Slow-Paced Breathing

Slow-Paced Breathing

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

Deliberately slowing breathing to about the pace of the body's own cardiovascular oscillation.

What it is

A pooled review of 31 studies with 1,133 participants found it raised two time-domain measures of heart rate variability, with a marginal effect on self-reported negative emotion.

In effect

The article on the vagus nerve reset uses it as the practice whose measured effects the label draws on.

What it does not say

The review pooled studies on heart rate variability and self-reported emotion, and the effect on emotion was marginal. It does not support a claim about any one nerve or about benefit for any person.

Sources

  1. Shao, R., Man, I. S. C., & Lee, T. M. C. (2024). The effect of slow-paced breathing on cardiovascular and emotion functions: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Mindfulness, 15(1), 1-18.