Balban, Huberman, Spiegel and colleagues compared cyclic sighing, box breathing, and cyclic hyperventilation with mindfulness meditation. Exhale-focused cyclic sighing improved mood and lowered respiratory rate more than meditation.
Research
Moderate evidence
Cyclic sighing versus mindfulness (Balban 2023)
Five-minute daily breathwork RCT from Stanford.
Details
- Authors
- Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, Weed L, Nouriani B, Jo B, Holl G, Zeitzer JM, Spiegel D, Huberman AD
- Publication
- Cell Reports Medicine
- Published
- 2023
- Abstract
- In a remote randomized study, daily 5-minute breathwork, especially cyclic sighing, produced greater mood improvement and respiratory-rate reduction than an equal period of mindfulness meditation over one month.
- Key findings
- Cyclic sighing outperformed mindfulness on positive affect and respiratory rate; all groups reported some anxiety reduction.
- Methodology
- Remote randomized controlled trial (NCT05304000) with mixed-effects models over 1 month.
Editorial rating ★ 4.5
A rare breathwork trial with an active control. Five minutes is the protocol.
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