Morning
Six breaths a minute
In for four counts, out for six, for three minutes
3 min
How to do it
Breathe in through the nose for a slow count of four, out through the mouth for a slow count of six. That works out to about six breaths a minute. Three minutes, sitting or lying down.
What the evidence says
Breathing slowly at around six breaths a minute raises heart rate variability and lowers stress and anxiety scores in the paced breathing research, and that finding holds outside menopause too. It will not touch a hot flash directly. The randomized trial that tested paced breathing against a music placebo for flash frequency found the breathing did worse, so this is filed honestly as a calm down tool, not a flash treatment.
