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What are some breathing exercises I can try?

Breathing exercises such as pursed-lip breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, and yoga-based techniques can reduce breathlessness and improve quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, and hypertension, with no significant adverse events reported. These techniques are supported by multiple randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, which demonstrate improvements in dyspnea, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life in COPD and heart failure populations.[1-5]
 
Inspiratory muscle training and breathing calisthenics may further enhance respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes in heart failure when added to standard rehabilitation programs. These modalities have been shown to improve respiratory muscle strength, reduce fatigue, and improve NYHA functional class in heart failure patients.[3][6]
 
Voluntary slow breathing exercises can help lower resting heart rate and blood pressure in patients with cardiovascular disease, including those with hypertension and heart failure. Meta-analyses indicate modest but significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate, with regular practice of slow breathing techniques.[7]
 
While evidence supports the use of these techniques for symptom relief and functional improvement, the quality of evidence varies and individualized assessment is recommended; further high-quality studies are needed, especially for patients with multiple comorbidities.[1][5]
 
 
 
 
1.Breathing Techniques to Reduce Symptoms in People With Serious Respiratory Illness: A Systematic Review.

Burge AT, Gadowski AM, Jones A, et al.

European Respiratory Review : An Official Journal of the European Respiratory Society. 2024;33(174):240012. doi:10.1183/16000617.0012-2024.

 Leading Journal 
 New Research
 

Holland AE, Hill CJ, Jones AY, McDonald CF.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2012;10:CD008250. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008250.pub2.

 

Nasirmoghadas A, Monjazebi F, Nasiri M, Feyzi A, Borhani F.

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. 2025;25(1):17. doi:10.1186/s12872-024-04464-z.

 New Research

Lu Y, Li P, Li N, et al.

Respiratory Care. 2020;65(3):377-387. doi:10.4187/respcare.07121.

5. Breathing Exercises in the Treatment of COPD: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.

Li Y, Ji Z, Wang Y, Li X, Xie Y.

International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2022;17:3075-3085. doi:10.2147/COPD.S385855.

6. The Need for Breathing Training Techniques: The Elephant in the Heart Failure Cardiac Rehabilitation Room: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Farghaly A, Fitzsimons D, Bradley J, Sedhom M, Atef H.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(22):14694. doi:10.3390/ijerph192214694.

7. Meta-Analysis of Effects of Voluntary Slow Breathing Exercises for Control of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure in Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases.

Zou Y, Zhao X, Hou YY, et al.

The American Journal of Cardiology. 2017;120(1):148-153. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2017.03.247.