Breathing Exercises: Common Myths and What Guidelines Say
Breathing Exercises: what people commonly get wrong, set against what published UK guidance says.
They help genuinely in chronic lung disease and anxiety, and they are not a treatment for acute breathlessness.
Key takeaways
- Pursed-lip breathing: helps in COPD by keeping airways open on exhalation
- Slow breathing pace: about 6 breaths a minute for stress
- Most useful single change: Learn pursed-lip breathing if you have COPD.
- Commonest mistake: Using breathing exercises instead of a reliever inhaler in an attack.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What the guidance actually says
These are the numbers the corrections below are measured against.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Pursed-lip breathing | helps in COPD by keeping airways open on exhalation |
| Slow breathing pace | about 6 breaths a minute for stress |
| Breathing pattern disorders | treatable by respiratory physiotherapy |
| Not a substitute for | inhalers or emergency treatment |
Where people go wrong
All of these come up regularly. All of them run against the published position.
- Using breathing exercises instead of a reliever inhaler in an attack
- Deep forceful breathing, which can worsen symptoms
- Assuming all breathlessness is anxiety
What to do instead
- Learn pursed-lip breathing if you have COPD
- Practise slow breathing when calm so it is familiar under stress
- Ask about respiratory physiotherapy for a breathing pattern disorder
- Use positioning, such as leaning forward on your arms, when breathless
The part that is genuinely uncertain
Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current UK guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.
Where to go next
- Breathing Exercises: Common Questions Answered
- Breathing Exercises: The Quick Reference
- Breathing Exercises — the reference entry
- Hay Fever: What Published Guidance Supports
- Lung Cancer Awareness: What the Evidence Actually Says
When to speak to a doctor
Never use breathing exercises in place of your reliever inhaler or emergency treatment. Call 999 for severe breathlessness, inability to speak in full sentences, blue lips or chest pain. See a GP to establish the cause before assuming breathlessness is anxiety-related.
Where this comes from
- Asthma + Lung UK — breathing exercises
- NHS — Breathing exercises for stress
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
