How Slow Breathing Calms Your Mind Without Mindfulness Techniques

It’s a well-known fact that taking slow, deep breaths can help you achieve a state of calm. However, understanding the mechanics behind it is more complex. Many believe that deep breathing calms us down due to a placebo effect, suggesting it works mainly because we expect it to rather than due to actual physiological changes in our bodies.

Recent research shared at the Embodied Mind Summit in Los Angeles on May 3rd sheds light on the phenomenon. UCLA neuroscientist Jack Feldman discovered that mice trained to slow their breathing displayed significantly less fear-related behavior in anxiety tests. As Feldman states, “This is not a placebo effect, because the mice are unaware of the calming benefits.”

This groundbreaking study extends the research initiated by Feldman in 1991, which identified the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) in the brainstem as a critical pacemaker of respiratory rate in mammals. The preBötC operates automatically, regulating breathing based on the body’s needs. In humans, this area connects with cortical regions involved in decision-making, enabling us to consciously alter our breathing patterns for activities like talking, laughing, and singing.

Unlike humans, mice lack this conscious control over their breathing. To manipulate their breathing rates, Feldman and his team employed optogenetics. This technique involves inserting light-sensitive proteins into specific neurons that can be activated via light pulses. By targeting inhibitory neurons in the preBötC, researchers slowed the mice’s breathing rates by as much as 70% with light stimulation.

How Slow Breathing Alleviates Anxiety

After four weeks of daily optogenetic stimulation, the mice not only demonstrated slower breathing during sessions but retained this slower pace even between sessions, indicating that they were trained to breathe more slowly.

Three days following the last training session, the mice underwent tests for anxiety-like behaviors. The findings revealed that the trained mice displayed a significantly lower tendency to freeze in stressful situations compared to control mice, spending more time exploring open areas while the controls remained in dark corners for safety. Feldman points out that slow breathing does not require intentionality to yield peaceful effects, indicating a fundamental aspect of how the brain operates.

According to neuroscientist Andrea Zaccaro from the University of Chieti Pescara “G. D’Annunzio” in Italy, it is crucial to distinguish the baseline relationship between breathing and emotions. However, he notes that focusing on your breathing is not futile. “While slow breathing may have inherent physiological benefits, paying attention to your breathing can enhance and contextualize those advantages,” he explains.

In conclusion, you don’t need to embrace meditation myths to experience the benefits of slow breathing. However, it may help you achieve a state of inner calm more swiftly.