For when it feels tense
The physiological sigh, for tension held in the chest
Two breaths in, one long breath out. A pattern your body already uses on its own, and one of the fastest ways to let go of tension you are holding.
Tension from anxiety often lives in the body before it is noticed in the mind: a tight chest, raised shoulders, a clenched jaw, breath held without realising it. The physiological sigh is a breathing pattern built for that feeling. It is also one you already know, because your body does it on its own several times an hour.
How to do it
- Breathe in through your nose, filling most of the way.
- Without breathing out, take a second, shorter sip of air through the nose to fill completely.
- Let it all go in a long, slow exhale through the mouth, longer than both inhales together.
- Rest for a moment. Repeat.
In Calmalo, the circle rises most of the way, then a little further, and then empties slowly. You will hear the out-breath in the sound as well.
Why it works
Sighing is a built-in reflex. Spontaneous sighs happen every few minutes, and are thought to help re-inflate the tiny air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) that gradually collapse during shallow breathing. Anxious breathing tends to be shallow, so the second "top-up" inhale can feel like finally getting a full breath.
The long exhale does the rest. As with extended exhale breathing, breathing out slowly engages the parasympathetic side of the nervous system and slows the heart.
In a randomised study, people who practised this pattern, called cyclic sighing, for five minutes a day for a month were compared with people doing box breathing, cyclic hyperventilation, or mindfulness meditation. All groups improved, but cyclic sighing produced the largest increase in positive mood and the largest reduction in resting breathing rate (Balban et al., 2023). It is one study, and more are needed, but the direction is encouraging.
When it helps
- Your chest or throat feels tight
- You notice you have been holding your breath
- Your shoulders, jaw or hands are tense
- You want something that works in a few breaths, not a few minutes
Read how to release physical tension from anxiety for more ways to let the body soften.
A note of care
If the second inhale feels like too much, make it smaller. The sip is small. The long exhale is what matters most. Chest pain or tightness that is new, severe, or comes with pain spreading to your arm, jaw or back, shortness of breath at rest, or feeling faint is a reason to seek medical help straight away, not to breathe through it. See urgent help.
References
- Balban, M. Y., et al. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 4(1), 100895.
- Li, P., et al. (2016). The peptidergic control circuit for sighing. Nature, 530, 293–297.