When breathing exercises make you anxious, dizzy, or tingly

You’re not alone

Relaxation exercises are generally considered safe for healthy people. But the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health also notes that some people experience more anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or a fear of losing control.¹ In a survey of 300 college students, 15 percent said they had felt anxious during relaxing activities like yoga or meditation.²

The most common reason: too much air

As soon as people breathe on purpose, many take in more air than their body needs. Experts call this overbreathing, and it lowers the carbon dioxide in your blood. In a study of 16 beginners, more than a third did it noticeably on day one, even at a calm six breaths a minute.³ In a comparison study with 84 college students, slow breathing also unexpectedly led to mild overbreathing.⁴

Typical effects are dizziness, lightheadedness, tingling, a faster pulse, and sometimes cramped hands. During slow breathing, these symptoms were mostly mild in the studies.^{3, 5} The tingling has a simple cause: overbreathing makes nerve fibers in the skin and muscles more excitable.⁶ And mild overbreathing doesn’t automatically make you uneasy. In a study of 83 participants, a larger drop in carbon dioxide even went along with slightly less unpleasant tension.⁷

1. You pay close attention to your breathing.
2. Many people take in more air than the body needs right then.
3. That can bring on dizziness, tingling, or a pounding heart.
4. It feels alarming, so you breathe even harder. The loop closes.
5. Two ways out: breathe naturally instead of deeply. And if it gets to be too much, open your eyes and breathe normally.

Play again

One sentence that changes a lot

In a randomized study, 46 college students all breathed slowly to a pacer for ten minutes. Half of them got one instruction beforehand: don’t breathe excessively deep, just breathe naturally. In that group, carbon dioxide dropped only about half as much, and symptoms were milder.⁵

The word “naturally” matters. In an older study, people with and without everyday tension got a brief instruction to breathe more shallowly. It made every group more anxious.⁸ So slow and natural beats deep, but it also beats deliberately shallow.

Practice helps, too. After a week of ten minutes a day, almost nobody’s carbon dioxide dropped much anymore, and the exercise felt more pleasant. The calming effect of slow breathing only showed up from the second measurement on, not the very first time.³ These studies tested the technique, not the nowa app.

One minute, nice and natural

In for 3, out for 6, no holds

Breathe along

Breath holds and air hunger

The longer you hold your breath, the stronger the urge to breathe. That air hunger is an ancient alarm signal, and it can trigger anxiety, frustration, and fear.⁹ Exercises with long holds, like 4-7-8 breathing or box breathing, aren’t the best starting point for everyone. If they make you uneasy, skip or shorten the holds. That makes sense, but it hasn’t been tested directly.

A pounding heart is often normal

Your heart beats a little faster as you breathe in and a little slower as you breathe out. With slow breathing and a long exhale, those swings get bigger.¹⁰ If you’re paying close attention, you notice them more. Overbreathing can push your pulse up a bit further.⁵

How you interpret those sensations makes a difference. In a study of 60 healthy adults, higher anxiety was linked mostly to how people judged their breathing sensations and how much they trusted their own perception, less to how accurately they felt them.¹¹ So it can help to remind yourself: a faster pulse on the inhale is normal.

When a set pace doesn’t suit you

Even a perfectly normal pace doesn’t suit everyone. In a large study, the comparison group breathed 15 times a minute to a pacer. A few people still reported lightheadedness, dizziness, or mild anxiety because the pace felt too fast. The researchers write that a set pace doesn’t guarantee you’re breathing the right amount of air.¹² If a pacer doesn’t suit you, start at your own pace and slow down only gradually. How to measure it is in the article on coherent breathing.

Common questions

Why do I get dizzy when I focus on my breathing?

When you breathe on purpose, you often take in more air than you need. The carbon dioxide in your blood drops, and dizziness or lightheadedness can follow.³ Breathe naturally instead of deeply, and practice regularly: both reduced overbreathing in studies.⁵

4-7-8 breathing makes me dizzy. What should I do?

Count faster, skip the holds, or switch to an exercise without holds. There’s very little research on 4-7-8 anyway.⁴ More in the article on 4-7-8 breathing.

Why does box breathing make my heart race?

Your heart rate naturally rises on the inhale, and overbreathing can push it up further.^{10, 5} Use shorter sides or skip the holds. If it doesn’t settle, or comes with chest pain or shortness of breath, get help.

Can I forget to breathe while falling asleep?

No. Your breathing rhythm is generated in the brainstem and runs without any thought, from birth on.¹³ If you have pauses in your breathing during sleep, wake up gasping, snore loudly, or are very sleepy every day, have it checked by a doctor.

Why don’t breathing exercises work for me?

In one study, a single session didn’t change mood.⁴ In another, slow breathing only became calming after a few days of practice.³ And some people simply do better with a different way to relax. That’s fine.