BREATHING / 2023
Five minutes of structured breathing.
Exhalation-focused cyclic sighing produced greater positive-affect improvement and lower respiratory rate than mindfulness meditation.
METHODRemote randomized controlled trial
SAMPLE108 participants · four groups
EXPOSURE5 minutes daily · 28 days
The limits matter.
A small remote trial with self-reported practice. Heart-rate variability and resting heart rate did not show significant group effects.
A practical connection.
DevPause offers comfortable 4-in/6-out pacing. That is a different protocol from the study’s double-inhale cyclic sighing.
Set a breathe sessionTRY THE GUIDE
A paced breath.
In for 4 seconds, out for 6. Use an easy breath, not the deepest breath you can take.
This 4/6 guide is a design choice. The breathing papers describe different protocols. Return to your normal breath if this pace feels uncomfortable.
Paused46 breaths / minute
Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal
Yilmaz Balban et al. · 2023 · Cell Reports Medicine
DOI 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895
Source checked 2026-10-05. Numerical entries are extracted published summaries, not participant-level data. No product efficacy claim is made.