Meditation vs. Breathwork: Study Finds One Is Better For Beating Stress
This breathing pattern was found to be most effective in a head-to-head study.
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September 06, 2024
mbg Health Contributor
mbg Health Contributor
Jenny is a San Francisco-based mbg contributor, content designer, and climate & sustainability communications specialist. She is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara. An avid open-water swimmer, Jenny has worked for healthy living and nutrition brands like Sun Basket, Gather Around Nutrition, and Territory Foods.
Image by Studio Firma / Stocksy September 06, 2024 It's no secret that meditation can do wonders for your brain power and mental health. But try as you might, even a quick meditation routine can be difficult to pull off. If you struggle to keep up a daily practice but still want to reap the benefits of meditation, you may be in luck. A published study out of Stanford University1 compared several breathwork methods with standard meditation. It found that breathwork—specifically something called cyclic sighing—was the most effective at improving mood, managing respiratory rate, and easing stress.
Breathe easy
For this research, over 100 participants practiced one of four methods of mindfulness for five minutes every day for one month. The methods tested were:
All four groups experienced positive effects, including reduced respiratory rate and improved mood. However, the breathwork groups experienced greater improvements than the meditation group overall, with cyclic sighing performing the best.
The study also noted that no effect on sleep was noticed in any of the groups, suggesting that longer daily sessions or longer-term studies may be needed to explore how mindfulness could help with catching better zzz's.
The fact that just five minutes of breathing can replicate—and even outperform—some of the well-studied effects of meditation is a promising finding for anyone short on time or patience.
But if you're already a committed meditator, don't feel the need to shake up your practice in favor of breathwork just yet. While this study's results are promising, research has a long way to go when it comes to measuring breathwork's long-term effects, as well as its effects beyond respiratory rate and mood. The study's authors note that they plan to expand the scope of their research in the future.
One of the best things about breathwork and meditation is that you can do either right now at home for free. "If you're interested in potent stress reduction practices, these zero-cost methods can help," wrote Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a contributing author of the study, in an Instagram post.
Feel better in just 5 minutes
Healthy habits can be difficult to form, but something as accessible as a short breathing practice is a great place to start for some impressive benefits. If you're looking to start a mindfulness practice in the new year, this study gives you full permission to block out just five minutes a day.
After all, we can all find five minutes to breathe—maybe while our morning coffee is brewing, while we're waiting for the bus or pumping gas, or while we're doing our evening skin care routine.
If you're looking to improve your day-to-day mood this year, incorporating endorphin-boosting exercise into your routine can also help. Taking a supplement for stress management can introduce more calm into your life too.
The takeaway
New findings from Stanford University point to something called cyclic sighing as the most effective way to reduce respiratory rate and improve mood.
You can implement it on your own by spending five minutes a day on intentional breathing—just focus on extended periods of exhale with two nasal inhales to full lungs followed by a full exhale through the mouth.
