Interval breathing (breathing with a rest)

What is interval breathing?

It’s slow, even breathing with a space between the breaths. The in-breath and out-breath are the same length, 5 seconds each, like coherent breathing. Then, instead of breathing straight back in, you rest for 2 seconds with your lungs comfortably empty. That interval is where the name comes from.

The rest slows you from 6 breaths a minute to 5, and it changes the feel. Each round ends in stillness rather than in the next breath.

How do you do interval breathing?

Sit comfortably with your back supported, or lie down. Follow the player above: an even rise, an even fall, then a pause before it rises again.

What is the pause after you breathe out?

It’s part of ordinary breathing. When you’re relaxed, there’s a small natural pause after each out-breath, before the next breath starts on its own. You’ve probably never noticed it. When you’re rushed, breathing speeds up and the pause tends to shrink.

Interval breathing makes that pause a little longer and gives it your attention. That’s why it works well as a mindfulness practice: the rest is an easy moment to notice, and noticing it is the whole job. Mindful breathing uses the same moment without a count, and the 3-minute breathing space fits it into a short, structured pause in your day.

Is it OK to pause between breaths?

Yes, as long as it stays comfortable. A 2-second rest after a slow out-breath is gentle: your lungs aren’t empty, just at their natural resting point, and you can start breathing again whenever you need to.

If the rest starts to feel like holding your breath, or you gasp at the next in-breath, make it shorter. Comfort comes first. If you’d like a proper hold, box breathing has four even sides.

What is A52 breathing?

A52 is a name for the same 5-5-2 rhythm. In 2025, a researcher at Griffith University in Australia proposed the A52 Breath Method: breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, out for 5, then hold for 2 after breathing out, for 10 minutes. It draws on research into slow, nasal and belly breathing, and its author described it as new and not yet validated (Little 2025). Its first trial was published in 2026. Set Interval to 50 rounds in Breathform and you have the same 10 minutes.

What does the research say about interval breathing?

In a 2026 randomised trial, 98 paramedicine students were assigned to 12 weeks of A52 breathing, 10 minutes twice a day, or to carry on as usual. At the end, the breathing group reported lower stress, anxiety and depression than the comparison group. Sleep problems, wellbeing and resilience showed no clear effect (Little et al. 2026).

The limits are big. Only 24 of the 49 students in the breathing group were in the final analysis, and the comparison group did nothing new. The breathing group’s own scores didn’t change significantly: the gap opened partly because stress rose in the comparison group.

Slow breathing at about this pace is well studied for heart rhythm (Laborde et al. 2022). Whether the slow pace itself is what helps mood is less clear: in a trial of 400 adults, coherent breathing at about 5.5 breaths a minute worked no better than a placebo breathing practice at 12 (Fincham et al. 2023).

So: one promising first trial, with real limits, on top of solid slow-breathing research. Enjoy the rest for its quiet.

Every study on this page (4)

• Little, 2025: Proposes the A52 Breath Method: a 5-second nasal in-breath, a 5-second out-breath and a 2-second hold after the out-breath, about 5 breaths a minute for 10 minutes. Described by its author as a new, unvalidated protocol; notes that brief holds after breathing out are little studied.
• Little et al., 2026: Randomised trial, 98 paramedicine students: 12 weeks of A52 breathing (5 s in, 5 s out, 2 s hold after the out-breath, 10 minutes twice a day) was followed by lower self-reported stress, anxiety and depression than usual activities at 12 weeks; insomnia and wellbeing did not differ significantly, and resilience did not change over time. Only 24 of 49 in the breathing group were in the final analysis, and the breathing group’s own scores did not change significantly.
• Laborde et al., 2022: Across 223 studies, slow breathing raised heart-rhythm signs of calm, during practice and after, though that alone doesn't prove a health benefit.
• Fincham et al., 2023: In 400 UK adults, four weeks of slow coherent breathing did no better than a faster placebo breathing practice; both groups improved.

How long should the pause be?

Two seconds is the A52 length, and the one that’s been tested. One second keeps the feel with less effort; three makes each round slower and more spacious. Go no longer than feels easy.

If you like the stillness but prefer a few more pauses, anchor breathing has a short pause after the in-breath too.

Questions people ask

Does a pause make breathing more calming?

It might, but nobody has tested the same breath with and without it yet. The review that proposed the 5-5-2 rhythm points to research suggesting a pause after breathing out may add to relaxation, and also says this is one of the least studied parts of breathing. For now, the honest answer is: try it and see whether the pause feels restful to you.

Interval or coherent breathing: what’s the difference?

One rest. Coherent breathing is 5 seconds in and 5 out with no pause, which is 6 breaths a minute. Interval breathing adds a 2-second rest after each out-breath, which slows it to 5 breaths a minute. Coherent breathing has far more research behind it; interval breathing adds a moment of stillness some people prefer.

Is the rest the same as the Buteyko control pause?

They’re different. The Buteyko control pause is a measurement: you hold your breath after a normal out-breath and time how long until you first want to breathe again. Interval breathing’s 2-second rest is far shorter, part of a gentle rhythm, and never pushed to a limit. We explain breath-hold tests in CO2 tolerance.

Can I do interval breathing in bed?

Yes. Lying down, the rest after the out-breath often feels the most natural part, because relaxed breathing already has a small pause there. Let the count go once you’re drowsy. If you’d like a slower evening pattern with the same kind of rest, try 4-4-6-2 breathing.