Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials
Fincham, Strauss, Montero-Marin and Cavanagh meta-analysed randomised controlled trials of breathwork, searching seven databases and two trial registers to February 2022 and identifying 1,325 initial results. Twelve trials with 785 adults contributed to the primary outcome of self-reported stress, and the random-effects analysis returned a significant small-to-medium effect favouring breathwork over non-breathwork controls, with intermediate heterogeneity. Secondary analyses of self-reported anxiety across twenty trials and depressive symptoms across eighteen produced similar effect sizes, with moderate and significant heterogeneity in both. Most of the included studies were judged to be at moderate risk of bias. The conclusion is the part worth carrying: the authors state that breathwork may be effective for improving stress and mental health, and then urge caution and advocate nuanced research using low risk-of-bias designs in order to avoid a miscalibration between hype and evidence. Because the search closed in February 2022, the 2023 Stanford trial is not among the included studies.
Fincham, Strauss, Montero-Marin and Cavanagh meta-analysed randomised controlled trials of breathwork, searching seven databases and two trial registers to February 2022 and identifying 1,325 initial results. Twelve trials with 785 adults contributed to the primary outcome of self-reported stress, and the random-effects analysis returned a significant small-to-medium effect favouring breathwork over non-breathwork controls, with intermediate heterogeneity. Secondary analyses of self-reported anxiety across twenty trials and depressive symptoms across eighteen produced similar effect sizes, with moderate and significant heterogeneity in both. Most of the included studies were judged to be at moderate risk of bias. The conclusion is the part worth carrying: the authors state that breathwork may be effective for improving stress and mental health, and then urge caution and advocate nuanced research using low risk-of-bias designs in order to avoid a miscalibration between hype and evidence. Because the search closed in February 2022, the 2023 Stanford trial is not among the included studies.
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13, 432. Twelve randomised controlled trials on self-reported stress, 785 adults; small-to-medium effect favouring breathwork; most studies at moderate risk of bias; the authors urge caution to avoid a miscalibration between hype and evidence. Literature search closed February 2022, so the Yilmaz Balban trial is not included. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y
Where we use it
- The Breathing Exercise That Beat Meditation, Why We Move
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The source
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y