How Cycling Sighing Breathing Exercises Can Help Reduce Stress

In today's fast-paced world, stress has become an almost ubiquitous part of daily life. From work pressures to personal challenges, the constant barrage of stressors can take a significant toll on our mental and physical health. While meditation has long been hailed as a powerful tool for stress relief, not everyone finds it effective. This article will introduce you to cyclic sighing, also known as the "Physiological Sigh", a simple breathing method with strong scientific backing that offers a simple, yet powerful, alternative for stress reduction.

The Popularity of Meditation for Stress Relief

Meditation has gained immense popularity as a go-to strategy for managing stress. Influencers and wellness gurus across social media platforms advocate its benefits, sharing personal success stories of overcoming anxiety and achieving inner peace through meditation. Research has shown that meditation can improve emotional regulation, attention, and self-awareness, and even help prevent heart disease and improve immune function. However, traditional meditation practices may not work for everyone, especially those grappling with severe anxiety or burnout. The challenge of directing attention inward or focusing on the breath without becoming overwhelmed can be daunting, and for some, meditation might even exacerbate stress.

Get to know about: How a Breathing Exercise Device Can Help With Your Panic Attacks

Cyclic Sighing: How It Works and Why It’s Superior

Cyclic sighing, also known as the "physiological sigh" or "double inhale," is emerging as the fastest way to relieve stress. This technique involves taking a deep breath through the nose, followed by a second, deeper breath to fully expand the lungs, and then passively exhaling, like a relief sigh, all the air through the mouth. Interestingly, our bodies naturally perform a few physiological sighs each day as an involuntary mechanism to offload CO2. This type of sighing is also commonly observed when we cry. 

A study led by Dr. David Spiegel, associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine, and neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Huberman, found that practicing cyclic sighing for five minutes a day was more effective in reducing anxiety than other breathing techniques and mindfulness meditation. The study included 111 volunteers who practiced the exercise daily for a month.

The benefits of cyclic sighing include decreased anxiety, improved mood, and physiological changes such as lower heart rate and respiration rate. This practice activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a calmer state. Additionally, the study observed that the benefits of cyclic sighing increased with consistent practice over time. This technique is easy to do anywhere, at no cost, and with no side effects.

However, it's essential to perform this breathing exercise while sitting or lying down and avoid situations where fainting could be dangerous, such as in water, in the bath, or while driving.

How to Practice Cyclic Sighing

Practicing cyclic sighing is very straightforward and can be done anywhere, anytime. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position in a safe environment where you won’t be disturbed.
2. Take a Deep Breath: Inhale deeply through your nose until your lungs are full (for around 2 seconds). Make sure you fill up your lungs completely. 
3. Take a Second Breath: Without exhaling, take a second sip to pack some extra air (short, around 1 second) into your lungs.
4. Exhale Slowly: Exhale by releasing the built-up pressure through your mouth. It's important that the exhale is passive here – just relax your muscles when exhaling and let your lungs deflate naturally to their neutral volume. No need to push the air out, just let it happen. Tip: imagine sinking into the surface that supports you as you exhale. 
5. Pause / Hold: After the exhale, pause the breath for three to four seconds or more, if it feels comfortable, before taking the next inhale. Often overlooked, a short pause activates your parasympathetic (calming) nervous system after the exhale. 
6. Repeat: Continue this cycle for about five minutes.

For optimal results, integrating real-time biofeedback tools like Oxa can enhance the practice. Oxa measures your heart and breathing rates, HRV, and calmness levels in real-time, adjusting your breathing exercises accordingly to ensure you are breathing at your optimum frequency. To start with Cyclic Sighing, just look for the Instant Stress Relief I &II exercises in your Oxa App. 

 Also read: Advanced Features of Breathing Exercise Devices for Anxiety Relief

The Science Behind Breathing for Stress Relief

Controlled breathing exercises, including cyclic sighing, can significantly impact your body's autonomic nervous system, particularly the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Each breath you take influences these two systems. When you inhale, your SNS is activated, preparing your body for action by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. Conversely, each exhale activates the PNS, which slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and promotes relaxation. This is why breathing techniques that are extending your exhale are particularly calming, as they activate the PNS for a longer duration compared to the SNS.

Why Cyclic Sighing Works

Cyclic sighing does involve a long exhale, too. But this technique goes way beyond. The double inhale reinflates alveoli—tiny air sacs in the lungs—that may have collapsed due to stress or shallow breathing. This reinflation allows the alveoli to reoxygenate and efficiently offload CO2, contributing to reduced SNS activation and promoting a calm state.

Key Mechanisms of Cyclic Sighing

1. Prolonged Exhalation: This technique increases vagal tone, enhancing the activity of the vagus nerve, a crucial component of the PNS. Increased vagal tone reduces heart rate and blood pressure, fostering relaxation.
2. Enhanced Oxygenation: Double inhales increase lung capacity, ensuring more efficient gas exchange. This means that oxygen levels are optimized, and CO2 is effectively expelled, supporting a balanced respiratory process that promotes relaxation.
3. Hypercapnia Reduction: By offloading excess CO2 through controlled breathing, the stress and anxiety associated with high CO2 levels are mitigated.
4. Chemoreceptor Response: Central chemoreceptors in the brainstem, sensitive to CO2 levels, stimulate an increase in breathing rate and depth when CO2 is high. Reducing CO2 through cyclic sighing signals these receptors to reduce breathing rate, promoting calmness.

By leveraging these physiological mechanisms, cyclic sighing and other controlled breathing exercises can significantly reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. Whether dealing with daily stressors or acute anxiety, deliberate breathing provides a simple and effective tool to regain control and promote calmness.

Other Effective Breathing Techniques

In addition to cyclic sighing, several other breathing techniques can help manage stress through similar mechanisms:

Resonance Breathing (Diaphragmatic)

Also known as belly breathing, this technique involves breathing deeply into the abdomen, ensuring that the stomach rises and falls with each breath. The goal is to achieve a natural resonance frequency, where your heart rate, breath, and body's pressure system synchronize. This state of resonance is intensely calming and can significantly reduce anxiety and enhance lung capacity.

Parachute Breathing

This variation of box breathing extends the exhale to further activate the PNS. The pattern is simple: inhale for three counts, hold for four counts, exhale for six counts, and pause for four counts. This method is effective in calming the mind and reducing stress.

Deep Exhales 4:16

For maximum PNS activation, try this technique involving long exhales. Inhale for four counts and then exhale slowly and deeply for sixteen counts. This practice significantly enhances relaxation by keeping the PNS engaged for a longer duration.

By incorporating these breathing exercises into your routine, you can harness their calming effects to better manage stress and improve overall well-being. Try them out and experience the benefits of controlled, intentional breathing.