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Body: Your nervous system, heart rate and HRV, in plain words

“Regulate”, “reset”, “vagal tone”: the words are everywhere. Here’s what slow breathing actually does to your heart and your nervous system, measured honestly.

In this section
17 articles
From other sections
13
A woman in headphones sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat in a bright studio, eyes closed, hands resting on her knees
BodyYour nervous system, heart rate, HRV and the breath in your chest.

The reading list · 16 articles

  1. 02 Tight chest anxiety: a breath that loosens it When your chest feels tight, breathe lower and slower, out through softened lips. Guide · 5 min
  2. 03 Air hunger anxiety: when you can’t get a full breath Chasing a bigger breath makes it worse. Try a smaller, slower one. Guide · 5 min
  3. 04 Vagus nerve reset: what breathing can (and can’t) do What “reset your vagus nerve” really means, and a breath that helps. Guide · 6 min
  4. 05 How to improve HRV with breathing Six slow breaths a minute: the best-studied way to raise HRV. Guide · 5 min
  5. 06 What is HRV, and what’s a good HRV? The small beat-to-beat changes in your heart rate, which tend to grow at rest. Questions · 6 min
  6. 07 How to lower heart rate quickly A longer out-breath slows the heart a little on every breath. Guide · 5 min
  7. 08 Breathing exercises to lower blood pressure Slow breathing is linked to modest drops in blood pressure. Here’s how to do it. Guide · 6 min
  8. 09 How to activate your parasympathetic nervous system Rest and digest, explained plainly, with the breath that leans you towards it. Research · 6 min
  9. 10 Breathing exercises for nausea Slow, even breaths, eyes on something still. Guide · 4 min
  10. 11 Breathing exercises for pain and headaches Don’t brace: breathe out slowly through the hard moment. Guide · 5 min
  11. 12 Breathing exercises for GERD (acid reflux) Belly breathing, after meals, for reflux: what the small trials found. Guide · 5 min
  12. 13 How to stop mouth breathing Make the nose your habit by day, and the nights tend to follow. Guide · 6 min
  13. 14 Shallow breathing Breathing high and quick? Here’s why it happens, and how to breathe lower. Guide · 5 min
  14. 15 Breathing after quitting smoking The cough, the breathlessness and your lungs, in the weeks and months after. Guide · 5 min
  15. 16 Caffeine withdrawal: the first few days Headache, fog and a short fuse: how long it lasts, and a breath for each. Guide · 5 min
  16. 17 Coming off medication: breathing through the side effects Dizziness, a racing heart, wakeful nights: a breath for each, while it settles. Guide · 7 min

Also in Body, from other sections

Breathe gently, never strain, and stop if you feel dizzy, light-headed or short of breath.