This informal CPD article ‘Why Breathing Matters in Stress Management’, was provided by The Breathwork Reset, who offer transformative breathwork and meditation techniques combining ancient pranayama breathing methods with guided visualisation and modern music technology using the Soma Breathwork Protocol.
No discussion of stress management would be complete without talking about breathing patterns. The breath plays an integral role in the body’s stress response. [1][2] When we are stressed, our breathing changes, generally becoming faster, shallower, and more erratic.
This breathing pattern is not just part of the stress response; it also feeds into it. It creates further stress signals and increases arousal throughout the body. It is part of a key feedback system that helps the body interpret both the external world and its internal state from moment to moment. [1][2][3]
This two-way relationship is really important. It is often overlooked, and it gives us a great opportunity to regulate the nervous system. A simple way to think about it is this: the brain sends signals to the body to tell it what to do, and the body sends signals back to help the brain decide what to do next. [2][3][7] Fast, shallow breathing can activate and intensify the stress response in several ways, both directly and indirectly. [1][7][8].
Breath in modern life
The role of the breath is especially relevant in modern life because many of us are sedentary, overstimulated, and exposed to repeated low-level psychological stressors. Our stress response evolved to prepare us for physical action, to fight, run, or react quickly. But now, many of the threats we respond to are psychological rather than physical, even though the body still mounts a physiological stress response. [3][4][5][6]
Tension, heightened arousal, cortisol and adrenaline production, and an elevated heart rate can all be triggered, yet there is nowhere to run and no one to fight. The physical response that would once have helped the body metabolise stress hormones and discharge some of this physiological preparation is often no longer present. Physical activity can help regulate stress-related physiological responses and support recovery. [4][5][6]
Stress response
In the book Burnout, Emily and Amelia Nagoski describe the difference between the stressor and the stress response. You can deal with the stressful thing, but the body may still remain activated. In other words, the stressor may be gone, but the stress response is still running. [10] The authors talk about the importance of completing the stress cycle. That means helping the body come all the way through the physiological stress response, rather than just mentally understanding that the stressful event is over. This is why movement, laughter, crying, connection, and other forms of release can be so important; they help the body receive the message that the threat has passed. [10] This is also one of the reasons breathwork is so powerful.
Conscious breathing
Conscious breathing can help begin completing the stress cycle by sending signals of safety back into the system. It gives us a practical way to start resolving stress physiologically, not just thinking about it psychologically. [7][8][9]
On a daily basis, especially in a working environment, conscious breathing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to begin calming the stress response. It helps shift the body out of survival mode and into a more regulated state, and it helps send signals of safety and calm back into the system. [7][8][9]
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from The Breathwork Reset, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
References
[1] Tipton, M. J., Harper, A., Paton, J. F. R., & Costello, J. T. (2017). The human ventilatory response to stress: rate or depth? Experimental Physiology, 102(12), 1549–1552.
[2] Farb, N., Daubenmier, J., Price, C. J., Gard, T., Kerr, C., Dunn, B. D., et al. (2015). Interoception, contemplative practice, and health. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 763.
[3] McEwen, B. S., & Gianaros, P. J. (2011). Stress- and allostasis-induced brain plasticity. Annual Review of Medicine, 62, 431–445.
[4] Dhabhar, F. S. (2018). The short-term stress response – Mother nature’s mechanism for enhancing protection and performance under conditions of threat, challenge, and opportunity. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 49, 175–192.
[5] Dėdelė, A., Miškinytė, A., Andrušaitytė, S., & Bartkutė, Ž. (2019). Perceived stress among different occupational groups and the interaction with sedentary behaviour. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(23), 4595.
[6] Zhang, T., et al. (2025). How does exercise regulate the physiological responses of stress? Frontiers in Physiology.
[7] Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.
[8] Gerritsen, R. J. S., & Band, G. P. H. (2018). Breath of Life: The respiratory vagal
stimulation model of contemplative activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 397.
[9] Balban, M. Y., et al. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 4(1).
[10] Nagoski, E., & Nagoski, A. (2019/2020). Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Ballantine Books / Vermilion.
