For mornings that start anxious
Two minutes. Breathe in for 4. Out for 8.
About
An extended-exhale breath: inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 8. The longer exhale signals safety to your nervous system.
When you wake up with a racing heart. Before getting out of bed on a hard morning. Any moment your chest feels tight on waking.
Default 2 minutes (10 cycles). Works in as little as 1 minute. Extend to 5 minutes if you have time.
Slight lightheadedness is normal in the first cycles. A softening in the chest and a slower heartbeat usually arrive by cycle 4 or 5. If you feel dizzy, breathe normally and try again later.
Exhales activate the parasympathetic branch of the vagus nerve, which slows heart rate and lowers arousal. The 1:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio is one of the most studied techniques for rapid anxiety reduction.
Balban et al., 2023Breathing exercise to stop a panic attackBreathing exercise for 2am racing thoughts