Breathing exercises for nausea

Does breathing help with nausea?

It can take the edge off. When you feel sick, your breathing often speeds up and rises into your chest, and quick breathing can bring light-headedness and tingling of its own. Slow, even breathing interrupts that loop. It also gives your attention a steady rhythm to hold, which is no small thing when your stomach is churning.

Breathing won’t fix the cause of nausea, whether that’s a winding road, a bug or a long-haul flight. Think of it as something kind to do while it passes.

Breathing exercises for nausea, step by step

Find somewhere with fresh air if you can, and somewhere to look that isn’t moving.

If you feel close to being sick, a shorter, gentler breath can feel safer than a slow, full one. Breathe in for 2 seconds and out for 4 through softly pursed lips, as if blowing on a spoonful of soup:

Can breathing help motion sickness?

Yes, a little, in lab tests. In one study, 24 adults sat on a rotating turntable until they felt moderately sick. When they focused on controlled breathing, they lasted about 10.7 minutes on average, against 9.2 without it. The authors reckon that’s about half the effect of standard travel-sickness tablets (Yen Pik Sang et al. 2003).

In another, 43 people prone to motion sickness took a 10-minute virtual boat ride in rough seas. Those trained to breathe slowly (about 8 breaths a minute during the ride) felt less sick than those breathing normally, and their heart rhythm showed more rest activity (Stromberg et al. 2015).

So: slow breathing may buy you some time and comfort when motion makes you queasy. Start it early, at the first hint of queasiness: that’s how it was used in the lab.

On a plane, where you can’t see the horizon, close your eyes and keep the same rhythm. There’s more for the air in flight anxiety.

How well each breath is studied

• Coherent breathingWell studied
• Pursed-lip breathingSome evidence

Every study on this page (3)

• Yen Pik Sang et al., 2003: In 24 healthy adults exposed to nauseating rotation on three occasions, controlled breathing let people tolerate the motion longer before moderate nausea (10.7 vs 9.2 minutes without intervention); a music tape worked similarly. The authors estimate these methods are about half as effective as standard anti-motion-sickness drugs such as scopolamine.
• Stromberg et al., 2015: In 43 motion-sickness-susceptible adults randomised to slow diaphragmatic breathing (trained at 6 breaths a minute) or normal breathing during a 10-minute virtual-reality rough-sea boat ride, the breathing group reported less motion sickness and had greater heart rate variability.
• Sites et al., 2014: In a randomised trial of patients with nausea after surgery, controlled breathing alone relieved symptoms in 62.5% (n = 16) and controlled breathing with peppermint aromatherapy in 57.7% (n = 26); the difference was not statistically significant, and there was no no-treatment group.

Does breathing help nausea from anxiety?

Often, yes, because the two go together. Anxiety speeds your breathing and tightens your stomach, and a churning stomach makes you more anxious. Slowing your breath works on both at once: it’s the same slow breath that calms your nervous system. If anxiety is the root of it, breathing exercises for anxiety has more breaths to choose from. Practising the slow breath on calm days, with Breathform keeping time, makes it easier to find when your stomach turns.

Can breathing help morning sickness?

There’s little research on breathing for morning sickness specifically, but slow, gentle breathing is a calm thing to try during a wave, especially with fresh air and a still point to look at. Small, quiet breaths are kinder than big ones. Your midwife or doctor can help if sickness is stopping you eating or drinking. Breathing exercises for pregnancy has breaths for every trimester.

Can breathing help nausea after surgery?

There’s a little evidence. In a small trial of people who felt sick after an operation, controlled breathing alone eased symptoms for 62.5% of them, much the same as breathing combined with peppermint oil (Sites et al. 2014). There was no group that did nothing, so it’s hard to say how much was the breathing. Still, it’s free and can start straight away while you wait for other help.

When reflux or a sour stomach is part of the problem, breathing exercises for GERD looks at belly breathing after meals.

Questions people ask

Why does slow breathing help you not throw up?

Nobody knows exactly. Nausea and quick, shallow breathing tend to feed each other, and fast breathing can add light-headedness and tingling, which make you feel worse. Slow, even breathing may break that loop, shift your body towards its rest side and give your attention a steady job. In one study, people who breathed slowly also showed more rest activity in their heart rhythm.

Should I breathe through my nose or mouth when I feel sick?

Whichever feels easier. Breathing in through your nose is a calm default, and breathing out through softly pursed lips helps you keep the out-breath slow. If smells are making the nausea worse, a breath in through your mouth may be more comfortable. The pace matters more than the route: slow, even and small.

Can deep breathing make nausea worse?

Big, fast breaths can. Gulping air or breathing hard can make you light-headed and swallow air, which won’t help a queasy stomach. Keep each breath small and quiet, and make it slow rather than deep. If you feel dizzy, breathe normally for a moment and start again more gently.