stress Relief in a Minute or Less,” is a helpful resource to incorporate breathing practices into your daily life. 

Here are a few steps to get you started:

• Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. If you’re sitting, try to sit tall but relax your shoulders, neck, and head. If you’re lying down, try bending your knees (or placing a rolled towel under your knees) to make you feel more comfortable.

• Gently close your eyes, and start to focus on your breath. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly, just below the rib cage. Notice the sensations of the breath as it enters and leaves your body.

• Breathe in slowly through your nose — for about 4 seconds. You should feel your belly expanding and your bottom hand rising. Try not to expand your chest while breathing in. You can use the hand on your chest to help you do this.

• Slowly exhale (breathe out) for 4 to 8 seconds through pursed lips (like you’re blowing out a candle). As you exhale, engage your abdominal muscles, almost like you’re sucking in your stomach. You will feel your belly sink under your hand. Keep the hand on your chest as still as possible. 

• Relax your abdominal muscles before you begin your next inhalation. Continue this for 5 minutes.

If it feels challenging to follow the specific time intervals above, that’s OK. Go at your own pace, and trust your body. It may take some time to get used to this new way of breathing, but it will get easier with practice. Start by practicing diaphragmatic breathing 2 to 3 times a day for about 5 minutes. As you feel more comfortable, little by little, you can do it more often and for longer periods of time.

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Written by:

Sparsha S. Reddy, MD

Sparsha S. Reddy, MD, is a physician with a strong interest in mental health and medical education. She is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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