Deep breathing exercises come widely recommended for anxiety relief – but what happens when they seem to make your symptoms worse?
For some people, focused breathing techniques can actually cause increased feelings of anxiety, dizziness, disorientation, or panic attacks. This kind of paradoxical reaction isn’t a sign that something’s wrong with you. It just means that managing anxiety is a deeply personal experience that looks and feels different for everyone.
Learning about why deep breathing can sometimes backfire can be the first step toward finding better coping strategies that actually work. This page explores the science behind breathing-induced anxiety and helps you identify who might be most vulnerable, offering alternative approaches to calming your nervous system.
No matter if deep breathing helps or hurts you, effective anxiety relief is definitely possible – it just might look different than you originally expected.
In other words, slow, controlled breathing sends signals to your brain that you’re safe, which can, in turn, help to lower your heart rate and reduce blood pressure.2
In fact, research has shown the effectiveness of breathing exercises for anxiety and panic attack relief. Some studies have shown that breathing from the diaphragm can bring down cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone in your body.3 Regular practice can also improve heart rate variability, a key marker in your body’s ability to adapt to stress.
It’s also helpful that deep breathing can be practiced anywhere, giving people a sense of control when anxiety threatens to overwhelm them. Therefore, over time, engaging in breathwork can help to retrain the nervous system to respond more calmly to stressors.
However, not everyone experiences these benefits, and for some, the technique itself can actually become a trigger for anxiety. The following section takes a closer look at why this might happen for some people.
Certain breathing patterns can disrupt your body’s carbon dioxide levels. Taking very deep breaths (or breathing too quickly) can cause respiratory alkalosis, a condition where you exhale too much carbon dioxide.4 The imbalance can cause dizziness, feelings of lightheadedness, tingling in your extremities, and detachment – all symptoms that can both mirror and worsen anxiety and trigger a panic response.
Timing definitely matters, too. Attempting deep breathing exercises in the middle of a full-blown panic attack rarely works because your nervous system is already in crisis mode. Your body may need different interventions when you’re feeling the heights of your anxiety. So, trying to force yourself to take slow, controlled breaths at this point can feel impossible and like you’re losing control.
What’s more, past trauma can also affect how the body responds to breathwork. Someone with a history of trauma might feel as if the deliberate control of breathing is constricting or threatening, triggering their nervous system into a state of high alert. Having this response just means that your brain is actually trying to protect you from perceived danger and is certainly not a failure on your part.5
Another potential reason why breathing exercises might fail is the presence of hyperventilation anxiety, which we consider next.
Rapid and shallow breathing can also reduce carbon dioxide levels in the blood, causing chest tightness and feelings of breathlessness.6 These sensations can feel like a medical emergency, sending your anxiety skyrocketing.
As a result, people who’ve experienced hyperventilation-induced panic might develop anxiety around breathing exercises themselves, worrying that these techniques could cause another episode.
Although it might feel like it, anxiety doesn’t come from nowhere. Its triggers activate your stress response and can be different for everyone. So what causes overwhelming anxiety for one person might barely register with someone else.
Despite the inherent uniqueness of anxiety triggers, common causes of anxiety for adults can include:
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Additionally, prolonged hyperventilation can cause tetany, a condition where your muscles contract due to low carbon dioxide levels.7 You could also have a carpopedal spasm, where your hands curl up involuntarily, or experience muscle cramping.8
Certain populations might also face heightened risks. For instance, people with asthma and other respiratory conditions might find that focusing on their breathing increases distress or causes respiratory discomfort.
Finally, for people who tend to ruminate, breathing exercises can turn into a compulsion, something they feel they must do in order to prevent disaster. Others may constantly check in on themselves and whether or not they are breathing in the right way, interpreting normal variations in breath as a potential sign of illness.
When breathwork becomes a source of anxiety in and of itself, it’s time to explore alternative approaches. We explore some of these next.
Deep breathing isn’t the only path to relieving anxiety, and many other approaches can help you calm your nervous system and ground yourself in the present. It’s important to find techniques that feel safe and sustainable for your unique situation.
Alternative anxiety relief methods to deep breathing include:
Progressive muscle relaxation involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout your body. For example, you might start with your toes, squeezing them tightly for five seconds before releasing, then moving up to do the same with your calves, thighs, and torso.
This grounding technique for anxiety can help you recognize the difference between tension and relaxation, giving your mind something else to concentrate on besides anxious thoughts.
Grounding exercises for anxiety can anchor you in the present moment via the five senses. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique, for example, asks you to identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
These sensory-based practices help to redirect your attention to the external environment and away from internal thoughts. Thus, they can interrupt automatic and negative thoughts without having to hold or focus on the breath.
Regular physical activity releases endorphins and burns off excess stress that can be fuel for anxiety. You don’t need intense workouts to see the benefits either; walking, stretching, dancing, and gentle yoga can all help to re-regulate your nervous system. Movement gives anxious energy somewhere to go and shifts your focus toward your body’s capabilities.
Sometimes the best approach to tackling anxiety is to redirect yourself entirely. Participating in engaging activities gives your brain something else to focus on, which can be valuable for breaking acute anxiety cycles in the moment. Distraction isn’t likely a long-term solution on its own, but engaging in positive actions definitely has its place in anxiety management.
Engaging in therapy with a trained professional can offer you personalized guidance for better managing your anxiety. A therapist can help you learn more about your triggers and develop new coping strategies that work for you. They can also assist in addressing any co-occurring mental health concerns or underlying issues.
There’s truly no single approach for managing anxiety. Every person is unique, with varying experiences, preferences, and triggers.
For this reason, A Mission For Michael takes an individual and comprehensive approach to anxiety disorders. We tailor evidence-based and holistic treatment plans that speak to your needs and deliver powerful interventions that help you build on your strengths to fight back against anxiety.
Contact our team today to discover an approach to treating anxiety that honors your experiences and needs.
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For some individuals, intentionally focusing on the breath can heighten awareness of bodily sensations, trigger hyperventilation (lowering CO₂), or make them feel out of control—thus intensifying anxiety rather than reducing it.
If you notice that breathing exercises lead to increased dizziness, tingling, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or a rising sense of panic, it’s a signal that this method may not be working, and alternative strategies should be considered.
Techniques like slow exhalation (longer out‑breath), grounding exercises (e.g., 5‑4‑3‑2‑1 sensory method), gentle movement, and guided calming practices can be less triggering and still help regulate your nervous system.
Not necessarily—but you should pause or adjust the technique and consult a mental health professional to find an approach tailored for you. At AMFM, we help determine what works best given your unique response.
Yes. AMFM’s clinical team works with clients to understand their anxiety triggers, including breathing‑related responses, and develops a treatment plan that may include therapy, somatic regulation, and customized breathing or relaxation training in the safe context of care.
